Phosphorus Supplementation For Chickens

[KritterKeeper]

We have been experiencing thin and soft shells in our flock and recently lost one of our hens to peritonitis as a result. We took one of our hens to the vet yesterday because she laid a soft shelled egg. Our birds get calcium and their bone density on X-ray is very good. The vet did bloodwork and found low phosphorus levels. I feed a layer formula and am wondering what anyone can recommend for better phosphorus/calcium balance.

 

[ChicKat]

It's interesting and I'm glad that you posted this. I've never found anything in the research I've done on soft shells or shell-less eggs referencing phosphorous. It's also good to know that your birds have good bone density because it's my understanding that a calcium shortage will cause the hen to draw calcium from her own bones to provide enough calcium for egg shells.

Perhaps there would be a phosphorous supplement in the health food store, or the vitamin section of a store. I dealt with some shell problems awhile back-- Here's part of an answer from another post.....


Shell-less eggs. I think that there can be a lot of causes for the chicken to loose the ability to create a good shell.

Do they get enough calcium? Free choice oyster shell in a container is good, and crushing the shells of the eggs you use and feeding them back to your flock is good. My chooks prefer egg shells to oyster shells BTW.

Apple Cider vinegar in their water (1TBSP per 1gallon of water) - helps the chicken's digestive system absorb nutrients -- including calcium, it has to do with the pH factor.

Vitamin D3 helps the hen with egg shell production too. I bought a bottle of tablets at WalMart and crushed up one. put it in with some feed and the contents of the shell-less egg (she was making membranes but no shell) - so vitamin D3, and more protein and good quality layer feed with the most calcium of the available feeds, They tended to gobble that down.

Old age, and other factors can interfere with shell production if you think your hens may be approaching the end of their laying period.


I'm keeping that on my 'charts and quotes' page because I write it so often.

I cured one of my hens by pulverizing eggshells in a food processor, adding vitamin D3 crushed up, mixing with good layer feed, and feeding that particular hen.
If you find a phosphorous supplement, you could add it...and use raw egg yougurt or even water to get the supplement to stick to the feed.

Good luck.

 

[Fred's Hens]

http://msucares.com/poultry/feeds/poultry_thin_shells.html

Here ya go.

 

[keltown]

I need to find a source for phosphorus. I had a hen die last week. She had been laying soft shelled eggs for about a week. I tried yogurt and even crushed up a Tums. They don't carry it at the feed store. Any suggestions? I've read you should leave it out for them just like oyster shells.

 

[EuroChook]

I need to find a source for phosphorus. I had a hen die last week. She had been laying soft shelled eggs for about a week. I tried yogurt and even crushed up a Tums. They don't carry it at the feed store. Any suggestions? I've read you should leave it out for them just like oyster shells.

Phosphorus supplements exist. Firstly, given that there is around 5g of calcium in an egg shell, make sure your hens are getting a good supply of calcium. Our ISA brown, who is seven years old and going great, is extremely fussy and refuses normal pellet feed, etc. So it seems that around 4-5g of calcium in pill form supplementing her other food is fine for her. BUT vitamin D3 is essential for absorption. Hence our ISA receives 2000 to 3000 international units (iu) of D3 daily. However over absorption or too much calcium leads to uric acid overload, so be careful. (Symptoms are listlessness, sluggishness or sitting still, not as talkative, even ruffling of feathers. Antidote: bicarbonate of soda solution at a very specific dose; very judiciously measured aspirin in the presence of pain).

As to Phosphorus: through the decades studies have tried to nail the optimum amount of the mineral for laying hens. In 1994, it was thought 250mg per day per hen was required. In 1997, it was reduced to 164mg and by 2000, it was found 155mg seemed to be adequate. After that, one study suggested 0.6% phosphorus per daily feed quantity was adequate. For a bird eating 130g of feed per day that equates to 78mg of phosphorus. One basic (and WRONG) conclusion is a ratio of 2:1 Ca : P. Way wrong. And the more excessive calcium or phosphorus is, the more it forms an insoluble compound in the gut from which neither element is properly absorbed. Hence people sometimes are giving their hens 7g of Ca a day or more and wondering why the egg shell is so thin. Then they go wrong again and add D which then leads to massive over absorption and uric acid overload trouble. In the same way, I wish people would stop suggesting apple cider vinegar for chickens. It is no normal part of their diet, and if we humans are warned about contracting bone thinness through food acids in soda drinks, imagine the bone damage forcing vinegar into a hen could cause.

Addition of phytate reduces the need for sheer elemental phosphorus. But, I prefer not to enter that rabbit hole, because phytates interfere with protein absorption at the sodium-potassium pump level. The bird requires methionine, lysine, arginine, valine, etc, just like the next sporting superstar for her to lay superstar eggs, and phytate inhibits the absorption of these amino acids.

Bottom line and take aways: yes phosphorus supplements exist. 160mg per day administered with 4-5g of calcium with 2000-3000iu D3 has done great things for our little lady.

With a little persistence you can procure the nutritional requirements information for your breed of chicken. Follow that and don't be afraid to make your own supplement blend specific to your chickens.

I'm so sorry straight answers are hard to find, in conclusion.