Jeffrey Salazar
Calcium is an essential nutrient for chickens, especially laying hens, as it helps them produce strong eggshells. It also plays a crucial role in maintaining the overall health and longevity of the hens. While calcium deficiency is less common in backyard flocks with adequate diets, it can lead to severe issues such as panting, paralysis, and even death. Therefore, it is important for chicken raisers to understand the role of calcium in their birds' diets and how to ensure they are getting enough. This includes knowing the various sources of calcium, such as crushed oyster shells, eggshells, and supplements, as well as the factors that can increase calcium requirements, like diet, rate of lay, season, and digestive health.
How to increase calcium in chickens' diet
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Calcium supplements | Oyster shell flakes, limestone, calcium citrate + D3 tablets, eggshells, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, black soldier fly grubs, and more |
| Calcium requirements | Adult laying hens require 4-5g of calcium per day |
| Calcium-rich feed | Layer feed, clam shells, and fly larvae |
| Calcium-rich treats | Vegetables, fruits, and seeds |
| Calcium grit | Soluble grit, such as limestone or crushed oyster/mussel/clam shells, can be provided separately from the main diet |
| Insoluble grit | Small pea-sized gravel chips or small stones aid in digestion by grinding up fibres and cracking open hard husks |
| Diet considerations | Diluted or incomplete diets, high laying rate, warm weather, kidney and liver ailments, and poor digestive health can increase calcium needs |
| Calcium deficiency symptoms | Panting, spread wings, prostration, paralysis, and death; chicks may experience rickets, stunted growth, limp, rubbery bones, and deformed limbs |
| Excess calcium | Can lead to phosphorous deficiency and an unbalanced calcium-to-phosphorous ratio |
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What You'll Learn
- Calcium-rich treats: oyster shells, eggshells, limestone, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, and more
- Calcium supplements: Calcium Citrate + D3 tablets, white rocks from Manna Pro, and more
- Calcium deficiency: symptoms and solutions
- Calcium sources for young chickens: when to start, and what to feed
- Calcium requirements: how much calcium do chickens need, and when
Calcium-rich treats: oyster shells, eggshells, limestone, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, and more
Calcium is an essential nutrient for hens to lay well and stay healthy. It is required to make sturdy eggshells, support the circulatory, nervous, cardiac, and digestive systems, and control muscle spasms. A hen laying an egg every other day needs a lot of calcium to make a strong eggshell in 48 hours.
There are several calcium-rich treats that you can offer to your hens to ensure they get enough of this vital nutrient. Oyster shells are a great source of calcium and can be purchased as a supplement or used from leftover oyster shells. To use leftover oyster shells, clean them, bake at 250 degrees for 10 minutes, break them apart with a hammer, and then add to a food processor for a finer powder. Young chickens should not be fed additional calcium until they start laying eggs. Oyster shell flakes are more appetizing than larger rocks.
Another great source of calcium is eggshells. Eggshells are made of approximately 90% calcium. You can prepare your own eggshell supplement by collecting your eggshells in a container and storing them in the refrigerator. Crushed limestone, or calcium carbonate, is another option to provide calcium to your chickens. It is great for removing odor and will not hurt your chickens.
While Greek yogurt is rich in nutrients and contains calcium, it is not a staple food in chickens' diets. Chickens' digestive systems are not designed to handle dairy products, and consuming yogurt can lead to negative effects such as diarrhea, liver disease, weight gain, and obesity. If you do feed yogurt to your chickens, it should be in small amounts and on rare occasions, with a safe amount being no more than half a cup once or twice a week.
Black soldier fly grubs are an excellent balanced source of both calcium and phosphorus. They have 50 times more calcium than mealworms and can be given as a treat to your flock.
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Calcium supplements: Calcium Citrate + D3 tablets, white rocks from Manna Pro, and more
Calcium is an essential nutrient for chickens, especially laying hens, as it helps them lay well and stay healthy. Calcium is absorbed from the diet and stored in the medullary cavity of the hen's bones. When needed for egg production, it is released into the bloodstream, triggering the kidneys to conserve calcium.
There are various calcium supplements available for chickens, including Calcium Citrate + D3 tablets, liquid calcium supplements, and insoluble grit.
Calcium Citrate + D3 Tablets
Calcium citrate plus magnesium tablets are available for chickens and typically contain active ingredients like calcium borogluconate, vitamin D3, and magnesium. These tablets can be administered by adding them to the chicken's drinking water or mixing them with fruits, vegetables, soaked seeds, or soft food. It is important to follow the recommended dosage and shake the solution well before use.
Liquid Calcium Supplements
Liquid calcium supplements, such as D-3 Liquid Calcium, are another option. These supplements often contain calcium gluconate, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin D3. They are easy to administer through the chicken's drinking water, with a typical dosage of 15 ml per litre of water. It is important to prepare the solution fresh daily and follow the recommended frequency of supplementation, which may vary depending on the breeding season.
Manna Pro Poultry Grit
Manna Pro offers poultry grit made from insoluble crushed granite. This product serves as a digestive aid for chickens and other poultry, helping them grind and digest feed effectively. It is available in 5-pound and 25-pound bags and can be fed directly or mixed with feed. While some chickens seem to enjoy it, there have been issues with packaging, resulting in broken bags and spilled contents.
Other Options
Other natural sources of calcium for chickens include crushed oyster shells, grubs (such as black soldier fly grubs), and free-range foraging. Oyster shell flour, for example, is a calcium supplement for chickens and other animals. It is important to monitor calcium levels and provide supplemental calcium as needed, especially during high production seasons, warm weather, or when other factors increase calcium requirements.
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Calcium deficiency: symptoms and solutions
Calcium is an essential mineral for chickens, contributing to bone health and other physiological functions. A calcium deficiency can cause serious health issues, including death, in chickens of all ages.
Symptoms of Calcium Deficiency
The most common symptoms of a calcium deficiency in laying hens include thin-shelled eggs or reduced laying. Bone weakness may also be a symptom of calcium deficiency, as calcium is needed to grow and maintain strong bones. Insufficient calcium can lead to brittle bones, osteoporosis, and an increased risk of fractures. Leg and keel bone issues are often associated with calcium deficiency in laying hens.
Chicks can also be affected by calcium deficiency, which presents as rickets. In growing pullets, a calcium deficiency can result in increased general activity and environmental pecking.
Solutions to Calcium Deficiency
If you suspect your chicken has a calcium deficiency, there are several ways to increase calcium in their diet:
- Calcium supplements, such as crushed oyster shells or limestone, can be added to their feed.
- Feed them black soldier fly grubs, which are an excellent source of both calcium and phosphorus.
- Provide them with calcium-rich treats such as Greek yogurt, eggs, or vegetables.
- Include calcium-rich foods in their diet, such as fly grubs, which have more calcium than mealworms.
- Ensure they are getting a layer feed with a higher percentage of calcium, rather than an all-flock style feed.
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Calcium sources for young chickens: when to start, and what to feed
Calcium is an essential nutrient for chickens, as they cannot develop properly or lay eggs without it. A strong presence of calcium in the diet is essential for the health and longevity of the hen. It is required to build and support healthy bones and produce hard eggshells. A hen laying an egg every other day needs a lot of calcium to make a strong, sturdy eggshell every 48 hours.
Young birds should never eat high-calcium diets. Having more calcium than they can adequately absorb causes damage to their kidneys and therefore can shorten their lives. It is okay to feed grit for chickens to young birds, but do not feed them oyster shells.
Once chickens have molted at least once, they are old enough to have free-choice calcium supplements. Calcium supplements can be easily purchased online or in local chicken poultry shops. Oyster shells are among the best sources of calcium for birds as they contain various vitamins and minerals essential for their health. Crushed oyster shells can be hung in a feeder next to the regular feeders. Limestone is another good source of calcium, although it tends to leave some residue inside the beaks of chickens. Eggshells are also an excellent source of calcium and can be fed to chickens after boiling and crushing them. In nature, chickens will often eat eggshells on their own. Dairy products such as milk and cheese are another source of calcium but should be monitored as they can cause weight gain and pressure on the bones. Chicken or beef broths made from bones are also a useful source of calcium.
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Calcium requirements: how much calcium do chickens need, and when?
Calcium is an essential nutrient for all chickens, but laying hens have a particularly high calcium requirement. An eggshell is made of approximately 90% calcium, so a hen laying an egg every other day needs a lot of calcium to make a strong, sturdy eggshell every 48 hours. If a hen does not get enough calcium, her eggshells will be thin and brittle. If calcium deficiency progresses, hens may stop laying eggs altogether so that the valuable calcium carbonate can be used for essential bodily functions.
Hens with a calcium-deficient diet can deplete their skeletal calcium stores by up to 40% before they stop laying. A severe calcium deficiency can cause serious health issues, including death, in chickens of all ages. Other signs of calcium deficiency in chickens include osteoporosis, egg binding, a high risk of bone fractures, and even neurological problems such as paralysis.
The amount of calcium required varies depending on the breed, level of production, age, individual genetics, and even the stage of the laying cycle. Recommendations have increased from around 2.75 grams of calcium per hen per day in the 1960s to 4-5 grams of calcium today. As most of the calcium in an eggshell is formed overnight while chickens are roosting, it is essential that they consume calcium prior to roosting.
During high production seasons, such as spring, calcium needs will increase. Hens that lay regularly will need more calcium than poor layers. Warm weather inhibits calcium absorption, and ailments that affect the kidneys and liver will increase the need for calcium since phosphorus and vitamin D absorption are inhibited.
There are several ways to add calcium to a chicken's diet. Oyster shells are an affordable, slow-released source of calcium. Limestone grit is another exceptional and easily absorbable source of calcium. Eggshells are an efficient source of calcium but require thorough drying and crushing to avoid harbouring bacteria. Calcium-rich feeds formulated by professionals are another option. Black soldier fly grubs and larvae are a good natural source of calcium and phosphorus.
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Frequently asked questions
Calcium is essential for a hen's health and longevity. A hen needs calcium to produce strong eggshells. If you notice your hen's eggshells are thinner than usual, this could be a sign that they need more calcium. Other signs of calcium deficiency include panting, spread wings, prostration, paralysis, and even death. Young chickens should not be fed additional calcium until they begin laying eggs.
Natural sources of calcium include grubs, fly larvae, and eggshells. Hens will often eat eggshells on their own, but you can also save and crush eggshells to add to their feed. Oyster shells are also a good source of calcium and can be crushed or flaked and added to their feed.
An adult laying hen needs between 4-5 grams of calcium per day. During her egg-laying season, she may need up to 5 grams or more per day.
