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Poultry grade CALCITE

     The most common source of calcium for layer feeds is limestone. Consisting primarily of calcium carbonate, this mineral supplement is well digested by the chicken. It is important to realize that the limestone is broken down into calcium ions and carbonate ions: it cannot be transported into the blood stream intact. And when it is synthesized to form the egg shell, the calcium and carbonate ions must be recombined to become the calcium carbonate of the egg shell. Although the hen is capable of digesting the limestone, the process is by no means perfect. In fact, the best that can be expected is 50 - 60 % retention of the calcium in the feed. Therefore, to ensure the retention of 2.5 g of calcium daily, 4.0 - 4.5 g must be fed in the diet.

Why Calcium carbonate for hens:

• 97% of the egg shell consists of calcium carbonate.
• The shell weighs approximately 6.0gm, so almost 6.0gm of calcium carbonate must be synthesized and deposited on the shell each time the hen produces an egg.
• Calcium carbonate is 40% calcium, thus about 2.5 g of elemental calcium must be found and transported to the shell gland in the 18-20 hours it takes to form the egg shell.
• The calcium content of blood at any given time is no more than 30 mg. Thus the shell contains over 80 times more calcium than the content of the blood.
• Sound skeletal development during the growing phase of layer pullets (to approximately 16 – 20 weeks of age), broilers and turkeys, and • the maintenance of skeletal integrity for adult egg layers (laying hens, breeder hens and turkey hens).
• Both FreFlo (a blend of large to small granular calcium carbonate) and Unical-S (small granular) are utilized in complete feeds (mash) for poultry. Unical-S is also utilized for pelleted complete feeds.
• In adult layers, the focus turns to calcium’s essential role in good eggshell quality and hatchability. Such birds require larger particles of calcium carbonate that remain in the gizzard longer to provide for consistent eggshell formation during non-feeding times.

Three products fulfill this role:

• Shell & Bone Builder (large particulate), Unical-F (medium particulate) and Shell & Bone Builder Blend (blend of large and medium particulate).
• Calcium is obtained by the hen for shell formation from two sources. • Firstly, it comes from the feed, via the intestine and the blood stream.
  Secondly, it comes from reserves stored in the medullary bone. These reserves are replenished during the time egg shells are not being formed.

Specification:

Calcium plays many essential roles in animal and poultry nutrition:

• Proper development of bones and teeth
• Regulation of heartbeat and blood clotting
• Muscle contraction and nerve impulses
• Enzyme activation and hormone secretion
• Eggshell formation and quality
• Reproductive functions (uterine retraction)
• Milk production