Egg weight and egg shell thickness as affected by dietary calcium

Abstract

Graded levels of dietary inclusions of oyster shell and bone meal were used as calcium sources to determine their influence on egg weight and egg thickness for laying chicken in cages, under tropical conditions. Birds were allocated at random to 8% oyster shell and 2% bone meal in treatment 1; 7% and 3% in treatment II; 6% and 4% in treatment III; 5% and 5% in treatment IV respectively. Egg weight and egg shell thickness did not show significant differences (P> 0.05). Increasing calcium level above 2% depresses egg shell quality, obtained by using 5% oyster shell and 5% bone meal in the diet.


Keywords: Dietary calcium, oyster shell, bone meal and caged laying chicken.

[Global Jnl Agric Res Vol.2(1) 2003: 1-4]