Is this calcium supplement okay to give to my hen?

[OwO]

Having an issue with my ~7 year old hen laying soft shell eggs. She will not eat oyster shell that I try to feed her, although I have seen her eating it on her own previously (they have unlimited access to it). I want to try to give her a calcium supplement, is something like this okay:

https://www.superdrug.com/Health/Vi...Calcium-With-Vitamin-D-Tablets-X-120/p/769064

If so, how much should I give her and how often?? Thank you!

 

[azygous]

Is you hen laying eggs?

Is your hen laying thin shell or shell-less eggs?

If she is laying perfectly normal eggs, she needs only oyster shell for a calcium supplement. Too much calcium in the form of a concentrated supplement over a period of a few years will injure her kidneys. With oyster shell, the hen eats only what she needs. She self regulates so this form is safe to use daily.

A good calcium supplement to keep on hand in case a hen gets egg bound or is laying consistently poor quality eggs is this.

It's a form of calcium that is absorbed quickly in an emergency. This isn't, however, meant to replace oyster shell as a daily supplement. Neither is the calcium carbonate that you are asking about. Stick with oyster shell.

 

[Banana01]

Lacking oyster shells, a powdered calcium supplement mixed with a pellet feed has worked for me. But not every day. Maybe put some pulverized powder in with the feed one day a week for a two or three weeks, and I mean only one day not everyday. I had to supplement my feed with a pure powdered calcium, i was not sure if it was seasonal thing or what, but the soft shelled eggs stopped and i stopped giving the powdered calcium too, mostly out of my own laziness. But yes it will help to give it a couple times, maybe every 7 days mix the powder with some pellets. I did 1 tbsp per cup of feed one day, and followed by several days of no supplement.

 

[OwO]

Is you hen laying eggs?

Is your hen laying thin shell or shell-less eggs?

If she is laying perfectly normal eggs, she needs only oyster shell for a calcium supplement. Too much calcium in the form of a concentrated supplement over a period of a few years will injure her kidneys. With oyster shell, the hen eats only what she needs. She self regulates so this form is safe to use daily.

A good calcium supplement to keep on hand in case a hen gets egg bound or is laying consistently poor quality eggs is this. View attachment 3125632It's a form of calcium that is absorbed quickly in an emergency. This isn't, however, meant to replace oyster shell as a daily supplement. Neither is the calcium carbonate that you are asking about. Stick with oyster shell.

Should have clarified, she has been laying soft shell eggs the last 3 days and is now acting very lethargic suddenly and I believe is trying to pass one. I feel like I need to give her calcium ASAP and this is not a long term solution, but just for this occurrence.

 

[OwO]

Is you hen laying eggs?

Is your hen laying thin shell or shell-less eggs?

If she is laying perfectly normal eggs, she needs only oyster shell for a calcium supplement. Too much calcium in the form of a concentrated supplement over a period of a few years will injure her kidneys. With oyster shell, the hen eats only what she needs. She self regulates so this form is safe to use daily.

A good calcium supplement to keep on hand in case a hen gets egg bound or is laying consistently poor quality eggs is this. View attachment 3125632It's a form of calcium that is absorbed quickly in an emergency. This isn't, however, meant to replace oyster shell as a daily supplement. Neither is the calcium carbonate that you are asking about. Stick with oyster shell.

That one actually looks similar to the one I linked to, do you know how many you'd normally give in event of emergency?

 

[azygous]

Then if you are in the US, go to Walmart and get the calcium citrate. Give her one tablet immediately, and one each day until her eggs are good quality again. It works much faster than calcium carbonate.

 

[azygous]

Here is my tutorial on the different forms of calcium and why citrate is the best form to use in a reproductive crisis.

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy.

Calcium citrate is not meant for daily use as a calcium source, only a temporary intense calcium boost in a reproductive crisis. Good quality oyster shell is still the very best source of calcium you can provide for laying hens. But be sure they're getting the large oyster shell particles and not the powdery residue left in the bottom of the container as it runs through a hens system much too fast to be properly absorbed. The larger particles remain much longer in the digestive tract allowing for much greater absorption. This will help to assure your hen is keeping her calcium stores topped off and will have less tendency to have egg issues.

 

[OwO]

Here is my tutorial on the different forms of calcium and why citrate is the best form to use in a reproductive crisis.

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy.

Calcium citrate is not meant for daily use as a calcium source, only a temporary intense calcium boost in a reproductive crisis. Good quality oyster shell is still the very best source of calcium you can provide for laying hens. But be sure they're getting the large oyster shell particles and not the powdery residue left in the bottom of the container as it runs through a hens system much too fast to be properly absorbed. The larger particles remain much longer in the digestive tract allowing for much greater absorption. This will help to assure your hen is keeping her calcium stores topped off and will have less tendency to have egg issues.

Thank you so much!! I wasn't able to get any calcium citrate today but have ordered some online. She did an eggy looking poo and is already looking a lot better than this morning anyway, but I guess it's good to have it for emergencies.

 

[Teresa D]

Here is my tutorial on the different forms of calcium and why citrate is the best form to use in a reproductive crisis.

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy.

Calcium citrate is not meant for daily use as a calcium source, only a temporary intense calcium boost in a reproductive crisis. Good quality oyster shell is still the very best source of calcium you can provide for laying hens. But be sure they're getting the large oyster shell particles and not the powdery residue left in the bottom of the container as it runs through a hens system much too fast to be properly absorbed. The larger particles remain much longer in the digestive tract allowing for much greater absorption. This will help to assure your hen is keeping her calcium stores topped off and will have less tendency to have egg issues.

Thank you this is a great help.