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Calcium, a key factor for eggshell quality.

Eggshell quality is one of the major concerns for egg producers. Cracked, pale and thin shelled eggs aren’t suitable for whole egg sale so are downgraded, which reduces the price paid to the farmer. Downgraded eggs account for 6-12% of all produced eggs of the flock. At 50 weeks of age, the hen’s eggshell quality drastically decreases with up to 20% downgrades at the end of the laying period. Egg shell integrity is therefore a crucial condition for ensuring the profitability of egg producers within the length of current cycles, but a very large issue with extending the length of the laying cycle.

Calcium is an essential mineral in poultry nutrition, with levels between 3.5% to 4% of a layer’s diet. It plays a key role in vital bodily functions such as the participation in acid-base balance and enzymatic system and is the main component of bone structure. It is also the main component of the eggshell. It is estimated that each egg contains 2.2g of Ca, the majority of which is found mainly in the eggshell. In fact, 95% of the eggshell is calcium, which is deposited during the later stages of egg formation in the composition of calcium carbonate deposited on the egg membrane by the shell glands.