The Australian poultry meat industry grew from $2.72 billion in 2018-19 to $2.78 billion in 2019-20. The growth can be attributed to the increased demand for free-range chicken meat and eggs due to the nutritional value. Therefore, if you have a startup chicken rearing business and want to stay competitive, you need to keep your brood healthy. However, it does not mean providing quality food only. For example, you should also add calcium shell grit to your flock's diet. This article highlights the benefits of adding shell grit to your flock's diet.
Helps with Digestion
Digestion is an integral part of any living thing's metabolism. It is easy to absorb well-digested food into the bloodstream, which ensures good health. However, digestion starts by breaking down food, and most animals use their teeth for this purpose. In contrast, chickens do not have teeth and rely on saliva to moisten food for easy swallowing. The food finds its way to the gizzard, where shell grit plays a crucial role in digestion. As the gizzard muscles expand and contract, the churning action mixes the food with the insoluble shell grit, grinding it to a digestible mush. Therefore, if you do not add shell grit to your flock's diet, the birds may become ill from inadequate indigestion.
Strong Egg Shells
Dietary grit for poultry can come from oyster or chicken shells. It is common knowledge that eggshells are rich in calcium, which is crucial if you are breeding layers. When customers buy eggs for commercial purposes, the first thing they inspect is the shell. They know what a healthy, strong shell feels and looks like. Therefore, if your brood does not get enough calcium in their diet, the chances are high that the eggs will have soft shells, which could affect your sales significantly. Adding shell grit to your flock's diet boosts calcium intake and improves the quality of eggs produced.
Stronger Bones
When a customer wants to buy free-range chicken, they weigh the bird first. Heavier birds cost a bit more because of the quality of meat. However, a strong bone structure significantly contributes to the weight of a bird. Besides, Chicken with weak bones tends to stay in one place since they cannot support their weight over distances. The condition is typically caused by low calcium intake, which often leads to a myriad of illnesses. Therefore, you need to feed your flock with calcium-rich shell grit to promote the growth of healthy bones and increase your sales.
