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Eggshells

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This datasheet is pending revision and updating; its contents are currently derived from FAO's Animal Feed Resources Information System (1991-2002) and from Bo Göhl's Tropical Feeds (1976-1982).

Datasheet

Description
Click on the "Nutritional aspects" tab for recommendations for ruminants, pigs, poultry, rabbits, horses, fish and crustaceans
Common names 

Egg shells, eggshells

Feed categories 
Related feed(s) 
Description 

Egg shells can be available in large quantities from hatcheries and from plants that shell eggs or prepare dried egg powder.

Nutritional aspects
Nutritional attributes 

Approximately 84 % of the eggshell is ash of which most is calcium carbonate. Where sources of calcium are unavailable, eggshells can be sterilized, ground and used as a highly available source of calcium.

Potential constraints 

Adequate heat needs to be applied to assure that all pathogenic organisms are destroyed prior feeding.

Poultry 

Biological availability of calcium in eggshell meal was determined to be 93.8 % and true absorption of calcium was 96.3 % (Bao et al., 1998).

When eggshell meal was added to a commercial layer diet it was found that eggs where heavier and shells thicker (Simeonova et al., 1984). It was found that eggshell meal could be used to replace all of the limestone in layer diets or bone meal (Neri et al., 1976; Vandepopuliere et al., 1975; Walton et al., 1977). It was found to be a suitable replacement for any inorganic calcium source in application in layer diets (Zander, 1983 [?]) and performance was found to be similar or superior (Sim et al., 1983a). Eggshell meal was found to be a highly available source of calcium, with no effect on DM intake or egg production being observed (Scheideler, 1998). An extruded mixture of ground maize and centrifugated eggshells included in the diet was free of aerobic pathogens and gave the same results as the control diet for feed conversion, egg production, egg weight, egg specific gravity (Tadtiyanant et al., 1993).

Nutritional tables
Tables of chemical composition and nutritional value 

Avg: average or predicted value; SD: standard deviation; Min: minimum value; Max: maximum value; Nb: number of values (samples) used

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This datasheet is pending revision and updating; its contents are currently derived from FAO's Animal Feed Resources Information System (1991-2002) and from Bo Göhl's Tropical Feeds (1976-1982).

Main analysis Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Dry matter % as fed 98.9 0.5 98.4 99.4 4
Crude protein % DM 5.6 1.8 4.5 7.6 3
Crude fibre % DM 0.3 1
Ether extract % DM 2.9 1
Ash % DM 92.3 4.0 86.4 95.0 4
Gross energy MJ/kg DM 1.1 *
 
Minerals Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Calcium g/kg DM 366.5 30.5 322.0 386.6 4
Phosphorus g/kg DM 1.6 1.5 1.7 2
 
Amino acids Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Arginine % protein 0.5 1
Lysine % protein 1.5 0.2 2.9 2
Methionine % protein 2.5 0.3 4.7 2
Tryptophan % protein 0.0 1
 
Pig nutritive values Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Energy digestibility, growing pig % 89.7 *
DE growing pig MJ/kg DM 1.0 *

The asterisk * indicates that the average value was obtained by an equation.

References

AFZ, 2011; Göhl, 1982

Last updated on 24/10/2012 00:44:08

References
References 
Bao, S. F. ; Windisch, W. ; Kirchgessner, M., 1998. Calcium bioavailability of different organic and inorganic dietary Ca sources (citrate, lactate, acetate, oyster-shell, eggshell, beta-tri-Ca phosphate). J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 78 (3): 154-160
Gongruttananun, N., 2011. Effects of eggshell calcium on productive performance, plasma calcium,bone mineralization, and gonadal characteristics in laying hens. Poult. Sci., 90 :524–529 web icon
Kemper, N. P. ; Goodwin, H. L., 2009. Feasibility and production costs of compostingbreeder and pullet litter with eggshell waste. J. Appl. Poult. Res., 18 :172–184 web icon
Neri, M. ; Presi, L., 1976. The use of dried egg shell meal in livestock feeding. Giornale degli Allevatori, 26 (3): 23-24
Scheideler, S. E., 1998. Eggshell calcium effects on egg quality and Ca digestibility in first- or third-cycle laying hens. J. Appl. Poult. Res., 7 (1): 69-74 web icon
Sim, J. S. ; Awyong, L. M. ; Bragg, D. B., 1983. Utilization of eggshell waste by the laying hen. Poult. Sci., 62 (11): 2227–2229
Sim, J. S. ; Awyong, L. M. ; Bragg, D. B., 1983. Utilization of eggshell waste for poultry feed. Poult. Sci., 62 (7): 1502
Simeonova, J. ; Ingr, I; Valentova, J., 1984. The effect of adding eggshell meal to layer diet on the quality and composition of eggshell. Zivocisna Vyroba, 29 (3): 271-278
Tadtiyanant, C. ; Lyons, J. J. ; Vandepopuliere, J. M., 1993. Extrusion processing used to convert dead poultry, feathers, eggshells, hatchery waste, and mechanically deboned residue into feedstuffs for poultry. Poult. Sci., 72 (8): 1515-1527 web icon
Vandepopuliere, J. M. ; Walton, H. V. ; Cotterill, O. J., 1975. Nutritional evaluation of egg shell meal. Poult. Sci., 74 (7): 1180-1190
Walton, H. V. ; Vandepopuliere, J. M. ; Jaynes, W. ; Cotterill, O. J., 1977. Using eggshells in poultry feed. Agric. Eng., 58 (6): 15-16
11 references found
Datasheet citation 

DATASHEET UNDER CONSTRUCTION. DO NOT QUOTE. https://feedipedia.org/node/210 Last updated on October 9, 2011, 15:07

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