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Post by mandywith11 on Apr 24, 2006 11:45:49 GMT
i know you can give eggshell for calcium can you grind it and feed?
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Post by deadmansfinger on Apr 24, 2006 12:15:05 GMT
Good question! I was thinking the same the other day as we go through alot of eggs at home. But I wasn't sure how best to give them to the snails. I would assume you could grind it (not sure how well eggshell will grind) or just put it in in pieces.
I used ground cuttlefish on most of my snails food so I can't see a problem with grinding eggshells.
Anyone use eggshells as a calcium source?
Brian.
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Post by sezzy5889 on Apr 24, 2006 12:22:09 GMT
always wash it before giving it them,
and the answer is, however you want! ;D you can grind it, crush it or simply just give it them! they will eat it anyhow :-)
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Post by deadmansfinger on Apr 24, 2006 12:36:58 GMT
does anyone know the calcium content of eggshell compared to cuttlefish and oyster shell.
Thanks, Brian.
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Post by Paul on Apr 24, 2006 12:47:16 GMT
Taken from: newton.ex.ac.uk/teaching/CDHW/egg/The shell accounts for about 9 to 12% of its total weight depending on egg size. It comprises about 94% calcium carbonate with small amounts of magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate and other organic matter including protein...
...In the U.K. mass-market eggs seem to crack more easily these days than they used to; this is apparently because their shells are rather thinner than they were twenty or thirty years ago. I believe that this is mainly because the proportion of 'grit' (a calcium supplement) in chickens' diet has been reduced (it's expensive to transport). Eggs need careful handling to avoid damage, which can be invisible to the naked eye.
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Post by Paul on Apr 24, 2006 12:49:09 GMT
Cuttelfish is 80-90% depending on impurities.
Oyster shell is 99%.
Also, oyster shell contains less magnesium so that is better for calcium utilisation.
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Post by deadmansfinger on Apr 24, 2006 12:54:29 GMT
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Post by mandywith11 on Apr 24, 2006 14:47:00 GMT
well i guess ill be saving eggshells as you can imagine we get through tonnes lol and if the snails can eat them it seems a waste i will remember to wash first cheers
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Post by Paul on Apr 24, 2006 15:16:02 GMT
It does, but it doesn't say if that is for health reasons, it could well be simply for growth.
I actually emailed the author of that article to see if digestibility was taken into account. When I feed oyster shell, large pieces of shell pass through, probably because it is hard to ingest. So, that throws up many questions about the efficacy of various calcium sources. The optimum rate may be because it is hard to ingest, which could show a lower percentage of calcium in a diet is more beneficial. Similarly, feeding a similar percentage of a more easily digested source could cause excessive calcium deposits in the tissue. I also asked what size pieces the oyster shell in the study were so we can compare with what we can get.
So, I basically asked what the method of standardisation during the experiment was for the transport of calcium compounds. I'm still waiting for an answer...
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Post by sezzy5889 on Apr 24, 2006 15:31:17 GMT
but even cuttlebone sometimes passes through the snail and comes straight out again, and thats powdered
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Post by sonicsnail on Apr 24, 2006 15:48:31 GMT
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