Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-02-13
The Why of Grit

4
oo' nature has gone further and pro-
ouced a yolk in the egg At per cent
OIL which Is not used in the construc-
ton OF the perfect chick before n
comes from the shell, but stores Il
UP In the form Of the abdominal VOL,
so as to form a perfect food for the
cnlck Tor the first three days so that
'ne match may be over and the
] !notner may take the chick In quest
Oh 1000. This power of the bird TO
| seek It's food. in the wild state. is
calied instinct. Instinct of the do
| mestic fowl that has been preserved
from its wild jungle ancestor the
Sonneretti, has been studied by the
experiment Station Poultry Depart
ment or the North Carolina State
CoLese. one Of the things they have
peen studying for the past IL years is
minerals the hens need to grow and
to produce eggs as we'll as to main
TAIN their health and happiness, It
was found that the grains and
mashes were short on some Of these
minerals and further studies showed
that one OF the reasons why hens eat
grit Is to supply some of these lack
ing minerals.
1t was also found that the hens
preferred bright limestone to other
KINDS OF grit and that they also pre-
ferred hard grit. On opening these
birds and examining the gizzards at
olHerent times 1t was found that a.
SOFT grit would not grind the feed. as
| such pebbles would crush. Nv
watching the gizzard work It was OBJ.
served that the powerful muscles
ground IN rotary motion, rubbing.
the grain and the grit together and
reducing 1t to fineness so that it could
De passed to the small intestines and
digested and utilized by the fowl. It
wac found that oyster shell soon went
into solution under the grinding and
the strong acid of the gizzard or
grinding organ of the hen. Also by
analysis OF the mineral intake and
outgo of the body it was found that
calcium carbonate grit not only
was hard enough to grind the feed,
but also gave off calcium carbonate,
was hard enough to grind the feed,
but also gave off cadmium carbonate,
which the feed was short in. A study
was then made of the composition of
the egg and it was found that 1t con-
tanned more than a half percent. cal
clum or lime and that the egg shell
contained 91.4 per cent pure calcium
carbonate and that the balance con-
sisted of but 2.03 per cent. magnesium
carbonate and the balance organic
matter. The magnesium was not
short in the feed but the calcium car
Donate is short.
The kind OF grit makes a difference.
they found, for it was discovered that
some of the mineral salts obtained
oI
actually injurious and later in prac-
tice was so proven. They found some
grits made from, limestone which car
ried nearly pure calcium carbonate
and these grits were good in that they
were shown to furnish the needed
calcium carbonate and in this way
stimulate egg production. Others
were not almost pure calcium car
Donate but contained especially large
quantities of magnesium and when
the magnesium was over per cent.
it gave trouble. Again some con-
tanned forming materials and
these were not SO good because they
overtaxed the body's capacity to keep
the reaction of the blood on the al
kaline side. To back up these find
ings we find in Winslow's Veterinary
Materia Medica that magnesium car
Donate acts as a laxative and also
stimulates the kidneys, and it was
found when excessive amounts of
some grits We're used that an over
stimulation resulted in kidney dis
ease and diarrhea, with a falling off
in egg production, and such a calam-
ity when eggs are high Is to be
avoided. Hence the advice to be sure
Of the analyses of the grit you are
using. These same results are to be
expected from excessive amounts of
the oxide and some Of the other forms
Of magnesium. Magnesium sulphate
is EPSON salts and it was shown a
continued feeding Of this would be
very disastrous to the birds. 1t was
found that where the grit was al
most pure calcium carbonate, with
only small amounts Of the other pro-
ducts mentioned, no injurious effects
resulted, but on the other hand more
than 5 per, cent. magnesium grit is
to be avoided.-Dr. B. F. Knapp,
Head Of Poultry Department, N. c.
State College.