• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.55-68
• /
• 1981

Calcium and phosphorus are not only indispensable for the bone formation and body fluids equilibrium but also are major components of egg shell. It is nutritionally important, therefore, to investigate the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus and to search for optimum requirement of calcium and phosphorus and the availability of various sources of calcium an4 phosphorus by poultry. An attempt was made to review the nutrition of calcium and phosphorus in poultry diets. 1, Calcium and phosphorus have great interrelationship with vitamin D in their metabolisms. 2. Most of the plant-origin phosphorus are existing in phytic form and it leads to low availability when used in poultry rations, although calcium and phosphorus present in animal-origin or mineral supplements are highly available in general. 3. Calcium and phosphorus requirement from existing information indicated that 1.0% calcium and 0.7% phosphorus for broiler and egg-type chicks, and 3.5% calcium and 0.4% phosphorus for laying hen. 4. It has been recommended that calcium and phosphorus level should be increased when the feed intake was decreased or when the egg Production rate was higher or when the hens are old. 5. Mono-, ci-, tri-, calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, bone meal, limestone and oyster shell u the most readily available among various sources of calcium phosphorus supplements. Soft rock phosphate, deflourinated phosphate and gypsum are somewhat inferior to the previous ones in bioavailability. 6. The effect of particle size of calcium supplements on egg shell quality and egg production rate is not yet clearly defined but recent works showed that oyster shell is more available when it was coarse and limestone is more available when it was fine in panicle. size. 7. Present data indicated that mixed feeding of oyster shell and limestone is superior to the single feeding of each on laying performance. 8. Significant interaction between phosphorus and sodium was observed, that is, excessive sodium decreased egg production in layer and body weight growth in broiler in the low phosphorus diets but increased them in the high phosphorus diets.