Diet Of Laying Birds

[chikis]

Help! I just came across this question:
Which of the following feeding stuff should be increased in the diet of laying birds? (A) Palm kernal meal (B) Bone meal (C) Groundnut cake (D) Vitamin supplement (E) Wheat offal.
Any person who has an idea about the question should do well by bringing it in; let's discuss it. Thank you!

[JackBean]

Do you know, what is made the egg of?

[chikis]

They said the shell is made of calcium. What the inner liquid content?

[JackBean]

the inner liquid is mainly water, proteins (egg white and yolk) and lipids (yolk), nothing that special, what the bird could not produce by itself. But the calcium is more important (or rather more needed to obtain from environment).

[chikis]

In that case, are you saying that bone meal should be fed to the bird? If that is your idea, what about the other stuffs like the palmkernal cake and groundnut cake? Don't they contain protien also? Because I know that source of protien is also source of calcium or is that not so?

[JackBean]

groundnut is source of oil in the first place. In the second, proteins are not source of calcium (you meant nitrogen maybe?)

I'm not sure, what should palm kernel contain, but probably yes, either bones* or vitamine supplements (if it contains minerals as well)

* it is common here to feed chicken with old egg shells

[chikis]

Thank you JackBean. I think am now cleared with the question. From all your replies, I understand that bonemeal is the correct foodstuff for laying birds. That is because bone meal is a good source of calcium. In the absence of bonemeal, other foodstuffs rich in calcium could also be used. Those other products include cuttlebones, oystershells, fishbone, e.t.c. In a situation where the mentioned foodstuffs is too hard for the bird to crush, it can be ground into mesh and served to the bird.
Calcium is needed in forming eggshell for the bird. If the bird suffers from calcium deficiency that will lead to a situation where the bird will rob the needed calcium from it bones. That will in turn lead to another situation where the bird will suffer from fragile bones and other related diseases.
Since cuttlebones, oystershells, fishbone, eggshell, e.t.c are good source of calcium and we know that bonemeal is also a good source of calcium. That means bonemeal should be fed to the bird inline with the question. Therefore the answere is B.
Once again, I say thank you for your immens contribution to my thread.

[JackBean]

that seems pretty well written

[animartco]

What is wheat offal? If its another way of saying bran, then it's good if you don't feed your birds plenty of stringy greens. I wouldn't want to use palm oil because its damaging to the environment, and I wouldn't want to use bonemeal because it carries mad cow disease, and other prions, and shouldn't go into our food chain. My meal is mostly Wheat sunflower seed chalk and soya with some ash and lots of trace elements. Also an appetite enhancer whatever that is!

[chikis]

_at_ animato, yes, by wheat offal, I mean bran.
This my question was set at a time when mad cow disease have not being discovered. When it was found that mad cow disease is transmitted to cattle as a result of taking diet made of bonemeal; the act of feeding it to animal was discontinued. Since is not only bonemeal that is rich in calcium other sources and method were implemented. For example, instead of feeding bonemeal to livestock including birds, other source like cuttle bone, fish bone, adding calcium supplement in their diet e.t.c was implemented.
Bonemeal was prepared chiefly from the bones and meat of cattle, that is why I was not afraid to still mention fishbone and cuttle bone as alternatives.

[animartco]

Oh Hi. I see you found my answer. Did I aso say I feed my birds grass clippings? They also eat brassica leaves. They seem to be doing well. I am inundated with eggs.

[chikis]

I don't understand what you meant by that "inundated with eggs". Could you please explain a little bit for an easy comprehension by me.