Laying hens possess three forms of bone, two of which are dedicated to structural
support (cortical and trabecular bone) and one form, known as medullary bone
serving as an important source of calcium which is the primary component of the egg
shell. The amount of calcium that will be used from these bones to form the shell
depends on the amount of calcium absorbed from the digestive tract during the shell
formation. If the amount of dietary calcium is insufficient, the calcium required to
form the shell will be mobilized from the cortical bones. Functions of calcium are
associated with phosphorus and vitamin D3. Phosphorus is important for replenishing
the medullary bone while active form of vitamin D3 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol
D is essential for the intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Dietary
electrolyte balance is also an important consideration for shell quality as it can
influence the mineralization of the shell. Bone is a dynamic tissue which is
continually being re-organised and re-modelled even in mature animals. Bone growth
and re-modelling are affected by several cell types (e.g. osteoblasts, osteoclasts,
chondrocytes) and by many hormones (e.g. growth hormone, thyroxine, melatonin,
estrogen, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone). At the expense of cortical and trabecular
bones, the volume of medullary bones increases with the duration of laying, and the
main promoter of these changes is the hormone estrogen. Inadequate nutrition and
some respiratory and digestive diseases are the main reasons for inadequate skeletal
integrity and problems with egg shell quality
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