Broiler chicks fed low calcium diets. 1. Influence of zeolite on growth rate and parameters of bone metabolism.

An experiment with a factorial arrangement of treatments was conducted using five levels of dietary calcium and two levels of zeolite A. When dietary calcium was deficient or marginal, zeolite A improved calcium utilization, as evidenced by improved growth rate and a reduction in rachitic lesions. There was little benefit from adding zeolite A to diets adequate in calcium. The effect of zeolite A on the incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia was inconsistent.