Effect of varying levels of oyster shell on serum constituents and erythrocyte indices in growing chicken fed gossypol-containing Nigerian cottonseed cake.

The addition of calcium ions to iron-gossypol complex in phosphate solution has been reported to effect the removal of the soluble ferrous-gossypol complex from solution. These workers then postulated that the formation of insoluble ferrous-gossypol by calcium may explain the biological synergistic effect of calcium with iron in the inactivation of gossypol. Earlier studies by Skutches et al. indicated reduced haemoglobin, haematocrit and total serum protein in pigs fed 0.06% free gossypol diet. While other attempts at gossypol detoxification using divalent ions have been, mainly, in the form of calcium hydroxide and/or ferrous sulphate, this paper describes the dose-response relationships between dietary oyster shell (a much cheaper source of calcium than Ca(OH)2) and some serum constituents and erythrocyte indices in the chicken fed gossypol-containing cottonseed cake (CSC) diets.