Chickens need calcium carbonate to produce strong egg shells so calcium carbonate is often offered to them as a dietary supplement in the form of "chicken grits". It is also added to the feed of some dairy cattle who must replace large amounts of calcium lost when the animal is milked. 

Also known as "rock dust". Pulverized limestone is a white powder that can be sprayed onto exposed coal surfaces in an underground mine. This coating improves illumination and reduces the amount of coal dust that activity stirs up and releases into the air. This improves the air for breathing and it also reduces the explosion hazard produced by suspended particles of flammable coal dust in the air. 

Limestone has many other uses. Powdered limestone is used as filler in paper, paint, rubber and plastics. Crushed limestone is used as a filter stone in on-site sewage disposal systems. Powdered limestone is also used as a sorbent (a substance that absorbs pollutants) at many coal-burning facilities. 

Limestone is not found everywhere. It only occurs in areas underlain by sedimentary rocks. Limestone is needed in other areas and is so important that buyers will pay five times the value of the stone in delivery charges so that limestone can be used in their project or process. 

Limestone is heated in a kiln with shale, sand and other materials and ground to a powder that will harden after being mixed with water. 

Calcium carbonate is one of the most cost-effective acid neutralizing agents. When crushed to sand-size or smaller particles limestone becomes an effective material for treating acidic soils. It is widely used on farms throughout the world. 

If calcium carbonate (CaC03 is heated to high temperature in a kiln the products will be a release of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and calcium oxide (CaO). The calcium oxide is a powerful acid neutralization agent. It is widely used as a soil treatment agent (faster acting than aglime) in agriculture and as an acid neutralization agent by the chemical industry. 

Limestone is often cut into blocks and slabs of specific dimensions for use in construction and in architecture. It is used for facing stone, floor tiles, stair treads, window sills and many other purposes. 

Crushed to a fine particle size, crushed limestone is used as weather and heat-resistant coating on asphalt impregnated shingles and roofing. It is also used as a top coat on built-up roofs. 

Crushed limestone is used in smelting and other metal refining processes. In the heat of smelting, limestone combines with impurities and can be removed from the process as a slag. 

Limestone is a rock with an enormous diversity of uses. It could be the one rock that is used in more ways than any other. Most limestone is crushed and used as a construction material. It is used as a crushed stone for road base and railroad ballast. It is used as an aggregate in concrete. It is fired in a kiln with crushed shale to make cement. 

Some varieties of limestone perform well in these uses because they are strong, dense rocks with few pore spaces. These properties enable them to stand up well to abrasion and freeze-thaw. Although limestone does not perform as well in these uses as some of the harder silicate rocks it is much easier to mine and does not exert the same level of wear on mining equipment, crushers, screens and the beds of the vehicles that transport it. 

Some additional but also important uses of limestone include:

“A Few Facts About Limestone” Limestone rock is a sedimentary rock which is formed during the process of sedimentation at the bottom of oceans and lakes, or in caves. It is mainly composed of mineral calcite and aragonite, both of which are crystal forms of calcium carbonate. A limestone with 95 percent or more of calcium carbonate by weight is known as a high-calcium limestone. Its features such as imperviousness property, hardness, persistence, and compactness have a crucial role while dealing with its uses. As far as texture is in interest, limestone varieties are known as between very fine-textured rocks to coarse-textured rocks. The low porosity of limestone rocks reduce their water absorption capacity to %, and this feature makes them weather resistant. All these chemical and physical properties make it one of the most useful types of rock on the planet.

In an effort to improve accuracy in identifying the general categories of limestones at a 'macro' level, the following section contains descriptions of the most common types of limestone, however this information is not known as substitute for training and experience to correctly identify and catalog stone types. The following definitions are from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) document, "Standard Definition of Terms Relating to Natural Building Stones." A) Calcarenite: This type of limestone is composed of sand-sized grains of calcite, usually in the form of tiny fossils, shell fragments and fossil debris. Some calcarenites contain oolites and if the oolites are present in sufficient quantity, the stone is called oolite limestone. Oolite limestone is a sub-category of calcarenite. B) Coquina: This type of limestone consists of raw, unaltered shell fragments, often quite large, loosely cemented by calcite. It is generally very coarse and porous, frequently consisting of oyster and sea shells and fragments. C) Dolomite: This type of limestone is a sedimentary carbonate rock composed of calcium and magnesium carbonate. It is also called "magnesium limestone", it contains from 5 to 40% magnesium carbonate. D) Microcrystalline Limestone: This is a limestone structure of crystals too small to be seen without magnification. E) Oolitic limestone: Oolitic limestone is a calcite cemented calcareous stone composed of shell fragments, practically non- crystalline in character. Generally without cleavage, and extremely uniform in composition and texture, oolitic limestone adjusts to temperature changes. F) Travertine: A calcium carbonate, usually light in color, travertine can be extremely porous or cellular. It is usually deposited from solids in groundwater. For more helpful information, Limestone coloration is generally a consistent pure white to off-white. Many varieties do not take a polish well, so that the surface is typically a matte finish, no-gloss surface. All limestone types, like marble and other calcareous stones, are referred to as acid sensitive. Calcareous stones are readily dissolved in acid, therefore acidic products should not be used on limestones and marbles.