Should I be feeding raw eggs to my hens? Occasionally I get a crack one out of the box, I just toss to them and they gobble it up. I have a roll away nesting box, because the were already pecking eggs. But is there any nutritional reason to not feed raw eggs?
⠀ Feeding cracked eggs to the hens.
- Thread starter Dyeworthy
- Start date
Venevee
In the Brooder
- Oct 12, 2016
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Hello!
No nutritional effect on them, but it turns into a habit you won't want if you plan on collecting eggs and selling them or eating them yourself. Hens can become obsessed with eating eggs and will crack open their own or any eggs they find. I wouldn't give them the eggs, but you can still feed them the egg shells. Its good for them to eat the shells because it aids in making their future egg shells tougher.
No nutritional effect on them, but it turns into a habit you won't want if you plan on collecting eggs and selling them or eating them yourself. Hens can become obsessed with eating eggs and will crack open their own or any eggs they find. I wouldn't give them the eggs, but you can still feed them the egg shells. Its good for them to eat the shells because it aids in making their future egg shells tougher.
- Thread starter
- #3
Venevee
In the Brooder
- Oct 12, 2016
- 88
- 18
- 43
It's good that your keep their own eggs away from them once they are laid. But I would keep them from eating anymore eggs. They will eventually break the habit.
Yeah, giving birds cracked eggs to eat is a bad idea because of the habit. No problems nutritionally. Good that you have rollaway nests. What kind are they or did you build your own?
A better idea is to scramble the cracked eggs and feed them that way. They shouldn't make the connection to what comes out of their cloaca.
A better idea is to scramble the cracked eggs and feed them that way. They shouldn't make the connection to what comes out of their cloaca.
- Nov 11, 2014
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Hi Dyeworth, great question!
While there wouldn't be a nutritional concern with feeding these eggs to your hens, it could eventually lead to a behavioral issue. Egg eating is a common problem with hens that taste a raw egg once, like it and continue this behavior when they lay their own eggs. They might even eat the eggs before you are able to collect them!
Some people feed egg shells to their hens as a source of calcium. The amount of calcium that is available to the hen in this form, however, wouldn't be enough to considerably enhance their egg shells' thickness and strength. The key to becoming an effective general contractor for helping your hens build strong shells is using a feed that includes slow-release calcium. If you have an organic flock, look for a layer feed that contains 3.25% calcium. If you have a traditional flock, you can bring calcium to the next level with feeds like Purina® Layena®, which includes the Oyster Strong™ System.
Available exclusively in traditional Purina® Premium poultry feeds, the Oyster Strong™ System helps your hens build strong shells. This feed is specially formulated to provide a slow-release calcium source that breaks down at night, when eggshells are being formed.
The oyster shell included in the Oyster Strong™ System is a good way to provide calcium because of its large particle size. Smaller calcium particles break down quickly, but the oyster shell particles contained within the feed have a slower transit time. This means the calcium source stays in the hen longer and plays an important role in eggshell formation at night when hens need calcium most.
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