Can you crush up fresh oyster shells?

MandalaMaMa

Songster
6 Years
Jul 9, 2013
317
47
121
southern Oregon coast
We were given some fresh oyster and I was wondering if anyone has crushed up the shells for their chickens. If so how did you do it and how big. My girls aren't laying yet but are getting close.
 
Smash them with a hammer. Store bought oyster shells is rather powdery as it's run through a mechanical crusher. Chunky oyster shells will also provide grit action as well as extra Ca. I'd get it down to small pea gravel size to start. They'll tell you if it needs to be finer.
 
Does anyone have a good idea on how to crush oyster shells? I can get them from a local restaurant for free. When I tried to crush them with a 10lb sludge hammer I broke the stone under them. Any ideas would be helpful.
 
Perhaps if you have a rock quarry nearby they'd be willing to run your oyster shells through their crusher. Or, maybe get a bigger rock or only try to crush the smallest shells?

We only have a dozen birds but we've only spent about 5 dollars on oyster shell in the last 6 months. They free range, so they get some calcium from insects, but now in winter they are eating more oyster shell. We also roast, crush and feed back their egg shells. No egg eaters. We don't feed a layer feed, only a grower feed. Seems like even free oyster shells might not be worth the effort unless they're charging an arm and a leg for oyster shell at your feed store.
 

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