does anyone feed egg shells instead of oyster shells?

[chickenman17]

ok thanks!

 

[ChickenLove123]

I do oyster and egg shell both as free choice, too. They LOVE the egg shell!

 

[Tracydr]

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I do both. Free choice oyster shell and all egg shells. I just crunch them by hand, though.

 

[debid]

I do both. I toss oyster shell in the run and they eat egg shells from the compost pile.

 

[Tres Amigas]

Both. But they don't seem to eat the oyster shell very much. It lasts a long time. As a mother of horrible children who wouldn't voluntarily eat vegetables (but are now grown), I am a firm believer in stealth feeding, i.e., mixing in very finely ground, chopped, shredded, etc. whatever they won't eat into what they will eat, Because I Know What's Best. So they get their eggshells fed back to them whether they like it or not.

That's right...I'm not above that.

 

[runsw/scissors]

You know, I've never offered my hens oyster shells? I feed them back their own egg shells, which they devour. Their shells are hard and thick. They free range quite a bit and eat lots of greens... I've just never worried about it. Their laying pellets seem to provide plenty of calcium as well.

if their egg shells seem to getting thin I'll add oyster shell, but for now they don't seem to need it.

 

[LiLRedCV]

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[aoxa]

Mine LOVE their shells! The ones that are already laying enjoy them more than the ones that are younger.

I did offer oyster shell, but they wouldn't touch it.

 

[SueBaby]

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I think the reason it says that on your feed bag is because if your chickens are confined and eat only pellets then they can get all the calcium they need from their layer pellets. Offering more means they could possibly (though not probably) damage their kidneys.

Mine eat egg shells because they free range for part of the day (and get treats, let's be honest) so they need a little boost. If I ever run out of egg shells then I'll buy some oyster shells until I catch up again.

 

[LoreenH]

I give mine both, and they both disappear at the same rate. Maybe that's why their eggshells are so dang hard!