Feeding Laying Chickens

[babyrnlc]

We feed their egg shells and if we buy eggs (free range) we feed those. We only have two that are laying age so far. We get two eggs a day from the two hens. The EE will skip a day here and there, but not often. We have always had good strong eggs, never had any issues.

I microwave the shells to cook the extra white.

 

[perolane]

Quote:
Are you sure you only buy a 50 lb bag once a year, HOW do you do that, seems unreal? I have 48 chickens and go through a 50 lb bag of layer pellets once a week! This is insane! I also allow mine to free range. Wow!

I can't be *totally* sure it's once a year, because the paper holding the partial bag of oyster shells starts to slowly decompose sitting in the bottom of the plastic bin in the chicken coop. It sits in there a LONG time between refills.

I assume she's thinking you use 50lbs of FEED a year....it's 50lbs of oyster shell per year!

 

[schellie69]

I have been feeding mine the egg shells for 2 years now with no problems I have never bought oyster shells and my hens egg shells are hard. I just put the used egg shells in a coffee can about once a week I crush them up and throw them into their pen they eat what they want. I don't have problems with week shells or anything like that. I think if you do it either way what ever works best for you is fine. I know when I started letting my free range I had a drop in egg production so I did some research and switched to game bird feed the egg production went back up.

 

[Double-0 Chicken]

I have never fed oyster shells, occasionally feed crushed egg shells and we have really strong eggs! The ameracaunas tend to have thinner shells than the barred rocks but I think that is just the breed itself.

 

[dogsmum]

I feed oyster shell so that their shells are nice and strong. We feed Modesto Mills Organic Feed and we have a small organic farm so they have loads of fresh vegetables. I don't feed them their own shells as this can create them eating their own eggs and this is one bad habit too hard to break. It's so cheap and they don't go through much so what the heck. The best for my Girls!

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
if you crush the egg shells up they do not get that the shells on the ground are the same thing as what they lay. I have dropped an egg in the pen and they where on it like raptors they still do not eat their eggs. I don't think their little brains really think like that. Everyone thinks differently so what works for one might not work for the other. I say feed them what ever way you think works.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Quote:
I have to laugh, my green and blue eggs are so thick that I cannot candle them at all except to check the air sac but only sometimes! I can see better in my Welsummer and Marans eggs than I can my EEs and Ameraucanas! I don't really feed oyster shell, my feed is good enough I don't need to. I do occasionally feed them eggshells, but they free range and I think they get what they need, except one who is laying no-shell eggs in the nest box and making a mess every day.

 

[gryeyes]

I don't use layer feed, as I have too many chickens of various ages in my flock. Since extra calcium is not good for growing chicks, I just feed 18% "all flock" feed and have crushed oyster shell out free choice. The layers take what they want/need. I keep the crushed oyster shell in two places: in an empty tuna can nailed to the wall of the main coop, and in a large dog dish in the yard (because the ducks don't go into the main coop and now there are several other coops of chickens who might never visit the main coop just for oyster shell).

I used to toss it on the ground in one spot until I had an outbreak of Coccidia; in my reading I learned it's not good to FEED by broadcast. Treat, yes, because the chickens will go for the treats. But if you scatter feed (without providing actual feeders) there is much more chance of chickens picking up bad things from the soil.

Hey, it's what I read and it sounded much more reasonable than when I just typed it out here...

 

[Ariel301]

I mix crushed up egg shells in my birds' "kitchen scrap bucket". They get a custom mixed feed to which I add powdered calcium carbonate and a mineral supplement containing calcium; it also has alfalfa pellets in it which are high in calcium. My egg shells are hard enough I can be pretty rough with them and no breaking.

 

[Cindlady]

I always feed back the shells to my chickens, and I have very hard shells! I did buy 1 bag of oyster shells for times when I sell more than I use but I still have over half a bag after 5 months. When we have shell fish for dinner I also save those shells and they love them! All the shells I feed them (except the oyster I bought.) I dry and send through the coffee grinder and make a powder, then add it to their morning mash.