A well written article. I am one of those people who have concerns about feeding eggshells to my flock but after reading your methods, I'd feel safer doing it now. The extra links for further reading are helpful too.
As a newbie, I hadn't realised that eggs could be made in different shapes and sizes!
I knew that giving eggshells back to the hens was a good idea.
I have been drying out eggshells on top of the stove and crushing them up.
? ? ?
Very good article. I like it to reuse things if possible and egg shells are even better (easier to digest ) then the OS.
I read some informative comments too, some with good extra info like: don’t wash the shells , the egg-white in the shells are very nutritious. To keep it safe I put the egg shells in the microwave for a few seconds and give it back the next day. If there is more then they will eat it goes into the soil of the run. Together with leaves, weeds, grasses and poop it wil break down into a great and fertile topsoil.
There is one thing that needs a bit more explanation. The layer feed with calcium should not be given to chicks because of kidney damage. But there is no evidence that roosters and not laying hens get kidney problems from layer feed if I can believe what I have been reading (experiences from other BYC members). Nevertheless I am cautious and I prefer to feed my hens all flock in winter. Especially because I have 4 oldies now who don’t lay much eggs anymore.
If I buy extra eggs in winter I choose the organic eggs. These shells are not poisoned and are safe to feed to the chickens as well.
Great article explaining the different ways!
I did alot of research about this topic and there are so many different opinions. I opted for the air dry and the girls LOVE them. They eat the shells much more than the oyster shells!
Your method sounds great! Give it a shot!