Adding calcium

[BBQJOE]

I tried setting a small bowl of crushed egg shells out for the ladies. All they managed to do was spill it.
I feed them wet mash (saves a lot of waste!) So I've ground up a bunch of shells into powder, and will just mix it in with their feed.
I have 10 ladies, and 1 roo. They normally consume two medium sized dog bowls of mash every morning and evening.
Any guesses as to how much shell I should add, and how often?

 

[Kacey's Krazee's]

Hi BBQjoe,
I feed my girls back all the eggs shells I have. I don't do anything special with them. I just drop them in the run, and smash them with my foot. I find that most of them are gone during the day. I also offer them oyster shell, separate from their feed, by hanging a plastic dish off the side of their coop. They eat then what they want and need. I don't use layer pellets for my hens, so the eggs shells and oyster shell is the only calcium they get. I don't believe the rooster needs the calcium, but not really sure what the danger of too much in his diet. I leave mine separate so he doesn't have to ingest it.

Merry Christmas!

Kacey

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I too just put out oyster shell free choice in a little dish. Those that need it get it. If they spill it, they will pick it up off the ground. Same with grit. So I don't go to the trouble of trying to mix anything extra into the feed. Every once in a while I do see my cockerel eat a piece of os, but usually he tries to entice one of the girls with a piece by tidbitting, it's funny, they think oh he found a goody...well, not so much

 

[ChickenCanoe]

BBQJOE, is your mash grower or layer? If it's layer, it is already 4% calcium and shouldn't have more mixed in.
If it is grower, then you do want a calcium source for the hens but your rooster shouldn't be getting more than 1%.
So it needs to be in a separate container. A dish will be spilled. I attach cage cups to the side of the pens for oyster shell and grit.
There are several types but something like this would work
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=78546

 

[Wyorp Rock]

BBQJOE, is your mash grower or layer? If it's layer, it is already 4% calcium and shouldn't have more mixed in.
If it is grower, then you do want a calcium source for the hens but your rooster shouldn't be getting more than 1%.
So it needs to be in a separate container. A dish will be spilled. I attach cage cups to the side of the pens for oyster shell and grit.
There are several types but something like this would work
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=78546

Those cups are nice. I just took a pvc cap and screwed it to a post in the run for the grit. The one for os, well, I've been lazy and haven't attached it to anything so they do spill it occasionally. I'm not sure, but I think it was TSC that I saw something similar in the goat section? But not in those great colors.