Can I feed them too much crushed egg shell?

[cruelshoes]

I have read about people giving their chickens crushed egg shells, so I decided to try it. I have been saving all of my egg shells, rinsing them and letting them dry. When I have a goodly amount, I pulse them in the food processor for a bit until they are small.

Yesterday, I fed them to the chickens for the first time. I had some treats I was taking out to them (bread crusts my kids won't eat , rice and a little bit of crumbled cheese). I sprinkled a bit of the crushed shell over the top and took it to the girls. It's a good thing I quickly pulled my arm out of the coop , or I think I might have lost some fingers. They fell on it like they had never eaten anything before.

If they eat their treats with such relish, and I at risk of them taking in too much crushed egg shell? Will they get too much calcium? How do you prepare your egg shells for feeding them back to your hens? Is just cracking/rinsing/drying/crushing enough, or do I need to do more?

I keep trying to tell myself that chickens lived for millenia without any human handling at all, but I still want to know that I am doing the right thing. Barg thinks of these things as his babies now. I think I have created a monster!

Thank you for any insight.

 

[Dawn419]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=13186

 

[redwa]

I just dry our shells in the oven until they look "dried" then crumble them up. Sometimes they are really into them and other times they are less interested. I don't think they can overeat the shells. They are pretty self regulating, eating mostly what they need.