CANABALISM: feeding chickens eggshells

[tankgirl88]

From what I understand chicken don't just get a "taste" for eggs. The only reason they would eat their own eggs is if they are calcium deficient or as was previously stated, bored. Or to simply clean up a broken one. So as long as they have proper nutrition and something to entertain themselves this should never be a problem.

 

[sarge]

I've got quite a few chickens, ducks and guineas and they all eat eggs when I give them eggs and I've been raising them for many years with no problems

 

[Beekissed]

So I am brand new to this whole chicken raising thing, so excuse me if I sound crazy for asking. Is it really a good idea to be feeding chickens egg shells, or worse yet IMO scrambled eggs?

I have read that you want to break the shell down into small pieces so that it is unrecognizable, but still, is this healthy for the chicken? And what about feeding them scrambled eggs?

A vegan friend of mine recently made the comparison that eating eggs at all is basically eating a chickens period. I will still happily eat eggs and chicken despite that thought, but is it good for the chickens themselves to eat the eggs?

Does anyone have anything besides anecdotal evidence that this is a healthy practice?

Just generations of anecdotal evidence...I'm not sure anyone is funding research about the health benefits of feeding egg shells to chickens but if you find something, please let us know. You don't even have to break the shell down into pieces, bake it or any other strange thing....just throwing them a broken egg, a whole shell or anything else to do with an egg is just fine and won't turn them into "cannibals". It's natural for them to eat eggs and egg shells, it happens at certain times of year if shells get brittle and broken in the nest and then it goes away but even that doesn't happen every year or every time an egg breaks.

I've never had an issue with chickens eating their own eggs as a regular practice in 37 yrs. That's evidence enough for me.