Do-it-yourself crushed shells for calcium?

[kristenm1975]

I live on Whidbey Island and several of the beaches around here have a wealth of pre-crushed shells, not oyster shells, but those nice big white ones. Do you think I can just use those? I would boil them first to make sure they're not carrying any bacteria.

 

[beakkeeper]

Should be OK if you sanitize them. Nice cheap way to get their calcium.

 

[JennsPeeps]

Hi there, fellow Washingtonian!

I save allll my eggshells and crush them up for the girls. If you've got friends on the island, they can do the same for you. Just rinse them out & let them dry, then crush with a meat tenderizer (that's what I used).

 

[happymama]

Will giving them eggshells encourage them to peck their own eggs? I have noticed that in the last week we have had 2 eggs get eaten. Does that mean they need more calcium? Or have i encouraged it by giving them eggshells? I was told to bake the eggshells so they wouldn't associate them with their own eggs but i don't know if that has any merit either.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
You may have an egg eater. I put a camera in my coop for other reasons, but I would definately keep a close eye on them. I always wash off the eggs before I use them, save the shells and crush them up and give it to them. They don't even look at their own eggs after they lay them, but I give them free choice oyster shells too.

 

[tvtaber]

I would definitely use those shells if we still lived on Whidbey (I was stationed at Oak Harbor 2002-2005). I wouldn't boil them though. After all, the hens eat off the ground!

 

[JennsPeeps]

I don't think a chicken can extrapolate that crushed white stuff = the things she lays.

 

[foxcrossing26]

I think feeding crushed eggshells to my hens has improved the quality of their shells. I got two new hens from a friend a few weeks ago and noticed that their eggshells were quite thin, whereas the shells of my hen that I've had for months are very strong. My friend feeds commercial layer pellets, and so do I, but I mix crushed eggshells in with mine. Within 2 weeks, the shells of my new hens had thickened up noticeably. What else could it be besides the eggshells? My girls free-range for only 1 hour a day, so I dont think it's the bugs.