Do you leave egg shells out all the time?

[Beaglemomof5]

Just wondering if it’s okay to leave out crushed egg shells all the time. I’ve read that the girls know when they need the extra calcium & will eat them when they need to.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Heyy, I just thought about that recently! A couple of my girls started laying not quite even a week ago, and a few days ago I've been trying to add the crushed egg shells to their feed. Originally I stored my bowl of it in the fridge, but now I'm keeping the bowl of the crushed shells outside in their trash can containing their food. I think it's fine to leave it out. It IS just the shell, after all, and not the egg white and yolk, which that part of it can go bad after a long time.

 

[woodenfarm]

Just wondering if it’s okay to leave out crushed egg shells all the time. I’ve read that the girls know when they need the extra calcium & will eat them when they need to.

They will. Most time mine like the oyster shells more then the egg shells.
Depends on the day

 

[Aerliss]

I throw egg shells in with their scratch and treats. I don't crush them too small as the girls are good at crushing them themselves. I like to give them things to keep them occupied. They have oyster shell in a bowl though. No one ever seems to touch it. They prefer playing with the egg shells.

 

[kmom08]

With my last flock we used both shells and oyster shell. I would wash my eggs before cooking and rinse and put in a bag in the freezer until I have enough to cover a large cookie sheet, then I baked them to dry them out, never had a problem. I mixed with oyster shell in tuna cans and used a hose clamp to attach near their feeder. I do the same with grit.
I plan to do the same with this flock once they start laying.

 

[Beaglemomof5]

Heyy, I just thought about that recently! A couple of my girls started laying not quite even a week ago, and a few days ago I've been trying to add the crushed egg shells to their feed. Originally I stored my bowl of it in the fridge, but now I'm keeping the bowl of the crushed shells outside in their trash can containing their food. I think it's fine to leave it out. It IS just the shell, after all, and not the egg white and yolk, which that part of it can go bad after a long time.

As I use eggs, I wash them & put them in a bowl & when I get several, I put them in my little food chopper & cut them into tiny pieces & put them in a ziploc bag & store them with their feed. I have put some out a few times, but wondered if it would be ok to just leave a pan of them out at all times. Figured that one hen may not need them at the same time another hen might & wanted to make sure my girls get what they need!!!