Does What You Feed Affect Nutrition of Eggs?

[susanjoysimmons]

When I use eggs I bake the shells slightly and crush/grind them to a course powder and feed them back to the hens. 2 to 3 times a week I put a bit of oyster shells in their mash. Sometimes you almost need a hammer to crack the eggs open!

I'm luck y(well, more so the chickens ) in that my DH works at a wholesale food warehouse that has produce so he bring me discards all winter. If per-chance I don't have enough, I will buy whatever is cheap at the store or cook up some carrots for them to peck at. I've also gotten some alfalfa hay. The only issue with that is because it's dry I've seen it cause crop issues. I chop it up a bit and soak it in water for a few hours. They gobble it up! The only thing I would have changed about my "winter feeding" was after a few weeks of not being able to rang, I thought after tasting one was "Needs more Bug!"

I'll try to add more animal protein next year.

All in all...if I can help it.... I will never buy "commercial" eggs again! Never did like them pale, tasteless, runny "things". Remind me of "winter tomatoes" ewww colorless, tasteless, rubbery "things"!

Chickens can have too much calcium in their diet, which can lead to serious health issues:

• Kidney damage: Excess calcium can damage the kidneys, which work to filter out the extra calcium. This damage can be irreversible and lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.
  
  
• Soft bones: Too much calcium can cause soft bones, also known as rickets.
  
  
• Stunted growth: In chicks, too much calcium can stunt their growth.
  
  
• Heart and organ damage: Too much calcium can damage the heart and other organs.
  
  
• Liver toxicity: Too much calcium can be toxic to the liver.
  
  
• Gout: Too much calcium can cause gout, which is when the kidneys calcify

 

[FrostRanger]

Chickens can have too much calcium in their diet, which can lead to serious health issues:

• Kidney damage: Excess calcium can damage the kidneys, which work to filter out the extra calcium. This damage can be irreversible and lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.
  
  
• Soft bones: Too much calcium can cause soft bones, also known as rickets.
  
  
• Stunted growth: In chicks, too much calcium can stunt their growth.
  
  
• Heart and organ damage: Too much calcium can damage the heart and other organs.
  
  
• Liver toxicity: Too much calcium can be toxic to the liver.
  
  
• Gout: Too much calcium can cause gout, which is when the kidneys calcify

The person you're replying to hasn't been on since 2016 although yes, you do make good points, all things in the proper amounts

 

[Perris]

Chickens can have too much calcium in their diet, which can lead to serious health issues:

• Kidney damage: Excess calcium can damage the kidneys, which work to filter out the extra calcium. This damage can be irreversible and lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.
  
  
• Soft bones: Too much calcium can cause soft bones, also known as rickets.
  
  
• Stunted growth: In chicks, too much calcium can stunt their growth.
  
  
• Heart and organ damage: Too much calcium can damage the heart and other organs.
  
  
• Liver toxicity: Too much calcium can be toxic to the liver.
  
  
• Gout: Too much calcium can cause gout, which is when the kidneys calcify

These issues can be avoided by letting the chickens choose how much calcium to consume - their needs vary from bird to bird and from day to day - and that is easily achieved by making calcium available separately, instead of incorporated into a homogenized layer feed.