Egg shells for calcium urgent answer wanted thanks

[Mskayladog]

Im getting my daughters laying hen who has never had calcium. I had been saving egg shells but not washing them out can I bake them a bit and crush them and offer the shells to her as a supplement until I can get to the feed store?

 

[groundpecker]

Immediate calcium is not really needed. You can however, crush the egg shells and feed without baking them.
A good laying ration should take care of the basic nutritional needs of the hens during laying season. Allowing the hens to "free range" a couple hours, 2-3 days a week will add other nutrients to their diet.

 

[donrae]

She'll be fine until you get to the feed store. Or, just give her the shells you have. No need to wash or bake them, make it easy on yourself! I don't even crush them, but many folks like to. I've not had problems with egg eaters at all.

I don't know how old this hen is, most hens do fine without supplemental calcuim for the first several months to a year. You can get some soft shelled eggs when they first start laying but that's not a calcium defeciency, it's just a glitch in the works cause her body's new to the laying thing.