OK...I'm one of the ones that advocates golf balls regularly!
I would add them when it's getting close to laying time...around 16-18 weeks? Doing it early gives them the idea early of where they will want to lay. It's a well known fact that chickens like to lay eggs where other chickens have successfully laid them...but they're not so smart as to understand if it's actually an egg or not...so long as it closely resembles one. Golf balls, pingpong balls, rounded rocks, all work---or you can pay good money for fake eggs!!
Using the golfball over other "fake eggs" gives the added benefit of helping with any egg eating issues. The person who first suggested it to me, explained that the golf ball specifically has this sort of "bounce" to it and it gives their brains a little shake...so it's like an instantaneous negative feedback.
Regarding the timing of oystershell, again, you'll want it out BEFORE they actually start to lay- EVEN IF YOU ARE FEEDING LAYER FEED. If you put some out free choice, they will eat it IF they need it. My chickens free range, and the amount they eat is directly related to the weather---which to me means it's directly related to the bug population! If you have roosters...you can just bypass the layer feed and just put out oystershells free choice and not worry about it. You'll see that the roo won't touch it.
I get my oyster shell in 5# bags at the feed store for $1something. All the feedstores I know that sell chicken feed sell oystershell. 50# will last you seemingly forever!
I also feed my chickens their own eggshells after they get dried out in my oven (it has the old style huge pilot lite, so it's always a tad warm). I crush it finely. I use a lot of it for my garden though...so my girls mostly get the shell from peeling hard boiled eggs...as there always seems to be some of the egg white left on it!
I think I answered all the last few question!?
Sandra
I would add them when it's getting close to laying time...around 16-18 weeks? Doing it early gives them the idea early of where they will want to lay. It's a well known fact that chickens like to lay eggs where other chickens have successfully laid them...but they're not so smart as to understand if it's actually an egg or not...so long as it closely resembles one. Golf balls, pingpong balls, rounded rocks, all work---or you can pay good money for fake eggs!!
Using the golfball over other "fake eggs" gives the added benefit of helping with any egg eating issues. The person who first suggested it to me, explained that the golf ball specifically has this sort of "bounce" to it and it gives their brains a little shake...so it's like an instantaneous negative feedback.
Regarding the timing of oystershell, again, you'll want it out BEFORE they actually start to lay- EVEN IF YOU ARE FEEDING LAYER FEED. If you put some out free choice, they will eat it IF they need it. My chickens free range, and the amount they eat is directly related to the weather---which to me means it's directly related to the bug population! If you have roosters...you can just bypass the layer feed and just put out oystershells free choice and not worry about it. You'll see that the roo won't touch it.
I get my oyster shell in 5# bags at the feed store for $1something. All the feedstores I know that sell chicken feed sell oystershell. 50# will last you seemingly forever!
I also feed my chickens their own eggshells after they get dried out in my oven (it has the old style huge pilot lite, so it's always a tad warm). I crush it finely. I use a lot of it for my garden though...so my girls mostly get the shell from peeling hard boiled eggs...as there always seems to be some of the egg white left on it!
I think I answered all the last few question!?
Sandra
