Why do my hens love egg shells so much? They go wild for them. Is it wrong for them to eat them? And is something lacking in their diet that they want them so badly?
The egg shells help replenish the calcium they need for the eggs they are laying. I always cook my egg shells in the microwave to dry them out and so they will crush up into smaller pieces.
I just dry mine out in the sun(saves electricity) and crush them up in a coffee can with a couple golf ball sized rocks inside then mixed into the feed or free choice and sprinkle some on the ground. Thats total recycling. I have come to realize they love pretty much anything that is edible.
I don't dry them at all. I do break them up a bit. But only because there are 11 chickens and only 4 eggs. So that is 8 halves after I use them. So I have to make sure there are enough to go around. LOL It is true. They seem to love most everything that isn't their layer pellets. But some things more than others. Like rice.
If they are laying, they are lacking calcium, try some oyster shell on the side... Its fine, if they eat it, give it to them...
Egg shells are good for them. We use them as a calcium supplement, just add them to their daily snack. Just be sure they are crushed small enough that they are not recognizable as egg shells Bok.
I let my egg shells dry out a spell and then crush them and mix it all back in with food scraps I'm going to toss out to them. It's just extra calcium and if you ever hatch eggs, you'll discover the hens will eat the egg shell much like many wild animals eat their own afterbirth. It keeps it from attracting predators and it gives much needed nutrients. The more egg shell you can give them, the less store bought calcium you'll need to buy.... (although you'll probably still need to buy some!)
I microwave them, crush em and toss em in the run. They ignore them at first but end up gone in a few hours.
Every morning we eat eggs, and every morning we throw out all the egg shells for the chickens. They love 'em! I usually step on 'em to crush them a bit so they don't look like eggs, but sometimes they grab the shells before I have a chance to crush them.
I put some egg shells in the microwave to dry out but left them in a bit too long. Have you ever smelled burning egg shells? Our kitchen smelled like Auschwitz for a week.
