eggs for protein?

[theprimouomo]

what i have heared that if grind some egg shells and put it in there feed they will feed on it as a sorce of protein

and what can i feed them for minerals?
and how can i get grit into there feed? i heared grit is very important for them becasue it act like teeth!

 

[al6517]

Quote:
First off the crushed shells are used to increase the calcium levels not protein in laying hen's, but you can hard boil the egg and crush up the whole egg shell and all and feed that. this will give them calcium and protein. Crushed Oyster shells are a common choice for grit, you won't need alot and just feed it free choice for a bit, if your hen's are on layer feed they shouldn't require grit at all. grit is stored in the gizzard to help grind and digest food, before traveling on.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Grit helps them digest plants so if you are feeding them scraps or vegies - supply them with crushed gravel, small rocks or grit. If they are free ranging, they will pick up their own grit while digging in the dirt for bugs.

al6517 was right on about shells and calcium.

 

[SarahBeth9394]

I would venture a guess that a hard boiled egg or scrambled egg would be a good source of protein and a nice treat.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Agreed. The egg itself is a good source of protein. The eggshell a source of calcium.

 

[SarahBeth9394]

Regarding the shell. What do you all use to grind it up. I would want it to be really fine so the chickens wouldn't realize there was egg shell in the treat. I'll have to get my little chopper out and see if it will do it but I doubt it will. I have a coffee grinder but I think I'd rather get one that's just for egg shells.

Yesterday I bought some oyster shell and the pieces are alot bigger than the feed crumbles are. I also learned that I need to either mix it with the feed or get a heavier dish to put it in because one of my hens has a habit of flipping the dish. She's done it before when I put treats in the treat pan. Now I set out two treat pans.

 

[jtbrown]

In regard to flipping treat pan, I found this cool little two section feeder that screws into the wall. I use grit on one side and oyster shell on other. I plan to put a small piece of wood as umbrella over top to prevent bantums from roosting on it in very near future. It was like 6-8 dollars at TSC.

 

[Kitty Cat]

If you're feeding the right feed you shouldn't need more protein and egg shells are used for calcium. You can give them a raw egg or boiled egg as a treat for calcium. Grit is somewhat like teeth in their digestive system, and oyster shell is the most common, just put it in a little bowl by itself and they'll pick at it themselves.