feed egg shells to chickens?

[kasey08]

i read on sufficientself.com that you can give your chickens egg shells instead of oyster shell just wondering if anyone tried it and if you cook it?

 

[Beekissed]

Some people do. I don't cook mine but I let them dry out, crush them and add them back to their feed. Some folks dry them and pulse them through the food processor to make a powder to add back. Don't be scared to feed them back their shells and don't let folks tell you it will make your chickens eat eggs. This is not really true...been feeding back shells for many years with never an egg eater as a result.

 

[Warthog]

Yep I feed mine back to the hens, I just keep them in the fridge and crush them up and feed them back. I don't have any hens that eat eggs either.

 

[feathersnuggles]

I offer them both items: crushed dried egg shells & crushed oyster shell from the feedstore. Some of my hens prefer only the oyster shell. And some of them eat both. I wanted to be sure they all can get enough calcium, so I gave them the option. A few people on BYC have written that eggshell calcium is less bioavailable to chickens than is calcium from oyster shells.

And ditto on the egg-eating stuff -- mine haven't become egg eaters because of this, either.

 

[MareeZoCool]

Quote:
My hen ate the shells after the peeps hatched out.

I agree,with Warthog,keep your chickens well fed, plenty of calcium & protiens, you most likely won't have any egg eater problems.