Feeding egg shells to Chickens

[KarynVA]

I do it. I put the eggshells in a container in the kitchen and when I get enough, I place them on a pan and put in the oven when it is preheating for something I'm about to bake. (Or, I put them in after I finish baking something, and turn the oven off), just to dry them and make sure there is no raw egg residue. Then I crush them and store them in a mason jar.

I give it to my laying hens free choice, along with oyster shell, also free choice. It is my understanding that chickens enjoy the eggshells but the calcium is not sustained in their bodies. Whereas with oyster shell, the calcium lasts longer and spreads out the nutrition over time.

 

[Yakubu linus]

Hello,

I had an oldtimer suggest toasting, crushing an

This is exactly what we do too. I usually step on the shells to crush them up a bit before the girls get to them so they hopefully don't realize egg shells = yummy = peck at their laid eggs

d feeding spent egg shells back to the Ladies. I really like that idea of recycling & closing the loop (+ egg shells take forever to break down in my compost).
Any body else do this? Good idea? Bad Idea?
Thanks!

 

[Yakubu linus]

Ah, it's really good to refeed your laying chickens with egg shell, it help them to produce strong egged.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I don't bake them. I just wash them, let them dry and then crumble them up. I don't put out a lot so what I don't crumble up goes in the compost bin.

I don't bake them first, just let them air dry. I have a bowl on the counter that everyone puts their shells in and when it's full, I crush them up and give them to the girls. If there are shells from that day, I don't put them in yet because they're usually still wet.

Yep no need to bake! I mix them with oyster shell at a roughly 4:1 egg shell to oyster shell ratio and the girls will gobble them up sometimes. I just rinse the shells with water and let them dry on the window sill. I still have a surplus of shells so when it gets to be too much I put some in the compost.

 

[PioneerChicks]

There are three main different methods: washing, baking, and air drying. All work. I typically do one of the last two.

I have a couple more notes, but am currently working on an article on the subject, if all goes well I will finish sometime this week!

 

[K0k0shka]

I grew up on a farm and egg shell was all the calcium supplementation our chickens got, and everybody else's chickens too. Oyster shell is a fairly modern supplement. People didn't have that back in the day (especially if they didn't live near a coast) and yet chickens did just fine.

I bake the shells only because I'm paranoid about salmonella and don't want to potentially contaminate anything with it (in the kitchen, in the chicken run, etc.) I have young kids and need to keep things clean. It's not any additional work for me though. I collect the egg shells like others have mentioned, and whenever I happen to be baking anything in the oven, I put the egg shells in there when I'm done. I don't fire up the oven just for the egg shells.

 

[TooCheep]

I use my hard boiled egg shells and crumble them up before feeding them. The girls eat them like potato chips (they love em) and prefer them to oyster shell calcium.

The theory behind crumbling is that they won't associate it with the their own eggs and start eating them. I don't know that hard boiled or baked vs. simple empty egg shells is important, but I figure that it is safer as it eliminates any potentially nasty bacteria.

 

[CaroleW]

I use my hard boiled egg shells and crumble them up before feeding them. The girls eat them like potato chips (they love em) and prefer them to oyster shell calcium.

The theory behind crumbling is that they won't associate it with the their own eggs and start eating them. I don't know that hard boiled or baked vs. simple empty egg shells is important, but I figure that it is safer as it eliminates any potentially nasty bacteria.

Yes - crumbled up hard boiled eggs shells fed to the chickens here too. Especially if the eggs don't peel well (sometimes a problem if boiling fresh eggs). I don't want to compost eggshells with egg attached to them to attract wildlife or pests. But the attached cooked egg on the shells is food to my chickens-nothing wasted!

 

[Folly's place]

In years gone by, hens produced way fewer eggs each year, and husbandry conditions also differed, so comparing what worked then, with modern high producing hens and modern management really isn't comparing apples to apples.
Oyster shell is cheap, never gets old, and is worth having out there, regardless of the egg shells offered.
Mary

 

[aart]

I just rinse the shells with water and let them dry....

This is what I do too....I mix half and half with the OS.