Feeding egg shells to Chickens

[Brimmwalker]

Hello,

I had an oldtimer suggest toasting, crushing and 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!

 

[chickenlittle21]

I have heard of people doing that and I think it's a good idea . I don't know why I don't do it

 

[neo71665]

Yep, was always told to bake the shells to keep the hens from developing a taste for raw egg making them eat their eggs. Some people don't do it but we always done it growing up so I just do.

 

[Sally PB]

Fantastic idea! It's a form of calcium that they can use to make new eggshells. My girls chow down on eggshells, but don't seem to eat any oyster shell, another form of calcium. I've read here that eggshells are a "fast" release calcium, while OS is "slow." I'm going to crush up some OS to see if that will change their minds about it. If it takes about two eggshells to equal an new eggshell, I'm going to run out of shells for them. They need the calcium. Soft shells are an invitation to egg eating, eggs breaking, and I need the eggs.

 

[SnootyHen]

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.

 

[CluckerFamily]

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.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

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.

Like @SnootyHen, I have a bowl by the kitchen sink. Eggshells from breakfast go in it. Other bits of whatever from cooking over the course of the day. Carrot tops, wilted celery, romaine cores, bruised grapes, etc. End of the day, after dinner for us and before sunset.... of I go to throw the stuff at the compost pile in the run, I watch for the birds that gobble up the shell, those are my layers.

Then I feed them their mash, do a head count to ensure they all returned from free ranging, and close the run.

and I free choice oyster shell too, but some of my most prolific layers like to supplement with the shell. or so i believe. Who is actually laying now is a little less clear to me.

 

[Folly's place]

You can feed them egg shells, but it's not a substitute for having oyster shell out there in a separate container. It's cheap insurance, if nothing else!
Mary

 

[CatsandCrops]

Like @SnootyHen, I have a bowl by the kitchen sink. Eggshells from breakfast go in it. Other bits of whatever from cooking over the course of the day. Carrot tops, wilted celery, romaine cores, bruised grapes, etc. End of the day, after dinner for us and before sunset.... of I go to throw the stuff at the compost pile in the run, I watch for the birds that gobble up the shell, those are my layers.

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

 

[CaroleW]

I air dry so any of the wet egg stuff stays with the shell (that should be protein & other nutrients they need). Then crush and feed with veggie scraps.
Or put on compost pile or layer in garden to compost in-place.
I figure the feeding it back to the egg layers is best because it makes them healthier and the results end up in compost eventually.