Feeding egg shells

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

so I have one chicken who hates oyster shells. She knows she needs the calcium, but she won’t eat it on her own. As a result she’s been on off laying soft shell eggs. We’re thinking of switching to crushed egg shells to see if she likes those better. Has anybody had problems with egg eating after switching them the egg shells? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[icy_flames]

I feed shells back to my girls with no issues. You want to make sure they are ground up pretty good. I put mine in a small food chopper.

 

[PioneerChicks]

I haven't but others have. It depends on who you ask. Try giving this article a quick read through: Using Eggshells as a Calcium Source

I would recommend occasionally feeding them a few oyster shells too. Think of it this way; if they keep reusing the calcium in their egg shells, some calcium will be lost or used in other ways. Eventually, they will run low on calcium. This is why I like to give them a oyster shells boost.

Good luck!

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

I feed shells back to my girls with no issues. You want to make sure they are ground up pretty good. I put mine in a small food chopper.

Sounds good!

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

Sure

I haven't but others have. It depends on who you ask. Try giving this article a quick read through: Using Eggshells as a Calcium Source

I would recommend occasionally feeding them a few oyster shells too. Think of it this way; if they keep reusing the calcium in their egg shells, some calcium will be lost or used in other ways. Eventually, they will run low on calcium. This is why I like to give them a oyster shells boost.

Good luck!

Ok! If I mix it in to a treat she will eat them.

 

[Sequel]

I found that it’s best not to break the eggshells up too small. I keep oyster shell and clean dry eggshells in separate containers always available. Also the act of pecking in the oyster shell bowl eventually mashed them into particles too small for them to pick up. I give it a shake to make sure flaky pieces are available and when it’s all ground into near powder I either sprinkle that on the compost or onto my tomato and pepper beds.
Just my personal observation. Yes I watch too much chicken tv!

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

I found that it’s best not to break the eggshells up too small. I keep oyster shell and clean dry eggshells in separate containers always available. Also the act of pecking in the oyster shell bowl eventually mashed them into particles too small for them to pick up. I give it a shake to make sure flaky pieces are available and when it’s all ground into near powder I either sprinkle that on the compost or onto my tomato and pepper beds.
Just my personal observation. Yes I watch too much chicken tv!

Thanks!

 

[GC-Raptor]

I have one chicken who hates oyster shells. She knows she needs the calcium, but she won’t eat it on her own.

If I mix it in to a treat she will eat them.

I feed a Non-Medicated Starter-Grower feed to my hens and pullets. So extra calcium is needed.
I mix Oyster Shells into Scratch Grains at a ratio of 1 to 20 by weight. 4 oz OS to 5 lbs Scratch Grains.
I scatter the scratch in their pen daily as a treat.
2 Tbsps per chicken during winter season and 1 Tbsp per chicken rest of the year.
I also keep a separate container of Oyster Shells available.

I keep my pullets in a separate coop and introduce Oyster Shells separately at 15 weeks old. They've had Poultry Grit available separately since 7 weeks old.

My eggs have strong shells.

I used to give crushed egg shells to my first Flock that had a few soft shelled eggs their first year, but I learned from this site that I was giving them too much Scratch Grains daily.

I let the shells dry for a day or two and crush with my hands. GC

 

[rosemarythyme]

You could also try the following, since you know exactly which bird is the problem bird. Isolate her for a private breakfast. 2-3x a week serve a small bowl (like 1 Tbsp is fine) of wet or fermented feed with oyster shell mixed in. If she does not like chunks of oyster shell, crush it up or use the powdery remnants from bottom of the bag. Should only take her a minute to eat and after that she's free to go.

If it works you should see results in a week or two, and you can try reducing it to 1-2x a week and should hopefully continue getting good results.

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

You could also try the following, since you know exactly which bird is the problem bird. Isolate her for a private breakfast. 2-3x a week serve a small bowl (like 1 Tbsp is fine) of wet or fermented feed with oyster shell mixed in. If she does not like chunks of oyster shell, crush it up or use the powdery remnants from bottom of the bag. Should only take her a minute to eat and after that she's free to go.

If it works you should see results in a week or two, and you can try reducing it to 1-2x a week and should hopefully continue getting good results.

That’s what I’ve been doing when I find a soft egg