Feeding Eggshells as Turkey Grit?

[JosiahK]

I have ordered several Broad Brested White turkeys and have read that they need grit. While they are poults, would ground up egg shells work? Is there any chance of them getting blackhead from them if the shells are cooked prior to grinding?

Thanks!

 

[Hawkesy]

Egg shells along with oyster shells are the ideal source of grit. Giving them egg shells is efficient as it does not cost and reduces waste. Shells contain huge amounts of protein so it makes sense to feed them to make eggs.

I would definitely recommend boiling or even microwaving the shells first though to destroy any potential germs/bacteria. Once this is done the shells are perfectly suitable to use - any disease/shells due to the shells is very unlikely.

 

[JosiahK]

Thanks! This should be much cheaper than buying grit!

 

[Nupe]

Egg shells along with oyster shells are the ideal source of grit. Giving them egg shells is efficient as it does not cost and reduces waste. Shells contain huge amounts of protein so it makes sense to feed them to make eggs.

I would definitely recommend boiling or even microwaving the shells first though to destroy any potential germs/bacteria. Once this is done the shells are perfectly suitable to use - any disease/shells due to the shells is very unlikely.

I'm a chicken person but I disagree. Eggshell and oyster shell are digested as a source of calcium for egg production. They absolutely do not need that much calcium before they are ready to lay and it could cause them harm. Grit is stone. Its insoluble and needed to grind up food in the the gizzard. If they free range, they can usually find enough on their own. But if they're confined you'll need to provide grit if you feed them anything other than a complete feed. I start giving my chicks grit as soon as I introduce treats and initial visits to the yard. I'll sprinkle it in their bedding for them to scratch around for.

 

[JosiahK]

That makes sense, so I guess I`ll have to stick to feeding it to the layers.

 

[Hawkesy]

I'm a chicken person but I disagree. Eggshell and oyster shell are digested as a source of calcium for egg production. They absolutely do not need that much calcium before they are ready to lay and it could cause them harm. Grit is stone. Its insoluble and needed to grind up food in the the gizzard. If they free range, they can usually find enough on their own. But if they're confined you'll need to provide grit if you feed them anything other than a complete feed. I start giving my chicks grit as soon as I introduce treats and initial visits to the yard. I'll sprinkle it in their bedding for them to scratch around for.

You do realise there are two forms of grit for birds, soluble and insoluble? There is absolutely no harm in giving the likes of crushed up shells to birds, as for your concern over the age of them you can just reduce the amount to start and increase as they grow. Yes the should be offered stone grit as you said but that's not what this question was regarding.

In order to do the birds any harm you would have to feed them a lot, and I mean a lot, of egg shells which is unlikely as common sense generally prevails in these situations. Good luck!

 

[Nupe]

OK, now I understand. We have a language barrier. In the US, we only refer the stuff for grinding food in the gizzard as "grit." Oyster shell and eggshells are just referred to as calcium supplements.

The OP was asking about grit for his young turkeys. The only kind of grit they need is for the gizzard. They don't need a calcium supplement yet and probably wouldn't eat it unless mixed in with their regular ration. If they eat too much before they can use it, it could damage them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Blackhead disease is usually passed from chickens to turkeys through a second parasite, the cecal worm. The infected cecal worm may be eaten by earthworms. This can cause an infection if these infected earthworms are eaten. Chickens are usually not affected that much by blackhead but they can be carriers. If the blackhead protozoa is not present for the cecal worm to eat then it cannot spread the disease.

It is also possible blackhead can be spread directly by the turkey eating poop from infected chickens. That protozoa does not last that long in the environment, especially in warm dry conditions, but it can last for years in the cecal worm eggs. Once it is in your environment it is there for years. Cooking the chicken egg shells before feeding them to the turkeys will not cause an infection if the chickens are actually infected to start with.

I certainly agree with Nupe. Until they start to lay, chickens or turkeys don’t need crushed egg shells. They are worthless as grit to grind up food in the gizzard. They quickly get crushed themselves plus digestive juices quickly dissolve them.

Excess calcium can damage the liver or kidneys, especially when they are growing and not laying to get rid of the excess. The key word is “can”. Whether it will or not depends some on the individual bird, some on how much it eats, and how regularly they eat that excess. One bite won’t harm them but a series of several bites over an extended period of time might. There is just no need or benefit of feeding excess calcium to growing chicks or poults and there can be a risk.

 

[JosiahK]

So maybe stat out with sand and pea gravel?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Coarse sand, not finely ground sand like sugar sand or play sand, or small bits of rock. If they have access to the ground they will probably find their own. You can also buy granite grit at the feed store, though you’d want chick grit not regular grit. The regular grit is too large for them to use though they will use bigger chunks than you would expect.

You can use practically any rock for grit. The bigger and harder it is the longer it lasts. As it is used in the gizzard to grind stuff it gets ground down to fine sand and passes on through the digestive system and out the rear end. Good granite grit might last weeks but something like sandstone my pass through fairly quickly. The stuff you buy is waste from a granite quarry where they pass it through screens to get the right size.