Feeding Laying Chickens

[foux003]

My son's in laws live on a cattle ranch in Ms. They feed their chickens egg shells for calcium I feed my chickens oyster shells. His mother in law said that it is a waste of money to buy oyster shells and hinted that "You Yankees" as being behind the times. If you count laying hens, they have twice as many chickens as I do but I get twice as many eggs as they do. Has anyone got any experience with feeding egg shells and why would you?
foux

 

[secuono]

Well, oyster shells has Mercury in them that the eggs can be contaminated by.
Egg shells from your hens are free and recycling, I do it that way. Never buy shells.
Also, depending on what breed of hens, age and food will change how many eggs you get.

 

[Minniechickmama]

If you feed a good balanced feed and they are able to range and scratch around, you shouldn't need oyster shell. However, I have to agree with secuono, you can recycle by crushing and feeding the shells back to the girls. I don't feed either, just a good balance lay mash and let them out to range and they have wonderfully strong shells.

 

[ralleia]

We offer our chickens oyster shells, and I also recycle clean, crushed shells to them when I occasionally make them oatmeal & yogurt mash. We only use about one 50 lb bag a year (and that's for about 42 chickens).

As far as only doing eggshells, I would be concerned unless they were getting additional calcium from other sources (like a feed that isn't rock-bottom layer feed, or leafy greens with calcium, or yummy bugs with calcium). With eggshells alone (and the hen's bodies consuming some of the calcium from them), then eventually the levels would get too low.

Twenty bucks a year is cheap insurance.

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Quote:
Are you sure you only buy a 50 lb bag once a year, HOW do you do that, seems unreal? I have 48 chickens and go through a 50 lb bag of layer pellets once a week! This is insane! I also allow mine to free range. Wow!

 

[Domestic_goddess]

Quote:
I agree

 

[jaketheeggman]

I stopped feeding oyster shells a few weeks ago and my eggs are still good and strong. I would agree that they are not that beneficial.

jake

 

[Fred's Hens]

I've never bought oyster shells.

Their layer feed is complete with calcium. They also get calcium from natural sources when pecking around the farm. Additionally, I too re-cycle egg shells. Yes, indeed. They are free and they get re-cycled into the feed.

 

[ralleia]

Quote:
Are you sure you only buy a 50 lb bag once a year, HOW do you do that, seems unreal? I have 48 chickens and go through a 50 lb bag of layer pellets once a week! This is insane! I also allow mine to free range. Wow!

I can't be *totally* sure it's once a year, because the paper holding the partial bag of oyster shells starts to slowly decompose sitting in the bottom of the plastic bin in the chicken coop. It sits in there a LONG time between refills.

What is your delivery system for your oyster shells? My oyster shell and grit are in two galvanized metal dispensers that hang inside the chicken coop. Mostly the chickens seem to ignore the stuff, though if their bodies need it, they must take some. I couldn't imagine going through a 50-lb bag in a month, let alone a week, unless it was getting mixed into the ground or litter somehow.

 

[easteregger96]

I feed mine egg shells occasionally. Not very often though. I haven't had a problem getting any eggs out of my hens. I give them table scraps out of the house and the run around eating bugs and grass. I just give them laying feed and some cracked corn and they have done fine for us. We don't have many hens(only8) but, that is 8 eggs we get everyday.