Feeding Pekin Egg Shells

[MudHog]

My two females started laying a couple weeks ago. Not many eggs, so I've been cracking them and feeding them the shells. They go CRAZY when I give them the shells. I have to break it into small pieces so I can spread it out on the ground for them to share. Can I feed them shells from store bought chicken eggs?

 

[learycow]

I would suggest you DON'T feed them the shells or any other part of the egg. Once they get a taste for eggs, they can start to break open and eat their own eggs. This behavior is VERY HARD to stop.
You can hard boil their eggs, mush them up, and feed them back to them.

 

[zzGypsy]

I do feed back the shells, but I crush them and mix them into some scratch so they don't identify them with eggs. I haven't had any trouble with egg breaking, but your mileage may vary. egg breaking is an issue once it gets started, and they teach it to each other once they start.

don't know about commercial eggs, since we don't use them! but my guess is whatever is in the commercial production feed in in the commercial production eggs, including shells, so that's what you'll be feeding your birds... and basically that's why I grow my own, so I have more control over what's in my eggs.