Feeding the hens their egg shells

[Mrs. K]

Mine will devour them even with oystershell right there! I just crush them well.

 

[Faith's Chicks]

I recently took my Girl Scout troop to a Living History Farm. In the kitchen they had a sm. baking pan sitting on the oven with egg shells in it. The lady explained to the girls that they baked the egg shells and then crushed them and fed them to the chickens. This took the place of oyster shell according to her.

learn something new every day!

 

[terrilhb]

I due this with mine too. Plus oyster shells. They eat all of it. I wash out the shells after I crack them. I let them dry and they go into a container then when I need them I bake them. At 350 degrees for a few mins just to make sure any bacteria or something is killed. Good luck

 

[Tala]

Mrs. K :

Mine will devour them even with oystershell right there! I just crush them well.

Mine too, they like eggshells better. I keep a stainless steel bowl that I put shells in in the kitchen, and cook/dry them in the oven when it's on "preheat" before I cook my food, after they cool I smash them up before feeding them to the girls. They go crazy for them!

I actually have an egg eater, but after a big meal of eggshells she will stop eating eggs for a while. Seems like that would be the opposite of what people think regarding feeding shells, but I can only guess that she doesn't *like* the oyster shell for some reason and is trying to get the shells for calcium??

 

[donrae]

Well, I just throw the cracked shells out for them to pick over. I don't dry them or smash them or anything. They eat what they want and the dog eats the rest

I've not had a problem with egg eaters. I've also thrown my girls raw eggs that were cracked or if I found a nest ans wasn't sure how old the eggs were--they love the yolk!

 

[BoldogKennel]

Have just thrown down eggs (so they smash) for the birds for dozens of years and haven't had a problem yet with hens breaking eggs.