Feeding Your Chickens Crushed Egg Shells

[NatJ]

I was wondering what everybody thinks about feeding crushed egg shells for extra calcium and phosphate instead of oyster shell to laying hens. My chickens get layer pellets as the normal food. Should I mix the egg shells with the food or put them in a separate container. Do they even need extra calcium if they are fed layer pellets?

Yes, you can feed egg shells back to chickens as a calcium supplement.

Put the shells in a separate container, so each hen can have as much or as little as she wants.

Layer pellets are supposed to have enough calcium for laying hens, but some individual hens might need a bit more sometimes. Chickens are usually pretty good at eating the right amount of calcium if it is offered in a separate dish.

Just the shells from their own eggs would not provide enough calcium for the chickens if it was their only source of calcium. But the layer pellets have enough calcium, or almost enough, so the eggshells will probably be enough of an extra supplement.

 

[Stephanie8806]

I don't feed any of my birds treats.

Well you’re the one person I’ve met that doesn’t ever give them access to anything except feed

that being said, it’s probably why you don’t have to supplement. To each their own! I’m wasn’t saying you’re wrong, to be clear, I was just stating that the “formulated feed is enough” theory isn’t really applicable to the majority of people.

 

[PDXJULES]

Regardless of what your normal feed is, free choice oyster shell & granite grit avaliable all year is best.
Both items are cheep and last a long time
I also save my egg shells, let them air dry crush them and feed them back. I use a separate wall hanging piglet hopper inside coop for oyster shell and grit
Different hens may have different requirements regarding calcium. They will consume when they need it.

Show us the Piglet - when you can !

 

[Kiki]

Well you’re the one person I’ve met that doesn’t ever give them access to anything except feed

that being said, it’s probably why you don’t have to supplement. To each their own! I’m wasn’t saying you’re wrong, to be clear, I was just stating that the “formulated feed is enough” theory isn’t really applicable to the majority of people.

Hopefully the majority of the people learn how important a complete balanced diet is before it's too late.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Hopefully the majority of the people learn how important a complete balanced diet is before it's too late.

I think you can also raise perfectly healthy chickens that are not restrained to a “Feed Only” diet. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”, as they say. There are so many aspects to raising animals, and each situation has its own variables to take into consideration. Raising any animal is not “one size fits all”.

 

[NatJ]

Hopefully the majority of the people learn how important a complete balanced diet is before it's too late.

I agree that a complete balanced diet is important, and buying the right bag of feed is the easiest way to accomplish it.

But I consider that it is possible to feed a properly balanced diet that includes other things--it's just more complicated, and isn't a good choice for everyone (or for everyone's chickens.)

 

[Kiki]

I agree that a complete balanced diet is important, and buying the right bag of feed is the easiest way to accomplish it.

But I consider that it is possible to feed a properly balanced diet that includes other things--it's just more complicated, and isn't a good choice for everyone (or for everyone's chickens.)

Many people won't spend the time to learn.
I applaud those who do.

 

[50-45-1]

Show us the Piglet - when you can !

Sorry, no piglets for 45 years.
Found out those adorable little buggers were as smart and lovable as any dog I have had and raising them for meat was not in my future.

 

[EJn]

We feed eggshell on the side because some of our hens really don't care for the pellets or the crumble they scattered it about and pick through it but they will eat the shell.
Picky I guess
Then again they free range all day also

 

[Stephanie8806]

We feed eggshell on the side because some of our hens really don't care for the pellets or the crumble they scattered it about and pick through it but they will eat the shell.
Picky I guess
Then again they free range all day also

I feel, it’s better to have it (free choice calcium) and not need it than need it and not have it. Chickens are so good at self regulating their calcium intake. They’ll know if they need more before I do, and by the time the human discovers it, it might be too late or have serious health repercussions. Having some egg shell(free) or oyster shell(very cheap in bulk) on hand isn’t going to hurt!