Has anyone fed their chickens ground seashells as a source of calcium?

[arcatamarcia]

I live on the west coast and have a readily available source of assorted seashells (especially lots of crab shells). Is there any reason not to grind them and feed them to chickens?

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

Those should be fine for chicken. Just be sure that everything has been rinsed very well to get rid of excess salt. The calcium is good, but an ocean's worth of salt is not!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I'm not sure, but I think crab shell is high in selenium, which they need, but not too much. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in. Just remember something about limiting crab meal in to a small percent of their diet. Just research & see what it says.

 

[gallusdomesticus]

I wouldn't recommend crab shells. Here's an article that describes the chitin in crab shells prevents the absorbtion of nutrients in food and is used in weight loss products:

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6413&page=62

Additionally, the chitin in crab shells concentrates heavy metals in the crabs environment.