How long till I notice a difference? Oyster shell...

[Sonshineacres02]

We just adopted 6, 10 month old laying hens. Their egg shells are thin and I suspect they are pecking at their eggs. I put our free choice oyster shell in dish yesterday. How long should I expect to notice a difference in behavior and egg shell quality?

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

From personal experience, I will start getting calcium deposits on the eggs about a week and a half after they eat it. Sometimes a week. ( I think it depends on the hen, and how much they eat.)
The egg-eating habit may take a bit more work to clear up, I would start by putting a few wooden eggs in the nesting boxes.

 

[Dephora]

I agree, if they are actually eating the oyster shell you should notice a difference pretty quickly.

Another trick you can do is to bake your left over egg shells and grind them up. I use an old coffee/spice grinder when I want a finer powder. Though unless I am adding it to mash the powder is more for my worms and the garden soil. But I also add bigger pieces , about oyster shell piece sizes, to the oyster shell container. A food processor works well for that. I have been told it is easier for them to retake in calcium from their shells.

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

I agree, if they are actually eating the oyster shell you should notice a difference pretty quickly.

Another trick you can do is to bake your left over egg shells and grind them up. I use an old coffee/spice grinder when I want a finer powder. Though unless I am adding it to mash the powder is more for my worms and the garden soil. But I also add bigger pieces , about oyster shell piece sizes, to the oyster shell container. A food processor works well for that. I have been told it is easier for them to retake in calcium from their shells.

Indeed! Here's another method if you don't have an oven ( I sadly don't.)
You can take the membrane out of the eggshells (the thin liner inside the shells), and let them dry out in a window for a couple of days, then throw them out into the run when you go give them some compost or snacks and crunch them up with the soles of your boots! My girls prefer eggshells over oyster shells, and it saves money too. They like to forage through the grass for the little pieces as well.

 

[NatJ]

You can feed eggshells back to the chickens without drying, and without removing the membrane. Just give it a squish so it doesn't look so much like an egg (or drop it on the ground in the chicken pen and step on it.)

If you want to put the pieces of eggshell in a container, drying might be good--but hens are usually quite happy to pick the bits off the ground or out of the bedding, so I've never bothered with anything more complicated for my eggshells.

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

You can feed eggshells back to the chickens without drying, and without removing the membrane. Just give it a squish so it doesn't look so much like an egg (or drop it on the ground in the chicken pen and step on it.)

If you want to put the pieces of eggshell in a container, drying might be good--but hens are usually quite happy to pick the bits off the ground or out of the bedding, so I've never bothered with anything more complicated for my eggshells.