How quickly do you go through oyster shell?

[Lillith37]

I don't process oyster but for eggshells I toss them in the oven when I'm preheating for dinner, and they get crunchy enough from that to easily crush by hand.

Yeah the eggshells are much easier to crush. My girls actually prefer egg shell but I can’t give it to them anymore unless I buy eggs because most of my flock is lead affected from contaminated soil. They deposit the lead preferentially into the egg shells — little did I know, and I made my flock worse off for a while.

Some birds seem to need or want more calcium. I let them decide.

It’s true, they are capable of determining their requirements. Because there is a higher than usual morbidity in my flock due to the lead, and because I have inherited commercial breeds, most of my hens have needed the contraceptive implant to stop them laying to safeguard their health. When they aren’t laying, they don’t touch the oyster shell.