How to feed oyster shells?

[Ol Grey Mare]

I put some out in a bowl and they dont seem interested at all.. what can I do to encourage them to eat it. I just had a chicken with an extremly soft shell ... So im thinking they deft need to be eating it

They will find and consume it when they feel the need to do so - the amount needed by a given hen is so low that the rate of consumption is so slow that it often goes unnoticed - giving the impression that the birds aren't eating any - until one day the bowl is almost empty. You can add a little crushed egg shell to the bowl to make it more appealing (they go for egg shell like mad, but it is an inferior source of digestible/useable calcium in comparison to the oyster shell), but I would not take the odd egg now and then with a soft shell, etc as an indicator of poor calcium intake as there are a lot of other factors that can cause this that often get overlooked with the knee-jerk "add calcium" reaction. How old are your birds and how long have they been laying?

 

[junebuggena]

You can try giving them some washed, dried, then crushed egg shells sprinkled in with the oyster shell.

 

[1ChickyMomma]

They will find and consume it when they feel the need to do so - the amount needed by a given hen is so low that the rate of consumption is so slow that it often goes unnoticed - giving the impression that the birds aren't eating any - until one day the bowl is almost empty.  You can add a little crushed egg shell to the bowl to make it more appealing (they go for egg shell like mad, but it is an inferior source of digestible/useable calcium in comparison to the oyster shell), but I would not take the odd egg now and then with a soft shell, etc as an indicator of poor calcium intake as there are a lot of other factors that can cause this that often get overlooked with the knee-jerk "add calcium" reaction.  How old are your birds and how long have they been laying?

She is just over a year, we got them as chicks last spring. She seems otherwise healthy. Althought she does frequently lay double yolk eggs

 

[SurbFarmGirl]

I use a washed tuna can screwed into the wood of their coop. I fill in with oyster shells and the girls peck at it as they wish. Usually as soon as I fill it ... they peck through it and spread it all over the place. Then they dig/peck for it pieces in the dirt. They seem to love them.

 

[sara1226]

Can anyone tell me if oyster shells to bad or expire? I bought a large bag, a couple of months ago, and it's just way more than I need for a flock of 7. How long can I safely keep this on hand?

 

[numzldr]

Can anyone tell me if oyster shells to bad or expire? I bought a large bag, a couple of months ago, and it's just way more than I need for a flock of 7. How long can I safely keep this on hand?

It does not go bad and will keep forever. ItS just crushed oyster shells.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I was collecting eggs this morning and broke one in my hands picking it up and another one a few days away simply washing it off.... A neighbour down the road was telling me they need more calcium... So i purchased oyster shells...
How exactly do i feed it to them? It just came in a 15lb paper bag

^^^
Do i put a bowl out full for them to eat? Should i mix it with their feed?

How long do i do so? permanently?for just a few weeks?

I save the small aluminum Vienna sausage cans. Using the tip of a large nail Poke several small holes into the bottom of the can, going from top towards the bottom.

Now drill two holes about 1 inch apart at the lip of the can and 2 matching holes at the bottom of the can.

The several small holes in the bottom are to allow rain water to drain out. The two holes at the top and the bottom are used to wire the can securely to the inside of my fly and brood pens. At the edge of the roost pole and 6 inches up is my favorite location. If you fail to tie the cans securely tha oyster shell and grit feeder cans can be overturned and the contents spilled.

By putting oyster shell in a bowl you are inviting your hens to pick and rake through it with their beaks and waste 99% of the oyster shell and or grit. For 3 or 4 hens I wouldn't even check the oyster shell level but maybe once in 6 months.

Feed oyster shell and grit free choice. This means that your birds can eat as much or as little of either oyster shell or granite grit as your birds desire at any time.

 

[21hens-incharge]

One thing I think that is being missed is that not all oyster shell is created equal. Mine would never touch the stuff that looks all white and chalk like. It would literally be covered in a half inch of dust with the level having never changed in the dish.

I switched after someone was looking for a specific type of shell and I did some searching to try and help out.

Mine go bananas for the pacific pearl oyster shell that looks like this.
You will notice it is flake like and gray in color.

Sadly I did not find out about the different kind available until I had 3 hens laying soft shelled eggs on a regular basis. My hens that have an issue are much older than an year and one never fully recovered from the lack of calcium. She still only lays soft shelled eggs.


Here is what the bag looks like in case anyone wanted to see.