Is it ok for roosters to eat oyster shells ??/

Date sort Score sort
Yup and I stand corrected, but doesn't affect my post any and I was being honest.....
smile.png


IMHO
abbr.
in my humble opinion
The American Heritage
00ae.png
Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright
00a9.png
2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
 
Last edited:
Anyway, to the first poster on this thread, your birds can eat the oyster shell from a bowl, mixed in with their feed, or just from the ground. Really does not matter.
 
I just thought that I should mention that I have lost birds due to calcium. I used to put the chicks with the adults on the layer pellets as soon as I ran out of the starter (usually around 8 weeks of age). I had unexplained deaths when the chicks would turn 5 months old. Seemingly healthy birds one day would drop dead the next. When I lost a very promising bird, I realized that this was a problem that has been happening for years. So I researched and I couldn't find any answers until someone asked me what I was feeding them. I explained and was told that the calcium wrecked their kidneys which caused them to die. I quickly switched to an "All Flock" feed with oyster shells on the side and I haven't lost any since.

Since it affected my chicks, I imagine it would affect a rooster in a similar way. I did lose my favorite rooster before I switched to the "All Flock" feed, but his death is still unexplaind.

I raised many chicks this way on layer pellets that are still living today, it was only a handful that died. So some will show problems or pass away because their bodies won't be able to handle the extra calcium, while others willl be able to handle it. Either way it's definitely not healthy for them.
 
southerndesert said:
Likely correct Chris, still I have searched the net for a study showing the effects to roosters ingesting calcium with layer feed and can find nothing but forum posts etc....

I am very interested now and trying to learn more, but most info just mentions it "may" cause issues after several years in some roosters. These are things an aging coot like me never pondered till finding these forums lol. We always just fed them, gave them lots of fresh clean water, oyster shells, kitchen scraps, some scratch, a big area to free range, and don't let them have to sleep in their own poop....

And if we did it all just right we get lots of eggs, screw it up and the laying slows way down in a hurry, especially the water!

Cheers, Bill
Click to expand...
Bill,

Here is a good startin point, it has to do with hens getting Avian Urolithiasis but works the same with roosters -
http://www.hyline.com/redbook/Health/Gout.html

Your average rooster only needs 1.5% calcium and that is right around the calcium amount of a standard starter/grower feed.

Chris
 
Chris09 said:
Bill,

Here is a good startin point, it has to do with hens getting Avian Urolithiasis but works the same with roosters -
http://www.hyline.com/redbook/Health/Gout.html

Your average rooster only needs 1.5% calcium and that is right around the calcium amount of a standard starter/grower feed.

Chris
Click to expand...
I'm always looking to find studies to back up why I don't believe breeding flocks (or any flocks with birds who do not lay at any given time (ie roosters, hens in molt, chicks) should be fed this type of excess calcium.
Thanks for that link!
 

Similar threads

Soujrnr
    • Like
How old is too old...oyster shell shelf life?
Replies
3
Views
831
Chickenberg Goldenegg
C
Ajp23
My chickens don’t like grit or oyster shell?
Replies
6
Views
408
Ridgerunner
Ridgerunner
B
    • Like
How should I give my flock oyster shells
Replies
9
Views
583
Apis mellifera
Apis mellifera
mossyoakpro
    • Like
Oyster shell vs egg shell
5 6 7
Replies
62
Views
7K
AntiqueB
AntiqueB
Browniebird
    • Like
Feed questions
Replies
6
Views
336
Ridgerunner
Ridgerunner

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom