Is it okay to feed crushed boiled egg shells?

[The Lisser]

I've read that some folks bake the egg shells for their chickens. Does anyone feed them shells from boiled eggs?

Thanks!

Melissa

 

[amyrains]

I hope its ok because I feed mine some today!

OOOPS

 

[Highlander]

Yep, I boil the eggs and mash them shells and all to throw to the chooks. Never had any complaints yet!

 

[woodmort]

Some people bake them, some nuke them, all of which sounds like a lot of extra work to me. I just hand crush them and toss 'em over the fence. Chickens are doing fine.

 

[HyLinda]

My neighbor told me that if you feed chickens egg shells they will begin eating their eggs - I'm assuming that's an old wive's tale???

 

[joe17]

Thats only if you fed them something that looks like an egg. They will start thinking that eggs are food and will eat them.

 

[fl_deb]

Quote:
Also, if they do not get enough calcium and lay soft eggs that crack open then the feasting may sometimes begin.

I have an old Visions cookware that I never liked, so now it is repurposed into the egg shell collector, storer and baker when it starts to get full, I ask my neighbor to let me know the next time they will be grilling (they always use charcoal) and then when they are done cooking, I just put the shells on to grill/bake. I pick it up later that night or next day and finish crushing the shells before adding to an old empty food grade plastic container (in my case it is an old Whey protein container) and the visionsware is washed and placed back in service the same day! Mine you all my shells go in there, it doesn't matter whether the eggs were scrambled or hard boiled they go into that visionware container. The only exception is hardboil eggs that a lot of the white came with the shell...those I crush and feed to the girls right away and they fight over it!

 

[emvickrey]

I save all egg shells. Even when i'm making fried eggs for breakfast or putting one in for a cake. I wash out the egg shell and let it dry completely then crush it up and put it in a large container I have on my fridge. When it's full I put them in my ultimate chopper and turn them to dust. Then I sprinkle it over scraps. I pour it in tuna cans for the quail.

 

[Cosmopolis Chick]

I save all egg shells in an ALL-METAL 2 lb coffee can on the back burner of my stovetop.
I don't turn the burner on!
Then when I use the oven - that is the burner that the oven vent is under and the shells get quite warm for an hour or so while I bake. That is plenty to make them easy to crush and I put the crushed shells into a 1 lb cocktail peanut (plastic) jar with a tight lid. I just throw a half-a-handful in with the feed occasionally.

Good luck getting ALL-METAL coffee cans anymore! When they are not 100% plastic they are cardboard sides with metal top and bottom.

I have also used the institutional size cans I get tomato sauce in when I am making spaghetti sauce.

 

[ranchhand]

I just hard boil the older eggs, cut them in quarters or sixths, toss them in a bowl and hit them with the hand mixer. Breaks it all up. Toss in whatever you have to clean out the fridge.

For just shells, I put them in the chicken bucket, whack them with a wooden spoon and away we go. I don't mess with the baking stuff. Haven't lost one to shells in 18 years, so it must be okay.