Is it true?

[cluckmecoop7]

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post but I had a question. Is it true that you can crush up your own chickens egg shell and feed it back to them? I read it in a chicken book and would love to do it!

Thanks.

 

[JedJackson]

Yes, you can, but it is best to make sure the shells are clean first-- it works very well with the shells from hard boiled eggs. If you have a separate dish with crushed oyster shell, you can add it to that, or just give it its own dish. I wouldn't add it to layer feed, as that should have enough calcium, but in a side dish they can choose to eat it or not, depending on their needs.

 

[CJnCincy]

You CAN (they are cannibals/dinosaurs) and it is a great source of calcium......the debate is around this is whether you SHOULD. Personally, I don't do this only because as much as you break them down, they still look like...well, broken shells. I just don't want to risk them associating the egg shells with their own eggs. I supplement oyster shells (free choice) as a calcium supplement and use layer feed that also contains calcium. So egg shells in our farm is one of the few food scraps that go in the trash.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

I don't do this all the time, but when I do this I bake them in the oven for 10 mins or so at 400 deg or so... I don't think the temp matters a lot, and often I just put them in after we take something out of the oven... often I do this when we have a bit of a surplus of eggs and I'm just trying to use them up by baking something like this:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/denver-egg-casserole/

Once the shells are baked for 10 mins (basically just trying to dry them out) I let them cool, and then put them in a used gallon zip lock back and smash them, and then roll over the bag with a jar or rolling pan, etc, until they are in little pieces just to make sure they don't look like egg shells any longer.

I just pour the smashed up shells in the oyster shell container that is in the run all the time.

Often they'll sit in the zip lock bag only partially crushed, and I just add more from time, until the bag has a lot in it, then I take the time to crush them up a lot.

 

[Clousic Chicks]

all.the.time.

I clean the shells, dry them on a paper towel and store them in a gallon ziplock bag. Once I’ve accumulated a bag’s worth, I bake them just a bit. Put the baked shells bag in the ziplock bag and crush them to a very small size (I use a meat mallet). I put them in with their feed but also have them alongside their oyster shell in the run. I’ve never had a problem with my girls eating the eggs they just laid.

 

[ejtrout31]

yes its is a calcuim

 

[Curnow]

I don't do this all the time, but when I do this I bake them in the oven for 10 mins or so at 400 deg or so... I don't think the temp matters a lot, and often I just put them in after we take something out of the oven... often I do this when we have a bit of a surplus of eggs and I'm just trying to use them up by baking something like this:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/denver-egg-casserole/

Once the shells are baked for 10 mins (basically just trying to dry them out) I let them cool, and then put them in a used gallon zip lock back and smash them, and then roll over the bag with a jar or rolling pan, etc, until they are in little pieces just to make sure they don't look like egg shells any longer.

I learned this from my mother (born 1939), who learned it from her mother. This was the way it was done "back in the day".

 

[RUNuts]

I crack the egg shells for my breakfast, then add the egg shells to the chicken bucket that goes outside. The chickens crush the shells themselves. No instances of egg eating.

They do clean up the oopsies under the roosts. I've found remnants several times. I imagine most of the time that they leave nothing. Good to have soft bedding under the roosts. I'll get several eggs off the floor in a year.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you everybody!

This is a very helpful place!

 

[MissChick@dee]

YES
Washed and dried after cracking. I bake mine @350* for 20 minutes to kill any ecoli bacteria.
Grind them in a food processor. I add the powder to any wet treats.
Also EXCELLENT to add to soil when growing tomatoes as the crushed shells prevent blossom rot!