I offer it to them in a fairly deep cup that could probably hold 5 times the amount I keep in it so there's no waste. And they're still young. As their eggs get bigger, they'll need more.Wish our girls were as thrifty as yours! Our 20 hens go through about 2 cups of oyster shells a WEEK. Right now were getting 9-11 eggs a day. If I give them crushed eggs shells instead, they go through about 2 cups of that every other day. Perhaps they are wasting some of it, but I haven't noticed it yet. We feed a grower feed, no layer.