My chickens don’t like grit or oyster shell?

[Ajp23]

My hens are all between eight months old and a year and currently eat Nutrena All Flock. They always have a supply of grit and oyster shell in separate dispensers. I’ve noticed though that the grit and shell is rarely, if ever, eaten. I never have to refill it as it seems untouched.

Am I to assume they would eat it if they needed it or should I try another approach or product?

They do free range a few hours per day when the weather is nice so I guess they could be ok in the grit department but what about the calcium? I should mention there hasn’t been any egg problems to report.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

As long as it's there for when they DO need it, you're good. Mine go through long stretches where I never see them eating it and then one day someone does, it's very random. Also, when it's old and if it's wet or dirty, I toss and replace. I think you're just fine.

 

[kcan2]

Mine hardly ever touch the grit, and the oyster gets eaten in greater quantities when laying. Also, if yours free range, there are other naturally occuring calcium sources (like dandelion leaves, for example) that they may prefer. They are good judges of what they need and when!

 

[Ridgerunner]

They do free range a few hours per day when the weather is nice so I guess they could be ok in the grit department but what about the calcium? I should mention there hasn’t been any egg problems to report.

Chickens lived on their own for thousands of years before humans domesticated them. They found the food they needed to survive and flourish, including grit and calcium.

For grit they can use bits of rocks in the soil. They can get calcium from many green plants, the shells and bones of creepy crawlies they catch, and some rocks like limestone that they eat. We tend to keep them confined to smaller areas so it can be hard for some of them to get everything they need, yet many do, especially if the native rock has limestone in it.

If their eggs are OK don't change anything. They are getting the grit and calcium they need.

 

[K0k0shka]

Chickens lived on their own for thousands of years before humans domesticated them. They found the food they needed to survive and flourish, including grit and calcium.

They didn't lay 300 eggs per year in those olden days though. The demands on their bodies were much lower. They laid eggs to reproduce and ate the shells after the chicks hatched, and that was that. It was only after humans domesticated them, that they started laying outside of the reproductive season, continuously, day after day, and the demands on their bodies increased. Today's hens, especially the popular production breeds, would not be able to keep this up without help from humans. So it's not fair or realistic to compare them to their wild counterparts pre-domestication.

They always have a supply of grit and oyster shell in separate dispensers. I’ve noticed though that the grit and shell is rarely, if ever, eaten.

If they don't eat much else besides their poultry feed, then they don't need a lot of grit - poultry feed itself is water soluble and doesn't need grit to be digested. Whatever they find while free ranging that needs grinding, they can probably grind with rock they find out and about, or the little grit they do eat from their bowl - grit lasts a long time in their system, so they don't need to replenish it often. As for the oyster shell, a lot of chickens don't actually like it. They much prefer eggshell. Try giving them crushed eggshells and I bet they'll eat that gladly. They are still very young and haven't had enough time to run up a serious calcium deficiency yet. If they aren't eating enough oyster, they may be tapping into their bones' calcium reserves, which won't be noticeable for some time. If I were you, I'd offer them crushed eggshell and see if they eat that. If they do, then they do in fact need calcium that they aren't getting elsewhere, and I would consider giving them eggshells regularly. If they don't pay much attention to the eggshells, then the calcium they get from their feed or other sources is probably enough for the time being (even all flock feeds have *some* calcium in them, just not high enough to support regular egg laying). I don't know if chickens are smart enough to put aside their dislike for oyster shell for the sake of their bone health, or if they'd continue to turn their noses up at oyster shell and end up depleting their bones... Chickens aren't always bright. So I wouldn't risk their long term health. I feed mine an all flock feed as well, and they have an unlimited supply of crushed eggshell (which they love), so I know they're all set for the long run.

 

[Ajp23]

They didn't lay 300 eggs per year in those olden days though. The demands on their bodies were much lower. They laid eggs to reproduce and ate the shells after the chicks hatched, and that was that. It was only after humans domesticated them, that they started laying outside of the reproductive season, continuously, day after day, and the demands on their bodies increased. Today's hens, especially the popular production breeds, would not be able to keep this up without help from humans. So it's not fair or realistic to compare them to their wild counterparts pre-domestication.


If they don't eat much else besides their poultry feed, then they don't need a lot of grit - poultry feed itself is water soluble and doesn't need grit to be digested. Whatever they find while free ranging that needs grinding, they can probably grind with rock they find out and about, or the little grit they do eat from their bowl - grit lasts a long time in their system, so they don't need to replenish it often. As for the oyster shell, a lot of chickens don't actually like it. They much prefer eggshell. Try giving them crushed eggshells and I bet they'll eat that gladly. They are still very young and haven't had enough time to run up a serious calcium deficiency yet. If they aren't eating enough oyster, they may be tapping into their bones' calcium reserves, which won't be noticeable for some time. If I were you, I'd offer them crushed eggshell and see if they eat that. If they do, then they do in fact need calcium that they aren't getting elsewhere, and I would consider giving them eggshells regularly. If they don't pay much attention to the eggshells, then the calcium they get from their feed or other sources is probably enough for the time being (even all flock feeds have *some* calcium in them, just not high enough to support regular egg laying). I don't know if chickens are smart enough to put aside their dislike for oyster shell for the sake of their bone health, or if they'd continue to turn their noses up at oyster shell and end up depleting their bones... Chickens aren't always bright. So I wouldn't risk their long term health. I feed mine an all flock feed as well, and they have an unlimited supply of crushed eggshell (which they love), so I know they're all set for the long run.

Thanks for this information, very helpful! I will try the egg shells and see if they are interested.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Today's hens, especially the popular production breeds, would not be able to keep this up without help from humans. So it's not fair or realistic to compare them to their wild counterparts pre-domestication.

We obviously come from different backgrounds. I grew up on a farm where Dad kept a flock that included production breeds that free ranged and fed themselves. Those chickens did not lay 300 eggs a year, Dad did not manipulate lights to keep them laying all year. They did lay a lot of eggs in the natural laying season however, some hens laying 5 or 6 eggs a week for months on end. The eggs were not the "large" eggs you'd get if you fed them a lot of protein but they were large enough to feed a family and to hatch replacements.

Dad never provided calcium. We lived in limestone country, limestone was a native rock. Those eggshells were plenty hard, they found all the calcium they needed. And there were enough hard rocks in the soil to act as grit. They easily found all they needed. How economical can you get. The chickens provided eggs and meat and Dad almost never spent a penny on them. Even what we fed them in winter we raised ourselves.

If all the calcium they get is their own eggshells it is a losing proposition. They need some calcium for body maintenance and chicks need it for growth. That's why non-layer feed has around 1% calcium in it. Not all of the calcium they need is absorbed by their bodies when they eat it either. Some passes right through and out the rear end. That's one of the many reasons compost incorporating chicken manure is so good for the garden. Calcium is a required nutrient of many garden plants. They need more calcium than they can get just from their eggshells but there is usually more available.

There is nothing wrong with giving them the eggshells. I do. I toss the eggshells on the compost pile where they can get to them. They eat some of them, but not always all.

There are several possible sources of calcium. It doesn't matter where that calcium comes from as long as they get enough. To me the best way to determine if they are getting enough is to look at the eggshells. If the eggshells are thick and firm enough they are getting enough from some source. You can offer more if you wish, nothing wrong with that. If they need it most know enough to eat it. If they don't need it most know enough to not eat enough to hurt themselves.

I'll repeat myself. If the eggshells are OK on the eggs they are laying then they are getting enough calcium from some source. You can offer more if you wish but you don't have to.

 

[Ajp23]

Ok I’m back to this thread - I have two hens, who at the same time, are laying eggs with no shell. This has never happened before.

I continue to put out oyster shell AND baked eggshells. They do not get eaten.

My flock currently is eating one feeder of Nutrena all flock that I’m using up and another feeder with Nutrena 18% layer feed.

What else can I do to help with the calcium? I’m nearly certain I’ve identified the two hens having this issue and I’m now giving them cal citrate tablets. If the entire flock isn’t eating the shells and oyster, what should I do?

Can something other than calcium deficiency cause this?

 

[Ajp23]

Adding: I read that a stressful event could disrupt the egg cycle and possibly cause this - any truth to this? Night before last we had very severe weather that lasted for hours. Is that a possibility?