My Love Affair With Ducks...

[Mimi13]

They sell the gray oyster shell on chewy.com, I've never seen it at any physical store near me.

Oh dear, it’ll be way expensive then, huh? I’ll go look now.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

Sorry to invade your thread suddenly. I feel compelled to reply as I've had a lot of reproductive issues with my ducks over the last 6 years.

One of the first problems I was having was my ducks barely eating oyster shells and one duck in particular having paper thin shells. I even took her to the vet and had her calcium levels checked. After months of me forcing calcium gluconate down her throat with a syringe I ran out of the white oyster shells I had been using. The store only had grey oyster shells, so I got those and put them out. All six of my ducks quickly gobbled up the grey oyster shells. The thin shell issue disappeared, and the other eggs got even stronger.

Other ducks seem to like the white kind, but I have spoken with other BYC members who have had similar experiences to mine.

So, what color are your oyster shells?

Huh. I never knew there was a difference.

Goodness gracious, you haven’t invaded and it wouldn’t have mattered if you did. I appreciate your answer. I never knew there was a difference in oyster shell. I suppose the ones I buy are white, but there are some gray pieces in them. This is what I buy now, but I’m definitely gonna start searching for another brand and hopefully find some gray oyster shell. It’s definitely worth a try. Thank you for mentioning this.View attachment 2596474

That's exactly what I buy and the only kind I've ever seen on the shelf anywhere I've been.

 

[KaleIAm]

I would stay in a depressed state all the time.

Yeah, I don't love the weather... I do enjoy many other things.

 

[KaleIAm]

Oh dear, it’ll be way expensive then, huh? I’ll go look now.

It is more expensive at chewy. But, also thinly shaved and well loved by my pampered and spoiled picky ducks. They scoop up huge mouthfuls of the stuff after every few bites of food. I can also get the grey kind at my local feed/hardware store for less. My ducks don't love it as much, but they eat it!

The kind they rejected looked like little white rocks.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Goodness gracious, you haven’t invaded and it wouldn’t have mattered if you did. I appreciate your answer. I never knew there was a difference in oyster shell. I suppose the ones I buy are white, but there are some gray pieces in them. This is what I buy now, but I’m definitely gonna start searching for another brand and hopefully find some gray oyster shell. It’s definitely worth a try. Thank you for mentioning this.View attachment 2596474

Oh my, what a fancy bag! - The stuff i buy comes in a brown paper-bag with simple green writing »Crushed Oyster Shells« on it. Not even a bar-code! But 50lbs for just twelve benjamins.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

They sell the gray oyster shell on chewy.com, I've never seen it at any physical store near me.

You can order those in 5lbs bags for in-store delivery at your local WalMart. Seriously! WalMart sells COS! 5lbs for 5$. Waaay too expensive!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

I believe Seattle has one of the highest number of rainy days per year, but the actual quantity of water that comes down most of those days is quite minimal! Just light misty rain for days and days on end.

That's the kind of weather that i fled from in Germany! - I remember one year the sun disappeared behind a gray curtain in October and was not seen before April!
Depressing!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

It is more expensive at chewy. But, also thinly shaved and well loved by my pampered and spoiled picky ducks. They scoop up huge mouthfuls of the stuff after every few bites of food. I can also get the grey kind at my local feed/hardware store for less. My ducks don't love it as much, but they eat it!

The kind they rejected looked like little white rocks.

That's the stuff my ducks gobble down with pleasure!
They just don't know anything else. Very likely would they punish me with their "You want to poison us?!" looks if i server them something else. I have to be careful when mixing too much crushed egg-shells in...

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

This is the stuff my ducks prefer:

I am always surprised how heavy that little bag is!

 

[duluthralphie]

This is the stuff my ducks prefer:
View attachment 2597216
I am always surprised how heavy that little bag is!

Snowflake!!!!