Need help with oyster shells

[CanadaEh]

Exactly!
Egg shells they will eat more of because they won't last as long as oyster shell in the gizzard.

yeah, but I see a drop in egg production and thinner (supermarket-like) shells compared to previous baked and crashed egg shells supplement

ps: they have bare dirt (with sand and rocks) under the raised coop for grit

pps: i am going to experiment: 1) add *baked* oyster shells for 2 weeks 2) add baked egg shells (that i have stored for past 2 months they have been on oyster shells). My take is they a getting far less calcium on oyster shells than egg shells that affects both shell thickness and egg production

 

[aart]

yeah, but I see a drop in egg production and thinner (supermarket-like) shells compared to previous baked and crashed egg shells supplement

ps: they have bare dirt (with sand and rocks) under the raised coop for grit

I mix crushed egg shells with oyster shell in a separate feeder, they eat both.
Also scatter some granite grit on occasion as most sand and rocks is not adequate

 

[Lizzy733]

I've always done a mix of egg and oyster grit, so I don't think my girls discriminate though some are really bad at going out of their way to hit up the grit hopper on their own. This is the reason getting a pellet or mash layer feed with calcium is better for them. I can understand if you have a mixed flock with underaged hens or roos, but if not, switching to feed which includes calcium will be better for their health in the long-run. An occasional cracked egg due to a brittle shell is annoying, but eggbinding, reproductive issues and brittle bones are no fun.
If you see a dip in quality, make sure the grit is enticing to them - scattering it on the ground or mixing with other feeds. I find keeping my hopper topped up more frequently than necessary tends to attract enough interest to keep my one neglectful hen in the green while I've been raising babies in the flock. Keep liquid calcium supplement on-hand too for emergencies like egg binding.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I got a new kind of oyster shell and the birds are now eating it again. I have to buy it on Amazon though..

I buy Pacific Pearl at my feed store. It looks to be the same stuff as you posted.
look for it in a 50# brown bag or ask for store to order it. Most stores will special order if you ask.