Oops... I got a rooster!

[NatJ]

Gizzard is correct, it was 6am, forgive me.

Yes, these things happen

You should explain why oyster shell isn't as good as rocks are (flint, granite) at grinding food. Perhaps it is because oyster shell is soluble and therefore will be broken down over time and digested, whereas rocks are insoluble and won't break down. Also, you should have noted that grit is only really needed if your chickens eat anything other than their standard feed.

Yes, oyster shell is soluble, and also the oyster shell is just less hard than many kinds of rock. Even rocks get ground down over time by rubbing together in the gizzard, which is why chickens eat more of them regularly instead of stocking up once and being good for the rest of their lives.

I agree, chickens do not need grit if all they eat is purchased chicken feed where the ingredients were ground up before they were made into pellets or crumbles. But if they do need grit to grind other foods, oyster shell isn't a good choice.

Yes, obviously eggshell wouldn't be a good option as grit. I mentioned eggshell for the calcium, didn't think it needed explaining that eggshell wasn't sufficient as grit, it's quite obvious..

I agree that it's obvious eggshells won't work as grit, but I thought your post was saying they could.