Out of oyster shell! What else will work?

[mollymadethis]

We have run out of Oyster shells for a week or so, and the last egg was paper thin. Snowing in Maine and won't get to the feed store till Monday, what is a good substitute for calcium when the snow is falling and we are stuck at home?

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

crushed egg shells...

 

[Benelli]

How small does the "crushed" shell need to be? Size of rice, eraser head or larger?

 

[onthespot]

Doesn't have to be crushed. I feed eggshells to my finches. Just big ol' halves so it won't go through the bars of their cages. They snip off what they need with their beaks.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

I used to crush it up fairly well, until it was in small(ish) pieces. If I had to guess, probably a little larger than a grain of rice. And then I'd zap them in the microwave for a few minutes to kill off any germs/diseases that may be on them.

 

[vstoltzfus]

I don't supplement with oyster shells at all. I just rinse the eggshells and crush with my fingers. Some pieces are large, some are small. I don't cook them. The girls love them, and my shells are nice and thick.

 

[davidb]

I crush the half's in my hand and put in most of the time the half's are still together so it will be easier for them to pick apart

 

[fiberart57]

If you can get to one of those 24 hour gas station/mart you could crush a TUMS and put it in their food. Try the unflavored ones without artificial sweetener.

I have heard that one of the concerns about feeding eggshells back to the hens is that there's a danger of promoting egg eating yet many people here do just that. I think that's why it's recommended to crush them well; so that it's unrecognizable as an egg by the chickens. So I'm not sure what the actual situation is.

Mary

 

[biddyboo]

I crush egg shells in my hand, just to break them up and then mix them in with their morning warm oatmeal. I also throw in any veggie left from dinner the night before, and if we're long on eggs, I mix a couple of these in too. I end up with about 5-6 cups of warm mix for fifteen hens and they've cleaned it all up, including calcium rich egg shells, within a half hour or so. I start the mixture out with about a cup of cheapest available dry milk powder, adding additional nutrient/calcium. By the way, I keep my Silkies separate from the big hens. They are picky about added treats, but they relish a cup of this each frigid morning. ~G

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Someone paid attention in chicken class.... well done!