Oyster Shell / Calcium

[Russo's Roost]

I have a 21 month old hen who became egg bound, she is OK now. One cause I read was not enough calcium in her diet, even though they have a container of Oyster Shell free choice I never see her at it, that doesn't mean she never takes any, I just heve never seen her at it.
I am wondering, is ther any reason why I wouldn't want to soak the oyster shel in water and use that water to water the birds with? Is ther any possibility they would get too much calcium and is ther any harm in that?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I wouldn't soak the oyster shells because I would be concerned about too much calcium.

What works for me is to mix the oyster shell into the feed. I use about this much:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5626262#p5626262

The chickens don't eat what they don't want. I find it at the bottom of the feeders. You can see my feed recipe on my BYC page. They do look at what they eat.

Free choice is better than putting it in their water, IMO. But I have found that mixing the oyster shell in the feed definitely encourages them to increase consumption, and my egg shells are nice and thick compared to the store-bought ones- really perfect.