Oyster Shell Options

[Charlies Angels 2020]

I feed my girls eggshells and oyster shell. They love the eggshells, not so much the oyster shell. I buy Manna Pro; are there any other alternatives (that won't break the bank)? Manna Pro seems a little big for them. They eat the small pieces and waste the larger ones. We can't eat enough eggs to provide them all the eggshells they need. I have layers, pullets and a rooster.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

If you have a Rural King near you, they carry 50# bags of oyster shell. I buy mine at my local feed mill (an option for you?) and they carry the Coastal Brand, too.

 

[kerbotx]

So the stuff from Manna Pro is crushed oyster shell combined in some unknown degree with coral calcium. Other options include actual chipped oyster shell, which can smell a little fishy; aragonite calcium which is similar to coral calcium, but it's super fine, you almost have to mix it into their feed, which is a guessing game as to dosage; or limestone, which I've seen people with shellfish allergies profess a preference for - but I don't know where you get that, other from a local quarry.
Links: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vibrant-Life-Poultry-Oyster-Shells-5-lbs/796742456

https://www.chewy.com/pisces-usa-coarse-aragonite-calcium/dp/232177
*Forgot to add - my chickens LOVE the Vibrant Life!

 

[aart]

So the stuff from Manna Pro is crushed oyster shell combined in some unknown degree with coral calcium.

Huh. Didn't know that. Is it a bad thing?

I mixed the OS with crushed egg shells when I have them, they eat them both.

 

[kerbotx]

Huh. Didn't know that. Is it a bad thing?

I mixed the OS with crushed egg shells when I have them, they eat them both.

I don't consider it a bad thing, exactly - it just begs the question of why. They're starting with oyster shells, which is fine by itself, so why pulverize it so that it has to be formed back into a pellet, and why add an extra calcium source from the coral? It's extra processing - I know some people are offended by the fishy smell of real, chipped oyster shell, so perhaps it's processed to remove that odor. It just makes me wonder if maybe it's done to beef up a very low-quality product. At the end of the day, I still buy it! But my girls really do prefer the real, chipped oyster shells - I just wish I could buy a 50lb bag of it locally!

 

[aart]

I don't consider it a bad thing, exactly - it just begs the question of why. They're starting with oyster shells, which is fine by itself, so why pulverize it so that it has to be formed back into a pellet, and why add an extra calcium source from the coral?

I don't think the OS is formed into pellets, just broken up and tumbled to smooth edges.
Never noticed the Coral Calcium on the label before you pointed it out.
Always did wonder exactly where they come from(by-product of oyster harvesting?),
now I wonder about the coral.
Could be the coral comes along with the oysters.

 

[PeepOverlord]

@kerbotx Thanks for the links. I tried Manna Pro and wow was I mad when I opened that bag. Its >90% "coral" (of unknown origin). Good luck finding any actual oyster shell fragments in it. It's also huge - bigger than dried peas. Hens won't touch it. I sat in my driveway with a ball peen hammer, tap-tap-tapping it to crush it smaller but it mostly just turned to powder. The hens still won't touch it. Won't even scratch in it. They actually avoid it.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I set out the first bowel of oyster shells last evening. About 1 1/2 cup. my four pullets ate all of it. is the normal?

 

[aart]

I set out the first bowel of oyster shells last evening. About 1 1/2 cup. my four pullets ate all of it. is the normal?

Well, it's not unprecedented for them to gorge on something new.
But I'd stop for now, or just put a bit in there each day.
How old are they, in months?

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

Well, it's not unprecedented for them to gorge on something new.
But I'd stop for now, or just put a bit in there each day.
How old are they, in months?

18 weeks