oyster shell Question

[nanawendy]

Since the girls have been laying, We've given oyster shell free choice. At first we saw they didn't eat it at all, so DH ground it up. Then they scratched dirt in it so we went back to not grinding. They just seem to turn their beaks up to it. I've watched closely and maybe a peck or two just to see what's in there.
Today's EE egg seemed chalky on the outside , could this be from lack of calcium?

 

[PacsMan]

Don't know about the chalky part, but mine too wouldn't eat free choice. Plus, their egg shells seemed a little weak. I now just mix it in with the food and they seem to eat it. Shells are just fine now.

Good luck!
Marty

 

[chuckzoo]

I give mine free choice and they acually pick out the bigger pieces to eat first!

 

[nanawendy]

I don't know why I didn't think of putting it in the treat food.

Good Idea... Thanks

 

[domino7]

I've read that if they don't need it, they won't eat it, which makes sense to me, so I don't mix it with their feed. I'm glad they don't go through it too fast. I've never noticed any thin shelled eggs though either. I've also read that some hens may need more than others, so it's best to let them regulate their own intake.

 

[nanawendy]

I know humans are like that, if we listen to our bodies. My cravings should equate to my lack in some nutrients. {Chocolate...

} So it should figure that other animals do that to... I just didn't know if they were rejecting the sharpness of the oyster shell.

 

[Manok-Tao]

Quote:
I was just at the local feed store not an hour ago talking with the owner about the items i'll need when I open my new coop up next week.......I brought up oyster shells and this is what he had to say (he's raised chickens for decades too). When a chicken is young, say her first two years of laying she will produce enough calcium needed for the egg shell, as she gets older (as in any animal) things won't quite work the same, and thats when we as farmers need to supplement various food sources. Granted one chicken's eggs will be weaker than another five and you deal with that as it comes up. he says that most hobbiest farmers do too much. He said that as I planned to feed Purina Layena when my pullets start laying that's all they need; heck it's more than they need. "Go in the back there young man (I'm 50) and read the bag, find out what's in the feed. He did go on to say that there is nothing wrong in offering extra calcium (oyster shell) as a free choice when the birds are mature.

 

[Bookworm chick]

I also offer mine free choice for my bantams. I feed the Flock Raiser instead of a layer feed. Seems like the pullets are eating a lot more, probably because they're laying everyday. Even with the pullets, each one eats a different amount it seems. One in particular I've noticed was eating it like it was some kind of treat!
I don't know if all bantams are the same, but their egg shells have always been very hard. A lot harder than anything (standard size) I've ever gotten from a store.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I was surprised at how quickly mine devoured it when I put it in a small feeder beside their regular feed. I've actually had to refill it. And my girls free-range so I know they are picking up calcium in the limerock and dirt...but they must have needed it.

 

[The Sheriff]

It is probably the same for chickens as it is in humans with pica, a condition where a person has a strong desire to eat dirt, clay, etc to correct a mineral deficiency. I once had a dialysis patient ask if she could talk to me in private, out of earshot of the doctor and her family. She told me that everyday after her family left the house, she went outside and ate dirt. She said she tried to stop but couldn't. She was very embarrassed. I calmly explained that she most likely had a mineral deficiency and told her about pica. She was so relieved. I let the doctor know, we got her on some supplements and the problem went away. I ran into her many years later and she told me how much it meant to her to find out she wasn't going crazy. Its just one of those patient encounters I will always remember.