Oyster Shell

[Pack Mom]

I was wondering about getting my own oyster shell. We live at the ocean and can pick up oyster shells all over the place. Can we just wash it and smash it up for the chickens? Washing sure if they only use freshwater oyster shell or just any oyster shell.
Dorothy

 

[terryg]

I should think you'd be able to do that. I'd rinse to remove excess salt. Also, studies show that medium-sized pieces are absorbed the most efficiently, not, as you would expect, finely ground. So, smash into bits the size of a fine dice. BTW, I use a rabbit feeder to provide the shells free-choice. I find they eat more when up off the ground and clean in this feeder. You can see a photo here: http://hencam.com/faq/what-to-feed-your-chickens/

 

[Pack Mom]

Thank you for the reply. Great idea with the rabbit feeder. Now that I'm looking at size of the oyster shell wouldn't that serve the same purpose as the grit? Kinda a two for one, calcium supply and grit........ ? Our farm store said if we free range our chickens each and have sand in our coop we shouldn't need grit, they will find enough pellets in the sand. Is that correct?
Dorothy

 

[duckinnut]

Let me say this on crushing your own, GOOD LUCK.

A friend of mine gave me a bushel of cherrystones. Which I devoured and also made clams casino and put in the freezer for later use but barely lasted a week. So I got this lame brain idea that I would dry the shells out and then crush them. Far more work that it was worth,at least for the chickens, although I did get one heck of an aerobic work out. What I did was take an old feed bag and put the shells in and ran them over with a home made roller full of concrete to pre-break them, then did the rest with a bottom of a sledge. Took a hour or more to get them down to a edible size with about 3lbs of shell. For $9 I can get a 50lb bag and not break a sweat. Now bear in mind oyster shells are a lot thicker than cherrystones shells. Next time I might try steamers(soft shelled clams for you mid westerners).

As far shell as grit goes, it does serve as that to a degree but they still need some real grit to break down the shell. Depending how fine your sand is you might have to give them a little something with some fine stones in it.

 

[terryg]

I live in New England where the the dirt is made of granite bits. I've never had to add grit! Coarse sand should have plenty of grit in it, too.

 

[Den in Penn]

I know that the courser bits are better utilized. My chickens seem to know this too. The last bag of shells I got has a lot of finer pieces in it. I have had to go out and remove the fines from the shell dish and put fresh in so they would use it.