OYSTER SHELLS

[Weeg]

Personally I wouldn't cull for oddball eggs but we also tolerate freeloaders around here.

Same! About half my hens are free loaders.

 

[azygous]

Crushed limestone is sold in some places as a calcium supplement for laying hens. It does exactly what crushed oyster shells do, both being calcium carbonate.

Here's a little easy fun experiment to do if you want to see if something is actually calcium or just some kind of rock if you're not sure it's really calcium. Take some vinegar, any kind, from your kitchen and pour a drop of it on the grit or limestone or whatever the bag says is for laying hens. If it fizzes and bubbles when it makes contact with the substance, it's calcium. If it just sits there and behaves like a drop of water, it's not calcium, it's another kind of plain rock.

 

[jher77]

Crushed limestone is usually dolomitic lime which is calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, somewhere around 50/50. It seems no two sources are exactly the same ratio so you may get more calcium or more magnesium depending on where it is mined. If it fizzles with vinegar, it is a carbonate, not necessarily just calcium.

There is a calcitic lime which is mostly calcium carbonate but it is hard to find here.

I have used crushed dolomitic limestone before as a source of calcium for a short amount of time with no side effects from excess magnesium. Put 1 tablespoon of lime per pound of feed to increase the calcium content by 1%.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I do not buy oyster shell.
I choose to feed my birds a layer type feed to prevent giving them the option to eat or not eat added calcium. Sorry.

No sorry ... Just value everyone's opinion I stopped feeding layer years ago switching to Flock Raiser hence the Oyster Shells. I don't have enough chickens (3 - 5) to collect egg shells to feed back. Have tried but guess they're spoiled and prefer the OS. Thank you

 

[ChickNanny13]

Is that egg a normal shelled egg? It looks like a body check to me, which happens when the egg is turned internally before its laid. Have you tried feeding their eggshells back to them? Most of my hens prefer crushed eggshells. I also supply the rock looking oyster shells but I notice they tend to pick out the crushed eggshells. My Pekin duck loves the rock oyster shell but she's the only one.

I have tried, in the past feeding crushed egg shells but having only 3 - 5 chickens it's really not much. Have tried offering prior girls, some tend to prefer the OS. I used to feed layer but years ago switched to Flock Raiser, happy with the results. Thank you

 

[ChickNanny13]

I feed Starter and offer white pea OS (I think its white pea, its white and square? ) on the side. I would feed flaked, (less processed) but my feed store only carry's white pea.
My hens eat it without an issue, and eggs seem fine.
Maybe your hens just aren't used to the different OS. Maybe sprinkle some treats on top of it to show them what it is. If they eat a bit they should figure it out pretty quickly.

Thank you for your input, always valued from members. The "white peas" are the ones I've been feeding since Covid and I ran out of the "crushed". They eat it but was wondering and concerned why only one is having a shell issue. I have only 3 girls at this time, the most I've had was 5 and always fed the "crushed" type.

@azygous Tutorial was just PERFECT explanation and @rosemarythyme reply has been what I "wanted" to hear ... Odd ball shells not real need to cull ... She's giving me more good eggs that soft shelled and will just "test" my theory out about the crushed & white peas.

 

[ChickNanny13]

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/...hnryvDcRQpI2XGRd4gdxSLn9f4DDCzwc5AhqObPmtfwmf
This is what I have always used, and when my hens were still laying, I also fed back crushed egg shells. That looks like one of the common egg shell abnormalities, maybe a body checked egg. Here is a link with other shell problems and causes:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/common-egg-quality-problems.65923/

Thank you for the links, I'll be doing some reading. These girls are the first that I've ever used the "white pea" type of Oyster Shells. The feed stores always had the crushed ones and that's what I fed, never had any issues so thought maybe it's the "white peas" and wanted to hear all your experiences.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You might be interested in knowing the different kinds of calcium there are. Oyster shell is exactly the same kind of calcium as egg shells - calcium carbonate. It's one of three kinds of calcium and is highest in calcium. It doesn't matter if the calcium carbonate is from an oyster shell washed up on the beach or in a bag of "manufactured" oyster shell or a bag of real oyster shells crushed.

Here's my tutorial:

There are three different sources of calcium, all different, all digested and absorbed at varying rates of effectiveness. The most common source is calcium carbonate. This is what egg shells, oyster shell, and calcite derived calcium supplements are. It's the highest in calcium, but it's the most difficult to digest and absorb. Some hens absorb it so slowly and inefficiently that it's not able to adequately supply their shell gland. So, they often produce shell-less eggs or very thin shell eggs.

The second kind of calcium is calcium gluconate. It comes from fruits and vegetables. It's not very high in calcium and still hard to digest and absorb.

The third kind of calcium is calcium citrate. It's the by-product of the manufacturing process of making citric acid. This form of calcium is very easy to digest and absorb. For this reason, it works much, much faster than the other two types of calcium. This is the form of calcium that's best to use when a hen is having reproductive issues from the relatively minor one of shell quality to the most serious and life threatening one of egg binding.

One calcium citrate tablet with vitamin D given right into the beak once a day until the issue is resolved is what I strongly recommend. Here's what to buy. View attachment 2978336

Calcium citrate is not meant for daily use as a calcium source, only a temporary intense calcium boost in a reproductive crisis. Good quality oyster shell is still the very best source of calcium you can provide for laying hens. But be sure they're getting the large oyster shell particles and not the powdery residue left in the bottom of the container as it runs through a hens system much too fast to be properly absorbed. The larger particles remain much longer in the digestive tract allowing for much greater absorption. This will help to assure your hen is keeping her calcium stores topped off and will have less tendency to have egg issues.

Thank you ever so much for your tutorial ... Very informative and helpful. My brother used to raise "fighting" chickens, they'd crush up the opihi shells for calcium but now days they're scares and not the easiest to come by.
I prefer the crushed oyster shells but it does get powdery which I just toss to the ground. The "white peas" is calcium carbonate (says on the package) just never used this type but with Covid that's all I can get so thought perhaps it was the cause of the soft shell ... Plus it was only 1 or 3 that was having the issue.
Thank you so very much for your tutorial, it's very much appreciated and will be saved.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I give my birds back their own eggshells and, after discovering that the 40(?)lb bag of "calcium grit" was less than twice the price for over three times the weight I switched to that stuff.

It's grey and looks more like crushed limestone than crushed shell, but seems to be doing the job well because all the egg shells are nice and sturdy.

I've seen that "calcium grit" and thought it was great but for those with mixed aged flocks it may not work, having read that chicks/Roos shouldn't be eating so my calcium. Glad it's working for you, and glad you responded with your experience with it as it does quench my curiosity about it. Thank you

 

[3KillerBs]

I've seen that "calcium grit" and thought it was great but for those with mixed aged flocks it may not work, having read that chicks/Roos shouldn't be eating so my calcium. Glad it's working for you, and glad you responded with your experience with it as it does quench my curiosity about it. Thank you

I don't see why the boys or the chicks would eat any more of that than of the oystershell or the crushed egg shells.

Assuming that they have other grit available, at least.