OYSTER SHELLS

[NanaCarla]

I have NOT been able to find "crushed" Oyster Shells here on the Big Island/Hawaii ... Have had to resort to the "manufactured" Oyster Shells/Coral (white pea sized). That's all that's being sold here at WalMart and the feed stores (only 2 on this side of the Island). My girls (3) have been laying and provided with the white stuff since they started laying Aug 2020. One of them started laying a funny shaped egg since Dec 2020, like it's having difficulty coming out/gets stuck. On the 8th of this month, she laid a soft shelled egg, an other the week after, two last week.

I have always fed the crushed shells in the past but been told by the workers at the feed store, it's Covid & they haven't been able to get any. I found "crushed" OS on Amazon (Scratch & Peck), I purchased just as an experiment. It's been a week and since feeding them the crushed, she hasn't laid any soft shelled eggs plus yesterday I noticed her egg shape is back to normal.

So my question to all of you ... What kind of Oyster Shells are you feeding; crushed or "white peas"? Have you noticed any difference with egg shells?
I was going to cull her thinking it was her reproductive system starting to be an issue, she'll be a year in March and I've never had this issue before. I'm on the fence deciding to keep her & maybe it is the OS or send her to my friend when she thins out her flock next month. Your opinions/advice always welcomed ...

Thank you all in advance
Pic of Dove's odd shaped eggs ...

@aart @azygous @casportpony @Eggcessive @Kiki @rosemarythyme @ @Wyorp Rock

I order the crushed oyster shells from Amazon, and it is working great for my girls!

 

[catballou]

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 for explaining all of that to us!

 

[PeaceMary]

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.

Hm, was just wondering if i could just dissolve a calcium carbonate capsule that i use into their water. Would that give my girls more calcium? Would it be too much?

 

[myluckychucks]

We have the same problem here in Canada. Can't get the crushed oyster shell here, only the kind that looks like hen grit. Chickens don't eat them so I add powdered vitamins with calcium. I would never cull a hen for abnormal shells, but thats just me.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Hm, was just wondering if i could just dissolve a calcium carbonate capsule that i use into their water. Would that give my girls more calcium? Would it be too much?

For my flocks, the hens that are actively having trouble with laying or egg shell quality are the ONLY ones that ever get a calcium boost (calcium citrate + vit d3). They only get calcium citrate if I have a very good reason to believe there's a problem. There is a such thing as too much calcium whenever you're dealing with the stronger calcium options. This is why they're generally given on an as needed basis.

This is just my thoughts on this. Let's see what @azygous says. Now I'm curious

 

[Lilbitsnpieces]

I have NOT been able to find "crushed" Oyster Shells here on the Big Island/Hawaii ... Have had to resort to the "manufactured" Oyster Shells/Coral (white pea sized). That's all that's being sold here at WalMart and the feed stores (only 2 on this side of the Island). My girls (3) have been laying and provided with the white stuff since they started laying Aug 2020. One of them started laying a funny shaped egg since Dec 2020, like it's having difficulty coming out/gets stuck. On the 8th of this month, she laid a soft shelled egg, an other the week after, two last week.

I have always fed the crushed shells in the past but been told by the workers at the feed store, it's Covid & they haven't been able to get any. I found "crushed" OS on Amazon (Scratch & Peck), I purchased just as an experiment. It's been a week and since feeding them the crushed, she hasn't laid any soft shelled eggs plus yesterday I noticed her egg shape is back to normal.

So my question to all of you ... What kind of Oyster Shells are you feeding; crushed or "white peas"? Have you noticed any difference with egg shells?
I was going to cull her thinking it was her reproductive system starting to be an issue, she'll be a year in March and I've never had this issue before. I'm on the fence deciding to keep her & maybe it is the OS or send her to my friend when she thins out her flock next month. Your opinions/advice always welcomed ...

Thank you all in advance
Pic of Dove's odd shaped eggs ...

@aart @azygous @casportpony @Eggcessive @Kiki @rosemarythyme @ @Wyorp Rock

I wash and dry the girls egg shells and feed them back to them..i place in an oven at 200 degrees for a couple hours.
Then crush up with my hands..the washing and baking kill any bacteria and completelt dry them so i can place them in a container to store..you could also purchase calcium at a drug store and crush a tablet on their feed..small gravel or sand would suffice for their grit needs ..for their crop/ digestive health...

 

[azygous]

There would be no problem dissolving calcium in the drinking water for, say five to seven days in addition to free choice calcium carbonate. But beyond that, you risk having some of the hens getting too much calcium. In the short term, you would notice calcium warts beginning to show up on some of the egg shells. Long term, some hens would experience a strain on their kidneys.

 

[aart]

Hm, was just wondering if i could just dissolve a calcium carbonate capsule that i use into their water. Would that give my girls more calcium? Would it be too much?

There would be no problem dissolving calcium in the drinking water for

Would it actually dissolve, or separate out into solids at the bottom of waterer?

 

[mcchapin]

I have NOT been able to find "crushed" Oyster Shells here on the Big Island/Hawaii ... Have had to resort to the "manufactured" Oyster Shells/Coral (white pea sized). That's all that's being sold here at WalMart and the feed stores (only 2 on this side of the Island). My girls (3) have been laying and provided with the white stuff since they started laying Aug 2020. One of them started laying a funny shaped egg since Dec 2020, like it's having difficulty coming out/gets stuck. On the 8th of this month, she laid a soft shelled egg, an other the week after, two last week.

I have always fed the crushed shells in the past but been told by the workers at the feed store, it's Covid & they haven't been able to get any. I found "crushed" OS on Amazon (Scratch & Peck), I purchased just as an experiment. It's been a week and since feeding them the crushed, she hasn't laid any soft shelled eggs plus yesterday I noticed her egg shape is back to normal.

So my question to all of you ... What kind of Oyster Shells are you feeding; crushed or "white peas"? Have you noticed any difference with egg shells?
I was going to cull her thinking it was her reproductive system starting to be an issue, she'll be a year in March and I've never had this issue before. I'm on the fence deciding to keep her & maybe it is the OS or send her to my friend when she thins out her flock next month. Your opinions/advice always welcomed ...

Thank you all in advance
Pic of Dove's odd shaped eggs ...

@aart @azygous @casportpony @Eggcessive @Kiki @rosemarythyme @ @Wyorp Rock

LHL Feed and Equipment in Kona near the big white hangar building above Queen K sells awesome organic layer pellets with the calcium added. My girls love it. The owners are supper helpful and nice. My girls prefer this in the food to eating it as an extra offering. I’ve also started feeding them fermented grains once a day. In one month it’s made a huge difference in egg production, size and shell quality. I live up in Waimea and they usually take a few months off laying during the winter.

 

[DemeChick]

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.

Same here and absolutely no issues with soft or thin eggs.