Oyster Shells?

[can you hear me now?]

I bought a 50 lb bag of shells today to give my girls a better shot of calcium. I want to add it to their feed but I don't know how much to put in about 30 lbs of egg layer crumbles.

 

[lizardz]

Just put out a separate dish and let them eat as they feel the need. I use a clay saucer like you put under planters and just pour out a bunch at a time. When that's almost gone, I just put out more. They will nibble at it when they need it. You can also save your eggshells, bake them, then grind them and feed them back to them. Of course, you already have the oyster shell, but when that's gone, you could switch over to eggshells.
Hope this helps.
Liz

 

[onthespot]

I feed mine separate in a little bucket snapped to the fence and they go over and peck at it any time they want some.

 

[can you hear me now?]

Yes it does but what is the purpose of cooking up the eggshells? Is is easier to digest that way?

 

[lizardz]

Changes them somehow (flavor, maybe) so that they don't realize they are eggshells and get in the habit of eating their own eggs.
Liz

 

[can you hear me now?]

Once again thank you for your knowledge. I have learned quite a bit from this site and hope to be a breeder of two american standard breeds and also brown leghorns. considering trying a few crosses with my polish as well just not sure what I want to try.

 

[spatcher]

They are baked so they will not get a taste for what is inside the egg and starting eating them before you ever see it!

 

[FrankBlissett]

too much calcium can be bad for chickens, so it's usually best to feed it on the side. The hens who need it will peck at it while the others will ignore it.

-Frank Blissett

ps: One bakes the shells, so far as I know, simply to make them easier to crush up. I save our shells on top of the stove and put them on a baking sheet in the oven after I get done cooking for the day.

 

[MissPrissy]

I don't cook or wash my eggs shells. I collect them in a little bucket I keep in the kitchen. I put all sorts of kitchen scraps in there for them. Never had an egg eater yet.

 

[n2thestorm5032]

where do you get oyster shells, do you just leave the shells the way they are, or do you cumble the shells up, I have a while before I feed it to them, But I am just curious right now.