Processing Egg Shells for Feeding as a calcium source

[VetsJetsnGuns]

I've decided to feed my chickens left over egg shells (I think it was Gail Damerow who reccommended it as a cost saver) and I'm looking for the best way to treat and crush the egg shells. There are a few scattered recipes here, but I'm hoping to consolidate them in one place.

Specifics I'm looking for are

1.) Microwave vs oven for drying/sterilizing.

2.) Times and temperatures for drying/sterilizing

3.) Easiest way or neat tricks to crush the shells

4.) How small must the shell peices be so they are not recognizable to the chickens as egg shells

Thanks in advance for your input

 

[chantecler]

HI there!

this is what I do.

-I save my shells in an open plastic contain on my kitchen counter
-I place all my shells on a cookie sheet
-Bake at 375 for a 30-40 minutes
- let them cool
- I've crushed them different ways: one I dump the cooked shells in a big bowl then use my hands to mush them all up until the are less than 1/4 inch peices... I like the pieces small
or I put put the shells between two peices of wax paper and use a rolling pin. I like the hand method better.

My girls go crazy for the egg shells

I don't know why
Hope this helps

 

[EllyMae]

That is awesome, thanks for sharing!

 

[davidb]

Some people bake them in the oven,some people microwave them, I for one don't do either. I just take the egg shell and crunch it with my hand and feed it raw, Ive been doing this for 35 or more years and the raw shells haven't made one of my hens eat or peck and egg yet, maybe luck maybe not.

 

[davidb]

But I have also always had free range chickens so I'm not sure if this would work as well with penned up chickens

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
This is the same system I use & I use it with caged birds. To assume that a chicken can make the connection between a fragment of dried egg shell & an egg is to credit the chicken with cognative abilities they just don't posess.
I even feed back excess eggs by boiling & crushing them & I don't have any problems with egg eaters.

 

[Cassandra]

I don't do anything special to my eggshells. I have a bowl on the counter for eggshells, veggie scraps and other food I intend to feed the birds. Before I take it out to them, I use a wooden spoon to crush it all up together. Doesn't seem to have caused any problems.

Cassandra

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I just give mine a quick crush right after I dump the yolk into the pan and sometimes I don't bother to crush. throw the shell into the table scrap bucket and toss into the pen. been doing this for over 40 years.. I have never had an egg eating chicken.. with the eggs that do not hatch, I just throw on the ground to break them and the chickens eat them all up..

 

[lichick28]

I micro wave the egg shells depending on how many I have at that time 6 eggs 45 sec. in a paper towel. Then I just crush them in the folded paper towel into nice small bits like the size of cracked corn

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

I usually rinse them out and throw into a scrap bowl to dry. When I'm heading out to the chickens I crunch them up and toss.