question about egg shells

[sheila3935]

my sister works in a bakery, if she saves the eggshells they normally throw away for me is it ok to give to my girls?

 

[Ridgerunner]

They area good source of calcium. I just crush mine and throw them on the compost heap. If they want them, they can eat them. They don't eat them all that well which tells me that they are getting all the calcium they need from other sources. Yours may wolf them down or they may ignore them. Hard to tell until you try.

Some people dry them or bake them before they offer them as they think that helps prevent them from becoming egg eaters. I'm comfortable just crushing mine. If you do store them for any time, baking or drying is probably a great idea.

If you garden, crushed egg shells around tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant can help prevent blossom end rot. I would not mind a good source of egg shells, but mine would go to the garden, not the chickens.

 

[sheila3935]

mine do prefer the egg shells over oyster shell but as I sell alot of my eggs I dont have alot of the shells for them thats why I thought if I could get egg shells from my sister they could get the calcuim that way. What I am worried about is the salmonella but if I wash them and dry before crushing would that be ok?

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I dry mine, crush and the girls eat them up. Seems they prefer them over oyster shell.

 

[phaethona]

I could be mistaken but isn't the main culprit for salmonella found in the yolk? again, I could have that all wrong...

my 11 hens get free choice oyster shell, it takes them a while to get through a bag of it so I don't have to fuss much about buying it, but even still I'd find it hard to pass up free shells(I'm a penny pincher)

 

[Naughty]

My girls free range - and I have oyster shell available which they go through slowly. I sometimes throw some scratch in that bowl to get them to get a lil calcium - when egg shells seem a little thin. I only use a couple of eggs a day - so I usually keep a pan in my toaster oven - and give em about 10 minutes to dry out - plus they crush easier. I toss them in the treats pile and let them do as they wish - figure it will fertilize things... and if any of the seeds from the goodies they get sprout - they will get some extra good fun

 

[sheila3935]

I dont mind buying the oyster shells they just dont eat it very well but if I put the eggs shells out they eat that then I know they have the calcuim they need. I know they dont always need the extra and they get some from their layer feed but I want to make sure they have the right amount. Also free is good if it wont harm them. And I think maybe thats right about the yolk, so I think I will have my sister start saving them for me.

 

[toetoe]

I have and use oyster shell, and they do go to it slowly. I give the oyster shell while I save up on egg shell. Once I get around 4 cups crushed by about the spring time and then to start the new egg season off I give them the egg shell.

I find that since they don't lay much in the winter the oyster shell will keep them with enough calcium in the cold months.
Since I have been doing this when I give them the crushed egg shell in the spring I am blessed with 19 eggs a day from 20 hens for the first month or 2 before it slows down because of molting.
I always clean the membrain out (thin skin around inside of shell)when I wash them after cracking leave them to dry out over night on a paper towel, throw them all in a 1 gallon clean bucket. Then every 2-3 weeks I crush the shells to the same size as the oyster shell and store in dry container.
In the spring I mix equil parts of egg shell and oyster shell and give to my girls.

Wow my egg collection goes into high gear with in 1 week.

***it is best to clean the thin skin out of the shell before drying because that thin skin could harbor the chickens breathing if it gose across the throat.
If you can get the shells from a bakery, I would say ...YES, go for it.