Questions on calcium and feeding

[Jrios58]

1. Can you crush up shells and feed for calcium?
2. My hens are about21 weeks, white rocks, just now laying. They are on layer crumbles. At what point might they need additional calcium?
3. Is it ok to feed table scraps? Mine are in a large 50ft diameter pen, onlyinside at night. I sometimes give them fruit or veg scraps but not often. Mostly their treats are grasshoppers. Thanks!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

1. Can you crush up shells and feed for calcium?
2. My hens are about21 weeks, white rocks, just now laying. They are on layer crumbles. At what point might they need additional calcium?
3. Is it ok to feed table scraps? Mine are in a large 50ft diameter pen, onlyinside at night. I sometimes give them fruit or veg scraps but not often. Mostly their treats are grasshoppers. Thanks!

You are definitely doing all the right things from everything I have read on here and congratulations on their laying. You can feed them the crushed eggs and the table scraps just no moldy foods you wouldn’t eat yourself. There are several threads on here regarding acceptable foods as extras and treats safe to feed them. You can do searches to find out almost anything under “Treats”. If your layer crumbles have the calcium included in it like a lot of it does you maybe just fine with it and the eggshells included back in. Otherwise, you might feed oyster shell free choice in a separate dish. They will take it as they need it.

I wish you the best with your flock. Take care!

 

[Jrios58]

You are definitely doing all the right things from everything I have read on here and congratulations on their laying. You can feed them the crushed eggs and the table scraps just no moldy foods you wouldn’t eat yourself. There are several threads on here regarding acceptable foods as extras and treats safe to feed them. You can do searches to find out almost anything under “Treats”. If your layer crumbles have the calcium included in it like a lot of it does you maybe just fine with it and the eggshells included back in. Otherwise, you might feed oyster shell free choice in a separate dish. They will take it as they need it.

I wish you the best with your flock. Take care!

Thanks, still figuring out how to navigate! Good advice, I appreciate it