Source for flaked (not chunked) oyster shell

[Mildly Cranky]

I buy Pacific Pearl flaked oyster shells, 50 pound bag for $23 at a local Wilco store.

I looked for it in your location, CO, and found it at a store called Hatch and Gather in Colorado Springs. It's more expensive than what I pay but still a bargain compared to the typical small bags.

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I'll give them a call and see if it's a flaked product. The brand seems to be flaked or crushed, depending on where they sell it. The store is a couple of hours away from me so I'll make sure before trekking over there. Thank you.

 

[SourRoses]

I wonder why the flakes are so much more expensive. They're 7x more than the regular crushed oyster shell I get...

No bag of rocks I have ever looked at in the store has actually had Oyster Shell in it.
One big-brand label read like this...
Ingredients: Oyster Shell comprised of Coral Calcium and Limestone.

The companies wanted to keep that name recognition when real Oyster products became too expensive for them (due to construction industry using it for concrete).

My chickens FAR prefer actual bona fide Oyster Shell. The rocks would sit in the dispenser for months, whereas I have to refill the flaked Oyster shell every couple weeks.

And if we think about it... No part of an Oysters shell should be rock-like. It's already a flaky substance from the animal adding layers of calcium as they grow.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

No bag of rocks I have ever looked at in the store has actually had Oyster Shell in it.
One big-brand label read like this...
Ingredients: Oyster Shell comprised of Coral Calcium and Limestone.

The companies wanted to keep that name recognition when real Oyster products became too expensive for them (due to construction industry using it for concrete).

My chickens FAR prefer actual bona fide Oyster Shell. The rocks would sit in the dispenser for months, whereas I have to refill the flaked Oyster shell every couple weeks.

And if we think about it... No part of an Oysters shell should be rock-like. It's already a flaky substance from the animal adding layers of calcium as they grow.

Hmm, that's not true in my experience. Purina's is made of oyster shell. DuMor oyster shell ingredients are oyster shell and calcium carbonate. Those are the most popular brands I see at Tractor Supply. Maybe it's different where you live though.

 

[debid]

No bag of rocks I have ever looked at in the store has actually had Oyster Shell in it.
One big-brand label read like this...
Ingredients: Oyster Shell comprised of Coral Calcium and Limestone.

The companies wanted to keep that name recognition when real Oyster products became too expensive for them (due to construction industry using it for concrete).

My chickens FAR prefer actual bona fide Oyster Shell. The rocks would sit in the dispenser for months, whereas I have to refill the flaked Oyster shell every couple weeks.

And if we think about it... No part of an Oysters shell should be rock-like. It's already a flaky substance from the animal adding layers of calcium as they grow.

Chunks are from cleaned and sterilized, smashed shells. Flaking happens because they cook the shells to make them brittle first so the layers will separate rather than holding together when crushed. That added step increases cost of production and changes the texture of the finished product. It's still oyster shell when the label says oyster shell in the ingredients whether it is lumps or flakes. There are products that are limestone, coral, and other shells and the label discloses these as the composition. Simply seeing lumps doesn't equal "not from an oyster".

 

[SourRoses]

Chunks are from cleaned and sterilized, smashed shells. Flaking happens because they cook the shells to make them brittle first so the layers will separate rather than holding together when crushed. That added step increases cost of production and changes the texture of the finished product. It's still oyster shell when the label says oyster shell in the ingredients whether it is lumps or flakes. There are products that are limestone, coral, and other shells and the label discloses these as the composition. Simply seeing lumps doesn't equal "not from an oyster".

I don't believe that.


When you crush something comprised of layers (it is grown), the result is just a much smaller flake.

They have no reason to spend the electricity on turning it into powder, except to hide what's in it.

These companies are running a scam on every customer buying bags of limestone rocks falsely advertised as Oyster Shell. It ticks me off.

 

[debid]

I don't believe that.


When you crush something comprised of layers (it is grown), the result is just a much smaller flake.

They have no reason to spend the electricity on turning it into powder, except to hide what's in it.

These companies are running a scam on every customer buying bags of limestone rocks falsely advertised as Oyster Shell. It ticks me off.

That's just incorrect.

It's a simple enough thing to get an oyster shell and a hammer and see what happens when you beat the heck out of that shell.

I agree that Mile Four in particular has deceptive packaging. But, that doesn't mean they all do. The Nutrena product I bought was very clearly labeled and it is as advertised.

 

[SourRoses]

It's a simple enough thing to get an oyster shell and a hammer and see what happens when you beat the heck out of that shell.

You must not have run this experiment yourself. No one who had would describe it as "simple" to break down an Oyster Shell with a hammer. I've heard it's very hard work physically, and harder to keep the shells from bouncing all around on a hard surface (like concrete, in one account).

But feel free to run the experiment and show us photos of your methodology and the results. I'll definitely be interested!