Starting to Compost

[Percheron chick]

Egg shells don't require any special handling. Throw them in the bucket next to the sink and when you go down to feed the chickens, just dump it in the run. It won't cause egg eaters.

 

[gtaus]

@gtaus
Do you crush and feed uncooked shells? I've been very cautious and only feed shells from hard boiled eggs. I depend on layer feed for the rest of their calcium, but have been thinking of switching to flock feed, so will need more calcium. Would I need to bake shells from uncooked eggs to insure they are safe or can they eat crushed uncooked shells safely (even with minor dirt occasionally)?

I don't bake any of my egg shells. I just let them dry out. Honestly, I have never given it much thought, but if there is a concern, maybe someone else could educated us both.

I got over worrying about having dirt on my chicken food a long time ago. I mean, chickens are constantly eating stuff in and on the ground. They even eat rocks (grit). I just throw most everything out into the chicken run right on top of ground (compost in my run), and let the chickens eat what they want and leave the rest to compost in place.

My commercial feed is in a 5 gallon PVC bucket feeder suspended off the floor. But all my kitchen scraps, chicken scratch, and all the organics I collect just get thrown on the ground in the run.

 

[gtaus]

This is what I do to the egg shells I feed back to my chickens. I wash out the remaining egg white and set the shell aside to dry. When I get tired of the pile of shells, I put them in a mixing bowl and crush them with the bottom of a glass.

Whatever works for a person is good for me. I just throw my egg shells into an empty bread loaf plastic wrapper to let them dry out. Every once in a while, I'll crush the egg shells in the bread bad. I just put the bag of egg shells on the counter and smash it with my hands. The shells crush easily into tiny bits.

I used to crush my egg shells in a bowl with a meat tenderizer (food hammer), but reusing the bread bag and just crushing the shells in the bag means I don't have to wash anything after crushing the egg shells. If the bag gets some small rips or tears, I just throw it away at that point. At least I got one more use out of the plastic bag.

Egg shells don't require any special handling. Throw them in the bucket next to the sink and when you go down to feed the chickens, just dump it in the run.

So, you don't crush your egg shells at all? I know some people throw eggs shells into the run and then walk on them to crush the shells. But, it sounds like you don't do that either. Do the chickens eat large bits of the egg shells, like half egg shells from cooking eggs for breakfast?

Also, I thought the egg shells should be crushed into smaller bits so the chickens would not think that they were eating whole eggs in the nest boxes. Maybe it makes no difference?

 

[Percheron chick]

I will step on them when I dump the bucket (it's oddly satisfying) but don't go out of my way with anything compost.

 

[NatJ]

Do the chickens eat large bits of the egg shells, like half egg shells from cooking eggs for breakfast?

Also, I thought the egg shells should be crushed into smaller bits so the chickens would not think that they were eating whole eggs in the nest boxes. Maybe it makes no difference?

I have seen chickens break off pieces from half egg shells. They grab the edge and break it. That is different than pecking at a whole, round egg.

I typically do break up eggshells for the chickens, but I don't worry too much about doing a good job, and I definitely do not bother washing, drying, or cooking them. The shells just go in a bowl with any other kitchen scraps, might get a squish from my hand or a fork, and might get stepped on if I notice they look like eggs when I dump them out.

 

[samanthaoverton]

I grind them in a coffee grinder when I feed them to chickens..and recently started mixing water and making a thick paste. I used to grind the shells to a powder and put them in their water but then I got a roo.. so I have to lay out the shells and babysit since my idiot roo wants to eat them too..very annoying.

I take my egg shells, smash them inside a bread bag, and feed them to the chickens. The egg shell calcium is good for the hens, and they will process the egg shells and poo them out. Then, just compost the chicken poo in your tumbler. That's about the fastest way to compost egg shells.

There are many ways to feed crushed egg shells to your chickens. Sometimes I just dump some crushed egg shells in my kitchen chicken food scraps bucket and dump it out into the run. Sometimes I will take some crushed egg shells and throw them in my PVC calcium feeder. Some people just take out the egg shells, throw them on the ground in the run, and walk over them to crush the shells. What the chickens don't eat will later get composted in whatever method you have set up.

 

[NatJ]

then I got a roo.. so I have to lay out the shells and babysit since my idiot roo wants to eat them too..very annoying.

He is probably curious. I would just let him eat them if he wants too.

Being forced to eat too much calcium every day (when it is in the feed) is bad for roosters if it goes on for months, but just eating "too much" once or a few times will not cause trouble. Chickens in general are good at self-regulating calcium when it is available free choice.

 

[samanthaoverton]

He is probably curious. I would just let him eat them if he wants too.

Being forced to eat too much calcium every day (when it is in the feed) is bad for roosters if it goes on for months, but just eating "too much" once or a few times will not cause trouble. Chickens in general are good at self-regulating calcium when it is available free choice.

Thanks for that..I worry about him..I have to babysit my girls when they eat oyster shell or eggshells and shoo him off. Good roosters are so hard to find in my experience..I had bad opinions of them till my guy..he is sweet..

 

[TooCheep]

Try giving him a week free-feeding on the calcium. I'd bet he will decide it isn't as interesting after a while.

 

[NatJ]

Thanks for that..I worry about him..I have to babysit my girls when they eat oyster shell or eggshells and shoo him off. Good roosters are so hard to find in my experience..I had bad opinions of them till my guy..he is sweet..

If you leave the calcium available all the time, your rooster might eat too much (but he probably will not.)

But if you provide calcium only when you are there to watch, ALL of your hens might get too little, since they may need it at different times of the day.

I would put out the calcium free-choice, and leave it that way.