Time to add Oyster Shell?

Apr 7, 2025
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My chickens are 16 weeks old now. I feed an all flock due to having roosters and turkeys. I haven’t gotten any eggs yet but should I start them on oyster shell now? Getting worried as my friend who got chicks out of the same batches already has eggs from her 16 &17 weeks olds but she feeds layer pellets.
 
You might want to look for flaked oyster shell. I had regular (chunks) oyster shell out from about 14 weeks on, and they never touched it. When the first one started laying at ~18-19 weeks, she had several no-shell eggs, and I started adding egg shells, which she ate.

I found flaked oyster shell, and they seem more interested in that, and the shells are great. Since I ferment their feed, I might crush some of the bigger oyster shell chunks and add it to the ferment.

- When pullets first start laying, it's not unusual to have some weird eggs, strange timing, etc., so this might not have been a calcium problem. But I'm happy that they're eating the flaked shells.
 

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