uptick in calcium intake?

[duckinnut]

I have had oyster shell available for the girls for a year and they have hardly touched it but the past month they are really chowing it down and don't know why. Still feeding them Layena like always,even when I was feeding flock raiser during the summer due to mixed age flock the ten older girls barely touched it. Just can't see the reason for the uptick. All the older girls have gone through molt and all but one has resumed laying but she is getting close.

Anybody else seeing this in their girls?

 

[CluckyJay]

Yup, mine start eating more when they are about to start laying again.

 

[EmpressNoId]

I bought my girls 5 lbs of oyster shell calcium because I had a couple layers of weak shells. Ten SLW's went through 5 lb bag in 3 days! I thought that was an awful lot. They get layer pellets and I have a scratch block for them as well. They are pullets, just started laying in November. The guy at the feed store told me I should mix it in with their scratch or with their pellets...1 lb calcium to 10 lbs of feed. He was of the opinion they didn't need that much and were probably wasting it. I haven't seen much waste though.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If they are eating it, then they need it.

Don't mix it with their feed. Put it out in a separate dish.

My ducks and geese start scarfing down the oyster shell like candy right at the beginning of laying season. Hey, they are welcome to all they want. It's cheap and they need calcium not only for shells but for the muscle strength to push those eggs out. Don't short them on their calcium.

 

[duckinnut]

I got in a separate dish,that's how I know they are scarfing it down. Just weird it started all of sudden when its been readily available for over a year. Not sure who is eating it as I have 10 hens at 22months and 6 pullets at 9 months. Have been getting anywhere from 6 to 13 eggs a day since the younger ones started laying and the seniors went through molt. Maybe the older girls need extra now seeing that they are laying ginormous eggs.