Will no oyster shell for a days hurt my girls?

[Leihamarie]

Hi all!

Quick question... 2 of my 4 pullets started laying yesterday. I knew it would be happening soon so I ordered some crushed oyster shell from S&P and it's still on it's way. My question is: is it okay to wait a few days for the oyster shell or should I run out and get some from the feed store right now? I did order quite a lot so if unnecessary I'd like to wait to get the package but not to the detriment of my new layers.

It's a mixed flock, so they're all on grower feed still and I've put out a bunch of calxium rich foods like fresh spinach, whole sardines and encore poultry grit with calcium in it thay I happened to have lying around.

So far my EE has laid 2 beautiful blue eggs and my BR has laid 1. The shels are thick and hard and ideal. I'd like to keep it that way, lol!

What's been your experience?

 

[ChickenGrass]

Hi there.
As you know oyster shell help with calcium in
The shells of the egg.
The layer pellets have a certain amount of calcium so they should be fine.
I don't feed my breeding hens oyster shells very often.
I usually only give it to them once a week just to be sure they have enough calcium.
It will do the hens you have no harm if they have no oyster shells.
Goodluck
Fionn.

 

[Leihamarie]

They aren't on layer feed because it's a mixed flock.

 

[ChickenGrass]

Oh,
They should still be ok on growers feed for a few days.
Goodluck
Fionn.

 

[aart]

They should be fine...you could always give them some crushed chicken eggs shells too, I add it regularly to the oyster shell.

Is this the "encore poultry grit with calcium" product you are using?
http://www.fmbrown.com/products/encorer-natural-poultry-grit-plus.html
It has oyster shell in it.

 

[donrae]

they'll be fine. Young pullets have a good store of calcium to start with.

A few years ago I spent a good amount of time in the hospital--weeks at a time. My guys took care of the birds as far as feed and water, but no oyster shell. Once for 4 months. The hens actually did just fine on the grower. A few thin shelled eggs here and there, but nothing scary, and no reproductive issues with the hens. Not that I'd try that on purpose........

 

[Leihamarie]

Thank you all for the reassurance. I ended up crushing their shells after baking them for a bit to dry them. They ate them up like the greedy little chicken-piggies they are, lol! The non layers wanted in on the shells too but didn't get many since the layers are higher in the pecking order and didn't want to share, hahaha.

@aart- yes, that's the grit I had laying around. I left some out but they don't seem interested. They get a lot of stones out in the yard when they're foraging.

 

[Teila]

Howdy Leihamarie

I agree with the posts to date, they should be fine until the oyster shell arrives.

You may find that when it arrives, they still do not peck at it.

I leave the oyster shell in a separate container in the coop and the girls will only peck at it if they need it.