I’m veering away from recipes for today and I’ll give you a lovely tip for feeding your chickens. Seeing as how they feed you, it’s only fair that you feed them.
1. Save your egg shells, placing them in an old cake pan as they accumulate. Each time you bake something, throw the pan in the still-hot, turned-off oven so the shells dry.
2. Mash the dried shells with a potato masher until they are less than 1/2 an inch.
3. Run your fingers through the pieces and enjoy the free calcium your biddies will devour.
4. When you have a few cups of them, march on out to the chicken house and dump them in the feeder. Proceed to watch your chickens go crazy.
I’m curious to know: I have 2 dozen chickens. I use probably half of the eggs they give and I feed them all of those shells. Is that enough calcium for them or should I still be purchasing oyster shells? If not oyster shells, is there any other free/cheap form of calcium I could give them?
I’d love to know the answer to this myself, I’m always afraid to give the shells to ours, cause some of them peck at the eggs now as it is…hate to chance giving them the shell and having them learn to really love eating eggs.
I haven’t had a problem with the chickens eating the eggs but I have worried about it. We’ll see!
I will have to tell Mom about it
Gavin
Thanks bud!
not sure either.
I think there is enough in their feed without the addition of shells?
At least I think there is in the stuff I get at White Oak.
I never give my chickens the shells because I let them out a lot and they go raid the compost pile for the shells and if I go to the bother of keeping the shells separate, I would prefer to put them around the apple trees (to help alleviate a certain apple problem that I can’t think of the name off the top of my head.)
Hmm, I might have to take up the habit of feeding my apple trees the shells. Only problem is, the trees are right outside the chicken house door and I’m pretty sure the chickens would eat them all up anyway!
Awesome tip Zoe!!! I am going to try that! We get so many eggs from our chickens and I hate throwing the shells away… it feels like a waste!!!
Hey Ellie! I didn’t know you have chickens! Isn’t it so fun?!
Yes it is! Its so nice not to have to buy eggs!!!! We only have a small flock of nine red hens, one red rooster and then a pair of funny fluffy chicken and rooster… not sure what breed but their really funny looking! We have a little bit of everything around here!!! The beauty of farm life!!!!
I am slightly afraid of chickens. Is this strange? Maybe I’ll grow out of it. They just seem very unpredictable and I don’t want them pecking at me or flapping their wings in my face. We’ll see, maybe I’ll get over it and have a few some day. Otherwise, I’ll just stick to my goats, a pot bellied pig, and dogs and cats.
Not TOO strange, just a little 🙂
I’m so jealous i wish I had chickens! http://littlehealthjunkie.wordpress.com
I used to give egg shells to my birds (cockatiels, lovebirds, and parakeets) but had to stop because one of them realized that she could eat the egg she just laid. It was not very fun trying to get them to stop. 😦 I hope yours don’t eat the eggs. 🙂
Hey Jen! So far, I haven’t had much of a problem! Every now and then there is a busted egg but I always assume it’s because there are so many eggs in the nest or that the chickens scratch all the hay away so the egg lands on a hard surface. I’ll have to keep an eye on them 🙂
Jason says they should be getting 4% calcium. Egg shells are about 40% calcium. If there would be no other sources of calcium in the feed, egg shells could make up 10% of the diet. If you’re using bought LAYER mash, most likely there is 4% calcium in that.
If you give the shells apart from the regular feed, then they can have free choice. If they eat too many they will fill up on shells and eat less feed possibly lowering production. If you don’t like less eggs, then lower the amount of shells they get.
If the chickens are getting too much calcium, the eggs can get pimply. Watch for that. The calcium/phosphorous balance is important.
Thanks Amber! I have noticed a couple of pimply eggs here and there. Maybe I should just spread my shells around the apple trees!
Interesting discussion. How would you describe a pimply egg shell? I don’t bother with the drying process, I just crush them up before I throw them into the chickens. I also have the occasional crushed egg, but it’s not consistent enough to blame a chicken for doing it on purpose.
Crystal…I’d say a pimply egg is when it has little raised bumps all over it. I actually just got one this morning! I doubt it affects the quality of the nutrition but I’m assuming that for commercial sale, the eggs aren’t to have bumps.
I dry my shells because it bugs me that they all stick together when you smash them wet! I know, I’m strange. And maybe I have too much time on my hands… 🙂