Friday, July 5, 2013

Crush Eggshells for Your Chickens



Hi all! Some may be surprised at the idea of feeding crushed eggshells back to the chickens. But, this is neither a new nor a novel idea. Eggshells are full of calcium to keep them hard and protected. If a chicken does not acquire enough in its daily diet it will result in thin shelled eggs.

Thin shelled eggs are fixed by feeding crushed oyster shell or crushed eggshells to the hens. Below is a quick tutorial on serving up a bowl of crushed eggs to the backyard flock.

Crushed Eggshells
1. You will need eggshells, I like to collect at least 6 before I even bother. Store bought eggs are not generally advised, along with any other eggs from other chicken flocks. This is just an extra security measure to prevent the spread of diseases. Save those shells for your compost pile.

2. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (the microwave can alternatively be used for about 1-2 minutes) or until all remaining egg whites are dried out. Allow to cool completely.


3. Crush eggs with a mortar and pestle, food processor, blender, or (if you prefer simplicity like myself) use a heavy drinking glass. They do not have to be crushed to dust. You just want them to be in manageable pieces and to not look like eggs anymore. This will prevent the girls learning those eggs actually taste pretty good.

4. Serve to hens as you would oyster shell.

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