Eglu Cube Coop For Sale

[Grandmashazzie]

I have one girlie laying soft shelled egg which gets trampled on in the stampede to get out,she is laying it just at entrance to coop.They have access to grit and are on layers pellets and have porridge made with milk in pm.Today I Have washed and baked five eggshells.I have ground them with pestle and have put them in porridge.Question is this too many?Second question now I have done it it seems a waste to throw eggshells away as they must contain lots of minerals etc would it be harmful to grind the shells and give them back to the chickens everyday?Would it be harmful to their kidneys maybe too much calcium?

[good_egg]

Have never done this but did try eggshell improver. Think too much calcium is bad, but not sure what is too much. What worked for us was cod liver oil as she wasn't absorbing calcium - lack of daylight! Horse/cheap stuff not human. Good luck.

[Redwing]

Calcium in excess is damaging but doing what you do a couple of times a week will do no harm

 

the problem with calcium is that no matter how much you feed it will do no good if the hen cant absorb it. they need vitamin D to absorb calcium. Cod liver oil added to the pellets (just enough to make them slightly shine) would be my first port of call before adding more calcium

[Lewis]

Redwing is right - to use the Calcium they also need Phosphorous

 

Maybe consider a supplement such as Egg Shell Improver which contains both

[Blackrocksrock]

I leave my shells to dry and then put them through the food processor - the hens have shell in one pot and grit in another and they do eat this but when they want it not in food.