Comments on: Eggs Shells for Chickens: Oyster Shell Replacement

By: Fatima Holland

Fatima Holland — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 21:25:59 +0000

In reply to 1authorcygnetbrown. Actually I have had chickens for about 5 yrs now and I do give them crushed egg shells. Periodically I even give them scrabbled eggs . The only thing you shouldn’t do is give them raw eggs that’s when they may want to break their own eggs. But I have never had a problem with them doing that. I get lots of eggs from my flock over the past few years we have grown out feathered friends from 8 to 24 I love each and everyone of them .

By: Charlene Moreau

Charlene Moreau — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 21:48:35 +0000

I also just wash the eggs, let them dry in a paper bag until it’s full. Then crush up and feed the chickens. Works for me.

By: Rosalie

Rosalie — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 16:07:17 +0000

In reply to Patricia. Don’t forget that you want your hens to have the option of eating the shells. They should be served separately so the hens who don’t need the extra calcium don’t eat it.

By: Rosalie

Rosalie — Sun, 09 Dec 2018 16:04:25 +0000

In reply to 1authorcygnetbrown. I don’t bake mine either. I do wash them before letting the dry naturally. After a week or so, they are very brittle.

By: Lnz

Lnz — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 18:37:15 +0000

Well I did try this, it sounded like a great idea- unfortunately the remaining yolk in the shells burned within 10minutes, a *Terrible* stench throughout my house lasted for at least two days! 🙁 I’ll try again after first washing off the shells.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 01:46:31 +0000

I save the egg shells as well. I wanted to disguise them so the “girls” wouldn’t want to eat their eggs. I experimented one day with putting the shells in my coffee grinder. I get a fine podwer which is easy to add to their feed and it is unrecognizable. While I always wash them before putting them in a container to be ground, I will try your suggestion and bake them as well. Thanks for the tip.

By: 1authorcygnetbrown

1authorcygnetbrown — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 16:53:42 +0000

I never go to that much trouble. I usually just let the shells dry out naturally, then crunch them up a little and give them to the chickens. I never have had problems with chickens eating eggs.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 30 May 2014 04:19:19 +0000

In reply to liz.

If the shells are washed and/or baked then it isn’t supposed to be an issue at all. I’ve been doing it for two years and it’s been great. I think that people say not to let them eat them is because if they just eat the plane shells then they can get a taste for it and then they can start eating their own eggs once they’ve laid which you don’t want. I have ever heard of health factors, more that you don’t want them to start eating the eggs that you want to be eating 🙂 What kind of chickens do you have?! How old are they?? Are you enjoying them? So glad to connect Liz!

By: liz

liz — Thu, 29 May 2014 22:54:37 +0000

In reply to Melissa. What are your thoughts about feeding your chickens their own egg shells? We have 8-10 chickens so they are getting more of each others than their own but have heard it is not ideal to feed them their own shells. Thanks.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 02:55:50 +0000

In reply to Beth.

The egg shells are the only thing I give my ladies calcium and they eat it as needed… my best layer, also a barred rock, definitely notices when their are egg shells in their scraps (I feed them our kitchen scraps daily) and will pick them out first thing. I say it’s totally worth the try! You don’t have any cost in it and it’s just a bit of time. I sure hope they love it 🙂 Let me know how it goes! Melissa

PS Sometimes if the hens scratch around in their nesting boxes too much they move everything out of the way and then the egg hits the bottom of the wood box and gets a little crack in it. One of my hens in particular is tall (so her egg falls farther) and she is crazy about arranging the nest first. Could that be part of the problem?