![]() Whether you’re providing supplemental calcium via eggshells, oyster shells, or both, there are a few important health considerations you need to know about!įirst things first. ![]() Even when we aren’t “short”, we add a little oyster shell with their eggshells on occasion, simply to keep them accustomed to eating them.įlaked oyster shells. ![]() Thankfully, we recently found a thinner, flakier, tastier oyster shell than those old “oyster rocks” that our girls disliked so much in the past – one that they will actually eat! Now, we mix these oyster shells with their eggshells to bolster our supply when needed. Egg-laying chickens cannot go more than a few days without that additional calcium source, so you will need to supplement! (Unless you ask your friends to keep the shells and return them to you, which we have totally done.) In that case, you probably will not have enough spare shells left to supply your flock enough calcium. Say you’re selling eggs, or regularly giving away dozens to friends. One such instance when having oyster shells on hand may be necessary is when you’re running short on eggshells. It sounds like a no-brainer, right? However, there is definitely a time and place where using oyster shells instead can come in handy. Here is the deal: Eggshells are free! Why not make good use of a “waste” product, and not need to spend any money doing so? They seem to be what many chickens prefer to eat anyway. To choose oyster shells or egg shells as a calcium supplement is a personal decision – but one that your chickens may help decide for you! On the other hand, they absolutely love to gobble down crushed eggshells! I have heard similar stories from many chicken-lady (or man) friends. Apparently, the large hard rocks of oyster shells for calcium were completely unappetizing to them. When we first starting raising chickens, we bought a bag of oyster shells for our girls. We like to mostly offer our girls eggshells – and that is what they happen to prefer as well! I’ll explain why as we go.Ĭrushed or flaked oyster shells are also available to buy, specifically for this purpose. Furthermore, chickens are known to eat their own eggs and shells out in nature too. It’s actually very common for chicken keepers to feed crushed eggshells back to their chickens. I can feed my chickens eggshells? Isn’t that like, cannibalism or something? No! It certainly is not. Should I offer chickens crushed eggshells or oyster shells? ![]() Let’s discuss those options, along with some best practices and things to avoid. Two popular choices are to feed chickens eggshells and/or oyster shells. There are a couple of ways you can provide calcium to your laying chickens to keep them as healthy as possible. Those scary scenarios deserve a post of their own (which I plan to write soon!) but for now, let’s focus on proactive prevention. Without a way to replenish the calcium used, serious and even life-threatening conditions may result! For example, if a hen is not provided adequate free-choice calcium in her diet, and thus cannot properly form eggshells, she may lay soft-shell eggs, become dangerously egg-bound, or even have an egg break inside of her. The biological process of forming and laying an egg slightly depletes the hen of her calcium reserves. Did you know that eggshells are made up of almost pure calcium? Yup, they sure are – nearly 100% calcium carbonate crystals! I find it more interactive and fun to be able to take the Duck in and out of its shell! But if you want to hang the duck up somewhere, it would be good to sew the bottom egg shell on.Oh, to be a laying hen and regularly produce eggs… It is a natural but somewhat tedious affair! Some chickens lay eggs daily, some once per week or less, and some in between. It is optional whether you want to sew the Duck into the bottom part of the Egg. I don’t sew the points down and sew around the circle only.Ģ. Feet should be aligned vertically with the eyes. Placement: 7 rows down, top of wing should be aligned with bottom part of bill.Ĥ. They should both be slightly to the outside of the bill.ģ. Placement: Eyes should be 1 row above the bill and with 6 sts spaced in between the eyes. Cut 2 small black circles from felt and sew to Face or glue on with Fabritac. Round 1: Ch 8, sc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 3 ch, sc in next 2 ch, (on other side of ch) sc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 3 ch, sc in next 2 ch, sl st in next st – 14 st.ġ. Note: This helps the duck to be more stable in standing.įasten off, leaving a long tail. Round 15: In back loop only, around – 12 sc. Red Heart Super Saver (acrylic, worsted weight): This means I may receive a small commission if you decide to purchase anything by clicking on one of these links. *Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
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