An eggshell is the hard, outer covering of an egg. It consists mostly of calcium carbonate, a common form of calcium for chickens. The rest is made up of protein and other minerals. Calcium is an essential mineral that is abundant in many chicken feeds.
In the past decades, some farmer believe that eggshell home made powder or processed from hen eggs can used as a natural calcium supplement for chickens. In general notion, eggshells are roughly 40% calcium, with each gram providing 381–401 mg .
Eggshells consist of calcium carbonate, along with small amounts of protein and other organic compounds that can add lots of positive source to chickens diet. Calcium carbonate is the most common form of calcium in nature, making up seashells, coral reefs and limestone. It is also the cheapest and most widely available form of calcium in supplements.
Studies in chicken confirm that eggshells are a rich calcium source. Moreover, they are absorbed as effectively as pure calcium carbonate that can boost the volume of calcium in chickens.
The big questions we intend to answer are: What is the benefit of feeding egg shells to chickens? Is feeding egg shells to chickens safe? How often should you feed chickens egg shells and why you shouldn’t feed them egg shells?
When eggshell prepared and feed correctly, the powder is considered safe for Chickens . There are just a few things you need to keep in mind. Eggshells are not only one of the cheapest sources of calcium for chickens they also appear to be among the most effective.
If you have a hard time meeting your chickens calcium requirements, homemade eggshell powder is an effective and inexpensive alternative to commercial chicken supplements. Although every chickens feed has the required calcium. Adding egg shells will only supplement the calcium. This is why chickens will peck at the shells when they want to and get calcium in their diet. Here’s benefit of feeding egg shells to chickens;
Benefit of Feeding Egg Shells to Chickens
Source of calcium supplement for chickens
Hens begin laying eggs at around six months of age and can continue for five to 10 years with peak production occurring in the first two years. They will lay roughly six eggs each week.
Egg production drops each year when the hens molt (replace their feathers in the early fall) and as daylight hours are lost. This reason explains that chickens need high volume of calcium especially the ones that lays eggs.
Source of calcium supplement and bone health for chickens is the primary, if not the main benefit of feeding egg shells to chickens. It is a widely known fact that calcium builds another egg shells and keeps chicken bones safe.
So, eggshells in powder form could be consumed as an effective calcium supplement for various bread of chickens. Additionally, the shells are also great sources of magnesium, fluoride and other minerals. Some poultry keepers feed their chickens crushed egg shells.
Chickens need plenty of calcium to produce eggs. And egg shells are rich in calcium. So it makes sense that people would feed egg shells back to their chickens.
Another benefit is feeding egg shells to chickens prevents the shells from going to waste and provides extra source of calcium for your chickens.
Laying eggs chickens need extra calcium for egg shell development. Birds with a calcium deficiency will often lay broken eggs or thin soft shelled eggs. Laying eggs chickens that aren’t getting enough calcium draw calcium out of their bones to produce egg shells, which causes skeletal issues including lameness that may negatively impact on the chicken health.
Why Egg Shells Not Good for Chickens?
Egg shells can be good for chickens. But they aren’t good for for young or baby chickens. Chicks are baby chickens! Baby chickens are called chicks.
Feeding egg shells is not good for chicks or baby chickens that haven’t started laying eggs. This is because chickens that aren’t laying eggs don’t need as much calcium. The baby chickens already get more than enough calcium from their feed. Adding egg shells is an extra calcium that their body will have to work harder to process this calcium.
Egg shells powdered can be fed to laying chickens as a source of extra calcium. But they shouldn’t be the only source of calcium. Chickens always need access to shell grit, even if you are giving them grounded egg shells as well.
Eggshells may be contaminated with bacteria, such as Salmonella enteritidis. To avoid the risk of feed poisoning. Natural calcium supplements may contain relatively high amounts of toxic element. The amounts of these toxic elements in eggshells tend to be lower than in other natural calcium sources.
