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agracie

(950 posts)
Thu Mar 28, 2013, 12:26 PM Mar 2013

Eggshells are for the birds... and that's no yolk ! Put those Easter eggshells to good use !

Eggshells provide a great source of calcium for your backyard birds. The birds need calcium, and it is hard for them to find.

Rinse the shells, then let them dry overnight. Wrap them in a paper towel, then crush into tiny bits. Add to feeder or scatter on the ground.

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Eggshells are for the birds... and that's no yolk ! Put those Easter eggshells to good use ! (Original Post) agracie Mar 2013 OP
Doi not know that. Will do. OffWithTheirHeads Mar 2013 #1
Most birds will disolve calcium from their own bodies to reroute it to the shells they produce. talkingmime Mar 2013 #2
Do hens eat the eggshells after their chicks hatch? Duer 157099 Mar 2013 #3
It depends. UncleYoder Mar 2013 #4
Farm supply stores sell bags of crushed oyster shells to feed to chickens. nt agracie Mar 2013 #5
 

talkingmime

(2,173 posts)
2. Most birds will disolve calcium from their own bodies to reroute it to the shells they produce.
Thu Mar 28, 2013, 12:49 PM
Mar 2013

It makes sense for the purposes of survival of the species, but it is pretty rough on the hens.

 

UncleYoder

(233 posts)
4. It depends.
Thu Mar 28, 2013, 01:33 PM
Mar 2013

Wild birds or truly free range chickens/turkeys will not. That nest and it smelly broken eggs is a lunch horn for all predators. Momma will take the babies away from it as soon as possible. In a pen, with limited access to the outside, they will eat the shells eventually.

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