Info on Oyster shell please

Hi all,

A bit of advice please, as I am a newbie, I am learning all the time and brought myself a book on chicken keeping before we got our girls last year - now this book said that it is best not to give Oyster shell as a supliment to chickens diets as it can cause chickens to become egg bound! now reading on this forum on several occaisions many of you say it is a must!?? my girls are laying 2 eggs a day at the moment they are about 32 weeks old now the eggs have good hard shells and the chooks seem very healthy, I do bake the shells of the eggs I have used in the oven and crush them for the girls and they do take these ......

So am I doing right or wrong they have grit at all times and their layers pellets then in the afternoon they have a big bowl of boiled veg trimmings (some fruit/brown bread) and a hand full of mixed corn before bed.

all the best and thanx Trina

Helps their bones as well as producing the egg shell

The way I see it is ...
If the birds don't get extra calcium all they get out of their food goes towards the egg, they'll then get weak brittle bones.
This can also work in reverse and the calcium goes to their bones and then you get the soft shelled eggs .

Always give mine oyster shell

Sarah

One of the greatest causes of egg binding and prolapse is feeding birds too many treats and making them fat.

Allan

Well said Allan. 

There is no definite answer to this question. Most keepers I know, and that is an awful lot, give them mixed grit ad lib. If birds free range they will find a lot of this for themselves as they pick and peck around their range.

Allan

Layers pellets/mash is formulated to contain everything a laying hen needs for good health and contains sufficient calcium for strong shell and bones...    ... but only if that is ALL they eat.  If they free range and have veg, treats and mixed corn then they will  probably not be getting enough calcium. 

Calcium is absorbed from the diet and passes into the bones, it is then extracted from the bones to make egg shell. So all the calcium for egg shells comes from the bones. 

If your girls lay soft shelled or thin shelled eggs then that means they will NOT have enough calcium in their bones and it can even mean they do not have enough circulating calcium for good muscle contraction which can cause lameness and egg binding.

So as my girls free range a lot of the time and have a few treats and mixed corn in the late afternoon there is always a dish of mixed grit and oyster shell on offer and it's quite amazing how much they get through.

Hi Sparrowman.

The oyster shell is to give them extra calcium which is split between making eggshells and strengthening bones. If they don't get enough calcium coming in, the shells take priority and the bones are depleted of calcium, causing osteoporosis.
If you offer the oystershell, they can take it as and when they need it without overdosing.

For breaking down the corn and greens, they need grit to act as 'teeth'. Without this, the food can clog up the crop and cause infections, etc.

So you need to give grit at all times and the oyster shell will help them to keep topped up with calcium.
Oyster grit is a combination of grit and shell for them to peck at. 

Rob

My local pet shop has just started stocking chicken stuff, becuase of the growing popularity. She's realy big on birds more than anything else in there anyway so it's only fitting. I've picked up some OYSTER GRIT, and will add a small hand full each week to there feeder just like just like rich
I'm starting to get my head around things with most things having similar names and looking the same as the next stuff. but i hav ebrought up 2 kids so these chickens should be a breeze in the long run ...well we'll see eh?