[Junie]

My chooks will not eat the Oyster shell pieces - does anyone have any tips.  I normally put them in with the pellets but they are always left!

[Aunt Sally]

Offer them in a seperate dish.  They will take them if they need them.

[Junie]

Thank you aunt Sally.  I used to do that but they did not seem to go near them - well only to step on then and tip the dish over , perhaps they didn't need them then, but I do have one laying soft eggs at the moment, so was a little concerned.
I will put a pot out tomorrow and see if things improve.
I was worried that they were outwitting me!!!

[Geo]

mine will not eat the oyster shells when they are put in a dish.
I put a row of them inside the run and they eat them when they need them.

[Lindeggs]

Junie, I assume these are commercially-available crushed shells? 

Just checking because I have been crushing my own shells (well shellfish shells anyway) and end up with a variety of sizes.  I will have to watch and make sure I re-crush any bigger bits when the little bits start to run low.

[mgf]

Scatter some in in the run. In the bowl mix with any treats that stick to the shell.

[PaulineM]

I mix some in with their layers mash in the mornings as I have one girl who never eats it and does have problems with very thin shelled eggs, it has helped her a lot from I started including it in their mash.
The other girls take it from the pot.

[Junie]

I mix some in with their layers mash in the mornings as I have one girl who never eats it and does have problems with very thin shelled eggs, it has helped her a lot from I started including it in their mash.
The other girls take it from the pot.

thanks Pauline - but what is layers mash?

[Lindeggs]

You can buy commercially prepared food as either pellets or a mash.  The ingredients are generally the same but mash is like ground up pellets.

[joyfull]

most people though use pellets as they are less messy 

[Junie]

Thank you - I have never seen mash - my agri store only does 2 different pellets - one for layers one for meat birds.  Not overrun with choice here!

[Casey76]

Junie, it will be called "farine" (opposed to "granulé) - "mash" is for horses

[PaulineM]

Hi
I just soak some layer pellets with warm water and add the oyster shell to it 

[wildwitchy]

you can give them limestone in their food.

[hillfooter]

If you are going to supplement calcium, and if you feed a modern compound feed pullets (1st year hens) shouldn't need to be supplemented, then use crushed oyster shell ad lib not added to their feed in preference to limestone flour.  It's a well established fact from researchers that young commercial layers require 3.5% calcium in their feed (we're talking about 90% laying efficient birds, pure breeds and less productive birds need less).  Compound feed contains 4% calcium in the form of limestone flour and oyster shell (usually 1% oystershell and 3% limestone).  Older commercial birds usually refered to as 2nd and 3rd phase (38 to 80 wks) may benefit from a higher proportion (25%) of their calcium as coarser oystershell.  The reason being they don't absorb calcium as well as young birds and it's thought that oystershell with a larger particle size remains in their gizzards and is used as a grinding agent for their feed so providing a slower release of calcium particularly for early morning layers.  Even so as I said compound feed contains 4% calcium which is well in excess of even high yeild layers in normal health needs under any management system, including free range, if not heavily fed on scratch feeds.

This is what BOCM Paul (one of the leading UK feed producers) say about Farmgate compound layers feed

"A highly palatable feed specially formulated to meet the need for a general, all-purpose diet which can be fed to flocks of mixed ages under any management system.

Feeding Guide
Offer on an ad-lib basis from point of lay.  Farmgate Layers feeds do not require any additional limestone or oyster shell grit.  The diet is fully balanced for optimum egg production, consistent shell quality, good yolk colour and excellent egg size."

All other manufacturers I've reviewed say something similar or describe their feed as a complete feed for any management system meaning for normal healthy birds there's they are formulated to provide all their nutritional needs.

Hence if you supplement do so on an ad libitum basis and don't force feed unless there's some medical issue and then you should also consider Vit D3 deficiency and phospherous deficiency not just calcium.  Increasing Ca without balancing these others won't guarentee greater absorption.

I make oystershell available to my birds from 40 weeks or so but this timing is not critical.

Increasing calcium intake unnecessarily has no benefit and potentially can cause kidney problems as well as problems with other vital organs.  see http://www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca/diseasefacts/calciumandvitaminD3problemsinlayingbirds.pdf
HF