[cammi]

When setting up for my chickens i bought shell and grit mix, but my girls eat more shell than grit, so i save and cook their shells and crush those up, but also going to by a bag of shell as back up.

Anyway this morning i have been day dreaming about summer holidays and my boys playing on the beach and i thought shells!!  Can you use any shells for calcium?  Just thought it would be great fun for the boys (something to keep them quiet  ) for them to collect shells  for the girls.  When we got home i'd rinse them and cook them like egg shells to kill bugs then we could have fun smashing them up!!

What do you guys think??

[joyfull]

not sure how soluble the other shells are 

[cammi]

thats what i wondered, why its always called 'oystershell'  although went you actually look there are different shells mixed in

[avilla]

I was going to ask a similar question? can you use cuttle fish crushed up as we are surrounded by beaches here on the island and it would seem a shame not be able to use the many that are collected by the kids on our sunday morning walks!!!

[8doubles]

I have given the hens powdered cuttle bone and home crushed oystershell (lump hammer) but i was given a large bag of broken oystershell and have gone back to using the whole shells as drainage in pots. The tub of cuttle dust gets sprinkled around the brassicas.

[Aunt Sally]

Please don't use cuttle fish bone that you find on the beach.  It contains a lot of salt.  The stuff you buy in pet shops has been treated to remove the salt.

[avilla]

Please don't use cuttle fish bone that you find on the beach.  It contains a lot of salt.  The stuff you buy in pet shops has been treated to remove the salt.

Ok cheers