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Still not buying the crushed oyster shell craze for my flock | Backyard Chicken Keepers - Librear

Still not buying the crushed oyster shell craze for my flock

I read a study from the University of Georgia extension office last month that said too much calcium can actually mess up a hen's egg production if they're not laying yet. Everyone on here pushes oyster shell like it's magic, but my five hens are doing fine on layer feed alone and their shells are solid. I checked with my local feed store owner and he agreed most backyard flocks don't need the extra supplement unless you see thin shells. Has anyone else noticed more eggs breaking after adding oyster shell?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordan4642mo ago

Wait, has anyone actually had eggs start cracking more after they started giving oyster shell? That's wild because I always thought it was supposed to make them stronger. I'm with you though, my girls get good layer feed and their shells are totally fine, I've never bothered with the extra calcium. Feels like people just parrot whatever the big feed companies or chicken influencers say without actually checking if it's needed. Honestly I think a lot of backyard flocks end up getting too much calcium and it causes more problems than it solves.

lilyfisher2mo ago

Right? That part about more eggs cracking after adding oyster shell is exactly what happened to me. I had a couple of older hens and thought I was doing them a favor by tossing in some crushed shell. Then suddenly I was finding cracked eggs every other day and the shells felt weirdly crumbly instead of hard. My feed guy told me the same thing, layer feed already has all the calcium they need for normal laying. It's like people just hear "calcium good" and dump it in without thinking about the balance. I pulled the oyster shell out completely and the cracking stopped within a week. These chicken influencer accounts are always pushing supplements but half the time it's just to sell something you don't actually need.