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Do you fed oyster shells, or lime?

I always fed oyster shells to mine, but not saying that was the best. Just what I fed them.

^ ^ samey- same here ^ ^

Not sure nowadays, but a big bag of shell
was very cheap at the feed store and would
last forever plus 2 days

Growing up, my mother always fed back the used egg shells.

My wife yells at me when I throw the shells in the trash.


Gotta go to the chickens doncha know.

My grandfather had a huge flock of chickens. He sold eggs to a number of regular customers, and always fed oyster shells. I have chickens, and had a feeder in which I kept oyster shells for them, but they never touched them. So, I quit feeding them and have not seen any difference whatsoever. I do feed a layer pellets from the local feed mill, so maybe they have an additive in them that supplies the hens with the needed minerals.

Heard once that feeding shells back to the hens would encourage them to eat their own, or neighbors, eggs. Never really noticed this to be an issue, very small sample base.

My mother always baked the shells in our over before feeding to the hens. Said it would prevent them from eating eggs.

Same.

Dried and crushed with no residual egg left on the shell.

Back when I was a kid on the farm, we always fed them oyster shells, in a separate feeder.

I would fuss it more if I was getting some pretty thin shelled eggs. I don't remember using oystershell and we had lots of chickens when I was a kid (a.k.a. free labour). We did make sure they had some grit (gravel/sand) though in their run (s).

They need both grit to grind food, and calcium for the egg shells.

yes , have always been told that's what to feed for eggs we're being laid with thin shells

The problem with Oyster Shells to be aware of is the the shell of the egg becomes very hard to crack. The problem arises if you are planning on setting any of your hens it hatching the eggs in an incubator. The Oyster shell eggs are too dang hard for the baby chicks to break their way out. I learned this the hard way when I lost 48 out of 50 due to fatigue from not being able to break out.

Layer pellets should have plenty of calcium add to produce a hard enough shell too survive laying.

Also, I have never had any issues arise from feeding the egg shells back to the chickens. I don't prepare them any special way. Just collect them as I use the eggs and chunk a few in the chicken pen a couple times a week or so.

The difference between "pellets" and "layer pellets" is calcium content. Laying mash/pellets has a higher calcium content.
I always feed pellets. I think chickens waste way too much feed in mash form.
I don't buy "sacks" of oyster shell. TSC offers much smaller quantities.
I free feed my chickens from a hanging feeder inside the chicken house. When I fill up the feeder, I'll toss in a handful of oyster shell.
I don't refill the feeder until it's empty and I don't add oyster shell until it's all gone.
They get "some" oyster shell and I don't waste a bunch of oyster shell.

We don’t feed them either one. They eat pellets and scraps.

Same.

They'll eat dead coons.

Neither.

A chicken is like a hog, they'll eat anything.