Stop Chickens Eating Their Eggs with Oyster Shells

If you have a farm, chances are you keep chickens. I think that keeping chickens is a most excellent idea—you constantly have eggs to use for baking and whatnot, and you also have chickens to eat if ever you need one. (That latter reason was a bit morbid, but you have to admit it has some truth to it!) Regardless of what kinds of animals you own, if you own any animals, you're bound to have some problems with them at one time or another. One of the problems you could encounter with chickens is the possibility of them eating their own eggs. Here's how you can use oyster shells to stop your chickens from eating their eggs.

One of the first things you need to do is to understand the potential reasons behind chickens eating their eggs. One reason why your chickens may be eating their own eggs is a mineral deficiency. If your chickens aren't getting the right nutrients they need in the right amounts, it could compel them to seek that nutrition elsewhere, and sadly enough, nutrition can actually be found with their eggs. Something you can do to help combat a mineral deficiency is to feed your chickens oyster shells. A dietary supplement of ground oyster shells will correct any mineral deficiency that may motivate the hens to turn on their own eggs. You can obtain ground oyster shells at any agricultural feed suppliers.

Sometimes though, you may not be able to place your hands on those oyster shells that can be so helpful in combating your chickens' mineral deficiencies. If you cannot get hold of ground oyster shells or would like to use an alternative, here's something you can do. Try saving the egg shells that you use. Whenever you make cookies, scrambled eggs, or anything with eggs, save the shells. You'll have to be careful with them because they are quite fragile, but clean the egg yolk and white out of the shells and then put them in a hot oven for twenty minutes. Once they're cool, grind them up and add to the chickens' food. This will achieve the same effect as the oyster shells.

So, if you have problems with your chickens eating their eggs, this is definitely a remedy to try. You don't want your chickens eating their eggs, and so you should identify the problem and then proceed to fix it. With oyster shells, you should be able to balance out the mineral deficiency and be good to go!