Milk for chickens?

[PastaChickenBoo]

Would it be okay if I fed my chickens some oatmeal made with Lactaid (milk with lactose-digesting enzymes in it)? Their eggshells are getting brittle and I don't want anything to happen. They don't like eating crushed eggshells and we're out of oyster, and I can't think of any other ways to give them more calcium

 

[pintail_drake2004]

It may or may not work for you, but a trick we did with ornamental birds was to toast the egg shells in the oven. They ate them without any issues after that.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Building on Pintail’s recommendation, if you dry and powder the egg shell, maybe they’ll eat it mixed with the oatmeal?

 

[Percheron chick]

You can feed it as a treat. They're not going to get much additional Ca (300mg/C) with the milk. You are better off adding a few Ca tablets (500mg) to the oatmeal, Tums if you have those in the medicine cabinet or a handful of oyster or egg shells. If you're brave enough to hit the grocery store, buy them a can of sardines or mackerel. While you're there, pick up some shrimp for dinner and feed them the heads, tails and shells.

 

[PastaChickenBoo]

You can feed it as a treat. They're not going to get much additional Ca (300mg/C) with the milk. You are better off adding a few Ca tablets (500mg) to the oatmeal, Tums if you have those in the medicine cabinet or a handful of oyster or egg shells. If you're brave enough to hit the grocery store, buy them a can of sardines or mackerel. While you're there, pick up some shrimp for dinner and feed them the heads, tails and shells.

I guess the best option is to just head to Tractor Supply to buy more oyster shells. My best guess is that most canned foods are probably gone from the grocery stores by now. How much calcium do chickens need anyway? Is 300mg not that much?

It may or may not work for you, but a trick we did with ornamental birds was to toast the egg shells in the oven. They ate them without any issues after that.

I think the issue was the eggshells weren't crushed up enough so I went over them with a rolling pin, and now they're much smaller. Hoping they'll like them better that way

 

[woodmort]

Are they free-ranging? Mine build stronger shells once they get out from their winter confinement and begin to forage.

 

[Perris]

mustard seed, low fat plain yogurt, and haricot beans have all got relatively high calcium component if you haven't got sardines.

 

[WindingRoad]

Would it be okay if I fed my chickens some oatmeal made with Lactaid (milk with lactose-digesting enzymes in it)? Their eggshells are getting brittle and I don't want anything to happen. They don't like eating crushed eggshells and we're out of oyster, and I can't think of any other ways to give them more calcium

I crush the eggshells with the back of a wooden spoon. Bake at 350F for about 5 mins be careful they will burn. Then I put them in my little nut grinder and make them into a powder. Just sprinkle over the top of their feed and they don't even know they are there. I didn't used to feed oyster until I got my flock up to 16 and then I laid off the eggshells. I think I'll go back to them though as I see them eat the oyster but their eggs break a lot now.

 

[Percheron chick]

Laying hens need 4000 mgs daily.