Chickens Eating Enough Oyster Shell after Switching from Layer Feed to Grower/All Flock?

[Anon112]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, as I admit that I don't have a great handle on chicken nutrition and instincts, lol.

If hens have been eating layer feed (which includes calcium) for a long time, and then get switched to a chick/grower feed or a whole flock feed (without calcium), will they instinctively increase their consumption of oyster shell?

After switching my flock over--due to having roosters---I've been surprised at how little it seems like they are eating the oyster shell. They've never eaten a lot of it generally, but I was surprised that they don't seem to have increased how much they are eating.

Should I be doing anything other than making sure they have a plentiful supply of oyster shell?

Their egg shells seem to be okay in terms of strength, so I suppose that means they're doing okay in the calcium department? Aside from shell strength, are there other indicators if they are or aren't getting enough calcium?

(I just had a middle-aged chicken pass away from what I think was egg yolk peritonitis, and this little voice in my head was like "Maybe an egg broke in her because she didn't get enough calcium").

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hens will generally consume as much oyster shells as they need. Mine don't go through a whole lot of them. I probably buy 1-2 50# bags a year for 50-80 hens. If I don't fill the bowls in a timely manner shells do get brittle. They return to normal pretty quickly.

I've been feeding an all flock ration with free choice oyster shells for a long time now. It works well for me, and I don't need to worry about the roosters and young ones eating it, and no need to switch during molts either.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You can try mixing in some crushed eggshells into the oyster shell, they won't fully replace oyster shell but some birds find that more palatable and it could help get them into the habit of checking the calcium dish more frequently.

 

[Anon112]

Hens will generally consume as much oyster shells as they need. Mine don't go through a whole lot of them. I probably buy 1-2 50# bags a year for 50-80 hens. If I don't fill the bowls in a timely manner shells do get brittle. They return to normal pretty quickly.

I've been feeding an all flock ration with free choice oyster shells for a long time now. It works well for me, and I don't need to worry about the roosters and young ones eating it, and no need to switch during molts either.

Thank you for this!!

You can try mixing in some crushed eggshells into the oyster shell, they won't fully replace oyster shell but some birds find that more palatable and it could help get them into the habit of checking the calcium dish more frequently.

That's a great idea! I'll try taking out some crushed eggshells this weekend. They are eating some, so I know that they know where the oystershell is, but I like the idea of helping them build a habit of checking more regularly.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It doesn't take much OS to meet their needs. If you have a big bowl of it available and not many hens, it may seem to you that they aren't eating any at all. But they are. Over time the level of OS will go down. I top off my OS feeder once or twice a year for 25+/- hens, but it's a good-sized feeder that holds 4 or 5 lbs bc I'm basically lazy very efficient.