Nothing goes to waste! Eggshells included…

We eat a lot of eggs…A LOT!  Fried, scrambled, pickled, you name it.

We used to just throw the eggshells in our compost bin but when our chickens started rummaging through it we thought…hmmm, if they begin eating what looks like eggs…then they might start eating the actual eggs they lay.  Nope, don’t want that!

Sooo as many of you know, eggshells are a great source of calcium for chickens.  Calcium is an important part of egg development in laying hens because if they are deficient, the egg can have a soft-shell or…even worse, the hen will supplement by pulling calcium from her bones.

Typically, people buy oyster shells to solve this problem and give it to their hens daily.  It’s about $5 for a 5 pound bag. Well, we decide to stop buying oyster shells and just reuse the eggshells we already have.  And you know what?  The chickens love it!  We start by washing the shells, drying them out, and grinding them in the food processor.  We add a little to their food and put the rest out for free choice.

Not that this is breaking the bank but hey…it’s $5 we don’t have to spend on oyster shells.  That’s equivalent to a glass of wine people! (I think of saving money in terms of wine…don’t ask)

Just another way making sure nothing goes to waste!