As Dandelion has been laying thin shelled eggs I thought I would feed the girl’s egg shells back to them to boost their calcium. They have grit and crushed oyster shell in a hopper that they can help themselves to at any time but this will give them a bit of extra calcium.
I put the broken egg shells on parchment paper in a tray and then in to the oven on low for about half an hour. It is really just to dry the egg shells out so that they will crush easily.
Eggs shells straight from the oven
I then crush the egg shells with a pestle and mortar and then mix them into a dish of mash. I know that the girls love a dish of mash and it means that they are getting a healthy treat as it’s their normal pellets mixed with water and then the egg shells added.
Egg shells ground up
Egg shells mixed with mash
Five little girls round the dish
I love the way the bigger girls seem to take on a parental role and allow the little girls to have their share rather than any chasing away.
They enjoy a treat that is good for them
They love this and they all got a share of it. By the end of the day the dish was empty. This means they have all had their extra helping of calcium. Even if it doesn’t help, it won’t do any harm so there is nothing to lose by giving them this and I know that they have enjoyed it.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
They all look so comfortable together in the photographs. How long have the newest additions been intergrated for?
Do you just add water to normal layers pellets to make mash?
The newest three, Cinnamon, Dandelion and Apricot (the three amigos, I call them) have been integrated for six months. We collected them at the end of February and it was probably our most difficult integration yet. It took three weeks before we mixed them and longer before they became comfortable. It was Rusty and Freckles that were the horrors. Even now Freckles regularly chases Cinnamon. Cinnamon is opposite Freckles around the dish. Freckles won’t allow Cinnamon to feed next to her.
You are right, it is just water added to layers pellets to make a mash. In the winter I add warm water. They like the difference in texture and it makes a treat for them that ensures they eat the pellets. It’s also handy if you want to add something like the crushed egg shells or worming powder. I use flubenvet powder every six months.
It sounds like ours, when Belle chases Snowy!
Thank you, I will try making some mash and see if they like it!
I bet they will love it.
Such happy girls again.Good to see.
I love seeing them enjoying a treat and even more so when it’s one that is good for them.
Mash, especially in winter, is much enjoyed. I sometimes buy layers’ meal, which I turn into mash by adding hot water.
I agree, mash is always enjoyed. In winter I like to think that it’s warming when made with warm water but of course it doesn’t stay warm for long. They still enjoy it though.