The first year we raised chickens to have home grown eggs, our eggs were very soft.  They didn’t crack so much as just cave in with pressure.  We were feeding them a commercial laying feed, which should have contained as much calcium as they needed for strong eggs, but it did not seem to make a significant difference in the strength of their eggs.

Oyster Shell
Then, I learned about a product you can buy for a few dollars at feed stores and even Walmart.  Crushed oyster shells are an excellent source of calcium for not only chickens, but also any other birds that need a little calcium supplement.  Button quail, for example, are often in need of calcium supplements and can really benefit from a little oyster shell.

In addition to oyster shell, you can crush your empty egg shells and feed those back to the chickens.  You can teach chickens to eat their own eggs by feeding egg shell, which is why it is important to crush them first so they are not as identifiable as egg shells.  Some people advise drying the egg shells by spreading them on a cookie sheet and baking them at about 200 degrees in the oven before feeding them.

To feed either type of shell, simply place a bowl or other container near their food.  Your birds will only take what they need, so make sure it is readily available all the time for strong shells.

Between oyster shell and crushed egg shell, our chickens are laying eggs that are stronger than store eggs.  Of course, the taste is far superior too, so it’s a win-win situation!