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I wouldn't know if I HAD to feed them oyster shell, I have always given it to them because that's what I was advised on forums before I got mine. As I said on the other thread, they eat tons of it when they are in lay and don't touch it when they are not which tells me something.

Perhaps if you don't give it to them then you don't know how much of it they would eat? I just let my hens decide how much they want and I discovered from research into egg binding recently that calcium is not just for egg shells, it is necessary for the whole passing of the egg from start to finish!

Also perhaps you've got limey soil/grit/stones whereas I don't, so they aren't getting any calcium from the ground! So another thing to consider.

do you mix it in with the feed or a little dish millymolly also how much garlic powder to how much feed pls i was tod if you dont give them oyster shell then they take the calcium from there bones which does them in at thats advice from someone whos kep chickens 30 plus years

Hi Gunners, I give it to them in a little dish with some grit as well. They don't take much grit because they do get that from the soil (I've got very gritty soil) but every now and then I see a load of it in the poo, so I continue to leave it there available for them if they feel the need.

They tend to pick out the big bits of the oyster shell then leave the powdery stuff so I chuck that outside then they all tend to eat it (probably think it's food! ) then I refill the dish. Two laying hens are going through a couple of handfuls of oyster shell every 10 days or so.

I don't know anything about garlic powder, I know some people use it as a natural wormer but I don't know how they give it to their chooks.