For that reason, we don't put raw eggshells into the compost, because the chickens are our compost turners. Instead, we save up the shells until we have a big bowlful, then we bake them in the oven for 30 minutes, and finally crush them into bits and either then put them into the compost or feed them back to the chickens. (This may sound a little cannibalistic to those of you new to chickens, but it's a good way to keep calcium in the chickens' diet.)
Yesterday was eggshell baking day. And here is the song of the eggshells, right from the oven.
5 comments:
That is a really neat sound...
almost like sizzling bacon, but sharper... almost metallic sounding.
Have you ever been snorkeling... some places have a wonderful clicking soundtrack... under the sea buzz.
Amazing! How strange! So, why the baking? Does it make them unidentifiable to the chickens, or easier to crunch up? I'm intrigued! I just bury mine in the compost pile and hope for the best....
The song IS strange, isn't it?! The baking is just to make sure the chickens aren't eating the leftover bits of raw egg inside the shells when they root through the compost, thereby developing a taste for it which can cause them to start breaking their own eggs in the coop. Cooked egg doesn't seem to cause the same problem, at least according to the sources we have read!
Yes! I do the same thing. It's annoying to figure out where to put the giant bowl of egg shells though. Because people (the non-chicken people) come over and always have big question marks in their eyes and in order to explain it, I end of explaining too much and they go all glassy-eyed on me...
I love that sound of egg shells popping and crackling.
Sounds just like the earth cooling off.
Oh yeah. I was there.
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