Can ducks eat their own eggshells?

[KLoudon81]

Hi there everyone.
I have been surfing the net, but can't seem to find the answer to this question. My ducks don't seem to care for oyster shell, but they do enjoy crushed up eggshells. So far, I have used chicken eggs, saved the shells in a bowl, microwaved them for about 30 seconds to kill any bacteria and cook any remaining egg whites, then crushed and served. Now that we are getting good duck eggs, we have been using them for everything instead of chicken eggs. What I want to know is if i can do the same thing with duck eggs. it seems kind of weird to be feeding them their own shells with bits of egg white, but this might be totally normal. That's why I'm asking.
Thanks in advance for the answers. =)

 

[rjohns39]

Short answer yes. When I get too many eggs I hard boil them and crush them up, shells and all with a potato masher. And feed them back. Mine do fine with Oyster Shell and grit and aren't as enamored by the eggs as the chickens. Turkeys can take em or leave em. Cooking is a good plan as you don't want to inadvertently create egg eaters.

 

[chickens really]

Hmmmm?
Their own shells from their flock should be used....Are your Ducks laying eggs?....They should have oyster she'll on the side and only eat as needed....

 

[KLoudon81]

Hmmmm?
Their own shells from their flock should be used....Are your Ducks laying eggs?....They should have oyster she'll on the side and only eat as needed...

Yes they are laying. It's been about a month now. We were getting squishy eggs, so we started giving them oyster shell. We also added the eggshells from our chicken eggs. I actually saw them eating the eggshell, but never the oyster shell. Since I stopped adding the eggshells to the oyster shell bowl, their eggs have not been as hard. Some of them easily broke during cleaning.

 

[rjohns39]

Yes they are laying. It's been about a month now. We were getting squishy eggs, so we started giving them oyster shell. We also added the eggshells from our chicken eggs. I actually saw them eating the eggshell, but never the oyster shell. Since I stopped adding the eggshells to the oyster shell bowl, their eggs have not been as hard. Some of them easily broke during cleaning.

I think that may be were we are different. When first hatched, I give them sand and baby grit, which contains oyster shell. As they grow I give them both free choice. If oyster shell is new, maybe they are unsure.

Edited to add: My girls go crazy over their oyster shell. And I have a really hard time cracking their eggs.

 

[chickens really]

Sometimes they have zero clue at first so add a bit to the feed ....

 

[jofanx]

Yep. I just toss it back to them, I don't even crush it up. They do it themselves. It's hilarious watching them run with an egg shell being chased by the rest.