Egg shells

[fishdance]

Just wondering if anyone has ever spread or caught disease from feeding raw egg shells? I see the internet is full of recommendations to bake or boil but is this necessary? Eggs from supermarket so quite clean. I usually poach or fry so my shells are uncooked . I doubt boiling would sterilise anyway. So just seeing heat more experienced people think.
Thanks Winston

[finches247]

I peel a boiled egg and put egg shell in cider vinegar and also feed in separate dish egg white and yolk too

[vettepilot_6]

Nuke egg shell...and remove uneaten bits at end of day..

[Myzomela]

The washing & cooking of eggshells is to prevent the spread of egg-borne diseases that can come from poultry including Salmonella, E.coli etc.

You can't really judge how healthy an egg is by how clean it looks on the outside.

So why take the risk when a quick microwaving will remove any doubt. If you hate microwaves then use an oven.

Also, even if you feed raw eggshell from a clean, healthy egg then traces of the albumin and shell membranes that remain on the inside of the shell are great substrates for bugs to multiply and potentially cause health problems- so again, why take the risk?

[fishdance]

I know all the reasons perpetuated on internet. I'm just wondering how valid they are so looking for any first hand bad experiences. I don't have a microwave and why bake or boil empty shells un- necessarily? I often eat my eggs raw. I can't see intensive chicken farms harboring disease since that would be disastrous for their livestock. I can't see birds cooking or stabilizing food in the wild.
I'm open to advice and all suggestions. I suppose some trials would be safest. Any other opinions for or against?
Winston

[Jayburd]

Hi fish dance,
In regards to your comments on the wild birds
Wld finches would probably not be looking a egg shells for a calcium source. They probably have other calcium sources we do or can not provide.

[vettepilot_6]

Also most wild finches would be lucky to live more then 2yrs...and if they did eat raw egg it would be unlikely they would pick at it all day...

[Craig52]

Also, even if you feed raw eggshell from a clean, healthy egg then traces of the albumin and shell membranes that remain on the inside of the shell are great substrates for bugs to multiply and potentially cause health problems- so again, why take the risk?

Fishdance,did you read what our resident Vet said,it's not the bacteria on the egg shell,it's the bacteria that grows on the inside of a raw egg shell that poses a threat to our birds thats why they need to be microwaved/oven cooked,but even after that they need to be removed at the end of the day for the same reason.
Microwaved/oven cooked egg shells are more palatable to our finches,as they seem to be more crispy and easily broken up to be eaten. Craig

[fishdance]

Hi fish dance,
In regards to your comments on the wild birds
Wld finches would probably not be looking a egg shells for a calcium source. They probably have other calcium sources we do or can not provide.

True true but I think sterile environments can be equally dangerous too. Just like heating in winter can produce frail birds. I encourage my kids to eat dirt for example .

[vettepilot_6]

True true but I think sterile environments can be equally dangerous too. Just like heating in winter can produce frail birds. I encourage my kids to eat dirt for example .

You would have an extremely hard time getting any aviary sterile....heating in winter is sometimes necessary especially for our Tasmanian Keepers trying to breed tropical type finches..