Aussie Finch Forum

Hi, I believe I need to have eggshell available to the finches. Baked for 20min and crushed. How fine do I have to crush them. Thanks, Ray.

My birds always have access to a mix of crushed eggshell, charcoal and crushed cuttlefish.
The eggs I nuke for 2 minutes, cuttlefish is dried in the sun for a few weeks, the charcoal is from burning timber ( when there's no fire ban on)
I just crush the eggshells by hand, the birds seem happy with it that way. it sure disappears fast.

mortar and pestle at first then we found an ice cream scoop was faster( in a bowl ) then crept in to the new millenium ans bought a food processer , best thing ever for eggshells.

I use a sieve,and feed out anything approximately 1mm to 4mm.I crush it in a huge pot say 10 litre, with a sledge hammer.Mind you i make up at least a few kilo at a time.if I get alot of fine dust I discard it and keep the uniform size,especially the charcoal and cuttle fish will produce alot of fines when crushed,And both are readily available here.

Hi guys, Thank you for the info. Have been crushing away today together with some cuttlefish. Now waiting for right weather to burn some timber!

Cuttlefish and charcole always, and nice gritty sand. The BBQ and wood fire are good sources of charcole. Go on have a BBQ
LML

Ray Johnstone wrote: How fine do I have to crush them.

Bump this question.
In my earlier years of bird keeping I would bake the eggshell halves in the oven and supply as halves on the aviary floor.
With my reintroduction to finch keeping I am now using the microwave to cook the shell halves for two minutes and then crushing them by hand to a size of up to approximately 5mm and supplying it in a feed cup.
I explored the idea of grinding them. This may be useful in 'force feeding' e.g. adding to a cake, wet mix or sprouted seed but there are commercial products that would better serve this purpose.
I have found it to fine supplied on its own in this state so have continued with the 'hand crushed 5mm in the feed cup' option.
How are others offering eggshell?

For Gouldians uncrushed, for most others just crushed in the hand and included in a fine grit/mineral mix.

Tiaris wrote:For Gouldians uncrushed, for most others just crushed in the hand and included in a fine grit/mineral mix.

You got it in one, just hand crushed, just sit and watch them with big pieces, they just chew away, drop them on the floor but seem to find the bits left later.

Ken.

I just boil 1 egg for 15 min

Crush the egg and shell altogether and serve

Do really need to nuke the shell if it's boiled for 15 min?