Just like us, birds need calcium. Along with strengthening their bones, calcium is required to create strong eggshells. Eggshell calcium — or egg shell powder used as a calcium supplement — is quick and easy to make in your kitchen to add to your bird seed or a grit feeder.
And, if you eat eggs, you don’t need to spend any money to create this vital nutrient: you can use the eggshells of the eggs you consume!
As the name suggests, eggshell calcium is made from the eggshells (and eggshell membrane) that you’d otherwise discard. Our recipe is quick and easy–and uses supplies you’ve already got around the house!
How do birds get calcium in the wild?
In the wild, birds have many sources for calcium:
- discarded eggshells in old nests
- bird eggs in other nests
- found bones, antlers
- snail shells
- fish bones
- oyster shells, for shorebirds
- some mortar on buildings
- even some dirt contains calcium!
How to Make Eggshell Calcium for Birds
Eggshell calcium is a great way to use those shells you’d otherwise discard.
All you need are items you probably already have around the house:
- a cookie sheet
- the shells of a dozen or more eggs
- an oven
- a clean coffee grinder or a rolling pin
- a clean jar to store the powder
I save the eggshells in the refrigerator for a few days before creating the egg shell powder. Don’t worry about keeping them together; you can just crush them down into a small jar in the fridge.
When I’m ready to make it, preparation is easy. First, wash the egg shells and spread the out to dry on a cookie sheet:
I put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator and let them dry overnight.
Then it’s time to dry them more! Preheat oven to 220 degrees Fahrenheit then bake for 10-15 minutes to kill bacteria. Eggshells should be completely dry.
If you washed the eggshells shortly before baking, allow extra baking time. Eggshells must be completely dry before grinding.
If you’re using a coffee grinder, make sure it’s completely clean before grinding the eggshells; you don’t want any bits of coffee in the eggshell powder because coffee is hazardous to birds! I have a coffee grinder I purchased at the thrift store and cleaned just for this purpose. I never use it for coffee.
Grind the eggshells in a clean coffee grinder or a blender until all large pieces are ground down:
Here’s a look at how easily the coffee grinder turns the eggshells into powder:
If you don’t have a clean coffee grinder, you can also use a rolling pin; put the eggshells between two pieces of parchment paper or foil and roll over them to crush. You don’t have to completely crush the shells to a powder.
Store in a lidded jar.
How to Serve Eggshells to Birds
To serve the eggshell calcium, you can sprinkle it in your birdseed, add it to a homemade suet recipe, place the busted eggshells in a grit feeder or sprinkle them on the ground.
Eggshell Calcium for Birds
Ingredients
- 1 dozen eggshells
Instructions
- Collect washed eggshells in the refrigeratoruntil you have a dozen or enough to fill a cookie sheet.
- Eggshells will begin to dry while in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spread the eggshells on a cookie sheet and bake10-15 minutes.
- If you washed the eggshells shortly before baking, allow extra baking time. Eggshells must be completely dry before grinding.
- Grind the eggshells in a clean coffee grinder or a blender or place eggshells between sheets of foil or parchment paper and crush with a rolling pin.
- Store in a lidded jar. Add calcium to your grit feeder, sprinkle in it bird seed mixture or add to homemade suet.
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