FINCHforum

During breeding I have been giving crushed (almost powdered) egg shells to my gouldians as a calcium source - they also seem to eat a lot of it.

Is this a good idea or could something bad happen?

Egg shells are a good source of calcium for finches (and my parrots too). I put them in the microwave for 2 minutes first and then use them as I need them - I "crush" them by putting them in the food processor for a couple of seconds along with hardboiled eggs.

I think eggshells are excellent for your birds. I too put them in the microwave, I do 3 minutes, and another way to crush them is to put them in a ziploc bag, then use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to crush them up. I add them to the mineral/grit cup in their cages.

I have tried eggshells but prefer to use cuttlefish. some pieces I have in the aviary other times I crush it up and sprinkle it onto the seed.
only reason for cuttlefish being my preference is that it so readily available to me, just a 5 minute drive to the beach and I can collect enough for months at a time

mickp......wow!!....getting fresh cuttlebone right off the beach....how lucky is that? I sure envy you!

Hi i use cuttle fish for my little fellows and even give crushed egg shells along with the egg food they seemto nibble at it.As said above i nuke it for 2 mins in the microwave.Both are easily available here.

Remember to offer your finches greens also. Most greens are a good calcium source. I just buy mine mixed salad greens or spinach leaves in winter. In summer, most finches like dandelion leaves but you have to make sure they are clean, from places with no lawn chemicals or herbicides and not where any cat or dog does their business.

Lastly, there are chemical sourses of calcium for birds, like Calciboost and Calcivet, available at any on-line store for finch products. You mix these products with water and supply it to your finches a couple days a week.

Ok everyone has said they crushed the egg shells. is it the whole egg in the microwave or just the egg shells. how is it done because i would like to try that out. do i boil the egg first?

If you hard boil the eggs you don't need to microwave the shells as they are already sterilized from the boiling.

But if you choose to save the egg shells from an uncooked egg then just microwave the shells for 3 minutes then crush.