egg shell or grit ?

[cosmic dave]

I have read that grit is no good for zebras and use egg shell ? Does that mean crushed chicken eggshell and if so how do you give it to the birds in a separate pot ?

[Sally]

This is an ongoing debate, and I believe it stems from the fact that what used to be sold in pet shops was mostly gravel, which was good for some species of birds, not so good for others. Today, most manufacturers are switching over to more of a mineral grit, most commonly oystershell grit. Other companies sell a mineral mix. I like to offer a mineral mix to my finches to supply them with any minerals they may be missing in their diet. I also add crushed eggshells (yes, chicken is fine) to my mineral mix, especially for breeding birds, as it supplies lots of calcium.

You can keep this as simple or as complicated as you wish, there is no right or wrong way. A small dish or cup of either oystershell grit or mineral mix will do, topped off with crushed eggshells for breeding birds, or you can go wild and add charcoal, commercial minerals, crushed cuttlebone, sea salt, clay, etc.

[debbie276]

Does that mean crushed chicken eggshell and if so how do you give it to the birds in a separate pot ?

Yes, chicken egg shells. If you made hard boiled the eggs you can just give them the shells in a dish or bowl when you peel the egg. If you are cooking with the egg so that you have wet egg shells you can microwave the shell for a minute or two (careful not to burn them) then offer the shells and cooked egg stuff in a dish or bowl.

If you only have a cage or two the egg shell you get from the hard boiled eggs you feed them should be enough to always have shell available.