Eggshells

[clever...@gmail.com]

Earlier this winter I posted about the blue jays that were stripping paint off our house trim and reports they do that because of the calcium in the shells that can help with their egg formation. About a month ago, we started putting out boiled eggshells and they are being carried off by birds – believe it or not, I have managed one squirrel-free feeder. I believe it’s mostly blue jays, but early on I did watch one black-capped chickadee carry off a fragment that was large enough it struggled to maintain altitude as it flew off. It may have been after a layer of cooked egg white adhering to the inside of the shell, though, not the shell itself. Shell fragments are still being carried off, but I wouldn’t call them a best seller. I would say they take enough fragments in a day to equal one egg’s shell.

 

Steve Wilson

Isabella

[Stephanie Hibdon]

Good to know Steve! I'll start grinding up some to make it easier for the birds. I usually just chuck out the half shells.

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[clever...@gmail.com]

The fragments don’t have to be too small. I just take a shell in the palm of my hand and make a fist, producing fragments from about a quarter- to half-inch length. After you given it some time, let us know the outcome. We have well over ten blue jays, so I’m curious what others find who have a more reasonable number of them.

[Bill Tefft]

Since this subject came up, I have been sitting aside egg shells, then boiling them and removing them to dry.  When I get approximately 8 or 9 shells dried, dump them in some paper towel and by squeezing, I  crush them and sprinkle them on the tray of bird seeds on my deck railing.  I don't measure them but the pieces are small.

Most of the winter grosbeaks and redpolls have wrapped up their winter feeding.and now the visitors during the day are mostly chickadees and bluejays.  I don;t monitor the calcium pickers but within a day almost all the egg bits are gone. 

So I appreciate the idea shared and hope it is a beneficial alternative to a compost bin dump.  Even if the I pursue a pause until hummingbird feeding begins, I may continue to see if eggshells may still benefit some returning migrants..

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/elyfieldnaturalists/01ee01dcadbe%24cc8482a0%24658d87e0%24%40gmail.com.

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Bill Tefft
efn...@gmail.com
218-235-8078

[clever...@gmail.com]

Bill, your eggshells are disappearing at a much higher rate than mine. Perhaps I need to be more thorough in crushing mine to a smaller size. I was thinking blue jays, but if the fragments are smaller maybe the more diminutive species take them, too.

 

Steve