Get strong eggs with Oyster Strong^® System Only in Purina^® Flock Strong™ System feeds

If chickens are laying soft or brittle eggs, they are most likely not receiving enough calcium through their feeds.

To form an eggshell, a hen must consume about 4 grams of calcium per day. Every bag of Purina® Flock Strong™ layer feeds provide chickens with the necessary amount of calcium needed to produce strong shells.

Once you start providing your chicken with the proper nutrients to achieve strong shells, it takes about 20 hours to make an eggshell. Much of the work is done overnight, long after your hens have eaten their feed.

We created the Oyster Strong^® System to provide calcium for chickens during all the times they’re not eating – like when they’re sleeping, gabbing with their coop mates or exploring your backyard.

The three ingredients – vitamin D, manganese and larger-sized oyster shell particles – were chosen so the calcium would break down over time and slowly release when your hen needs it.

If your main feed source is a Purina^® Flock Strong™ premium layer feed with the Oyster Strong^® System, you don’t need an oyster shell supplement or a calcium supplement. The Oyster Strong ^® System helps provide the necessary calcium your chickens require for strong shells and healthy bodies. No more forgetting to buy oyster shells or making sure the boss hen doesn’t guard the oyster shell dish!

Producing eggs with strong shells is important for keeping bad bacteria out. Soft or thin shells provide less of a protective barrier and can lead to unwanted, sometimes harmful bacteria in your eggs. To identify backyard eggs with strong shells, they should break in a crisp, perfect line when cracking. If the crack is more of a crumble and shatter, your hens could use a calcium boost from a Purina ^® Flock Strong™ layer feed with the Oyster Strong^® System.

Hens need to consume about 4 grams of calcium each day to achieve the 2 grams of calcium needed to make a strong eggshell – not all the calcium goes to making eggshells. Purina ^® Flock Strong™ premium layer feeds with the Oyster Strong^® System have the right amount of calcium your hens need.

Some chicken raisers provide eggshells to their hens as another calcium source, but there’s no need to if your hens’ diet mainly consists of a Purina^® Flock Strong™ premium layer feed with the Oyster Strong ^® System. If you’re feeding eggshells to your hens, keep these precautions in mind:

• The calcium in eggshells is not the same as the calcium in oyster shells – it may break down quicker than the slow-release calcium in the Oyster Strong^® System.
• Your birds will need to eat more eggshells to get the same amount of calcium as from oyster shells.
• Feeding eggshells to your birds could inadvertently train them to start eating the eggs they are laying.
• Sometimes there are bacteria on the eggshells that could potentially make your hens sick if they ingest them. Always clean and dry eggshells before feeding them to your hens.

You should start feeding a complete layer feed to your hens when they turn 18 weeks old or when you see the first egg — whichever comes first. Gradually make the transition over a week-long period. Follow these three steps when transitioning to a layer feed.