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If you have backyard chickens, you probably get a lot of eggs and therefore, end up with a lot of eggshells. Do you have any uses for eggshells? What do you do with them all? Well, you’ve probably been just throwing them out.
If you have just been throwing your eggshells out, stop! We try to use everything on our homestead. And, there are several uses for eggshells that you can start with to keep from wasting them.
Here are 5 Uses for Eggshells so they don’t go to waste:
1. Feed your eggshells to your chickens.
This is one of the best uses for eggshells. They work super great because they are full of calcium which is something chickens need anyway to lay eggs with strong shells. If you just crush the eggshells up, you can add them into a feeder or straight into the feed for your chickens.
From chicken to egg back to chicken to an even stronger egg. I think they call that the circle of life.
2. Put them in your garden as a deterrent for slugs.
Slugs are a HUGE problem when it comes to trying to grow a big and healthy garden. Fortunately, one of the uses for eggshells is to crush them and sprinkle them around your plants.
Now, be warned if you have a soft spot in your heart for slugs. The reason this works (in theory anyway is because the broken eggshells will essentially cut the slugs belly up and it will die.
3. A great use for eggshells is to add them to your compost pile.
This is one of the most simple uses for eggshells. Depending on how often your chickens lay will determine how many eggshells you will have for your compost pile.
If you can’t think of any other uses or you just don’t want to add the extra work, adding them to your compost pile is a great option.
Simply take your eggshells and toss them into your compost pile. If you don’t have a compost pile, you can crush them and put them directly into your garden soil.
4. Start Seedlings in them.
This is one of the most environmentally friendly uses for eggshells. For the best results, many plants do better when you start them inside.
You can use Jiffy Seed Trays or you can use eggshells which are free!
Try to keep the eggshell mostly in tact, add soil and your seeds.
Then the eggshell can just be crushed when you go to transplant your seedlings.
5. Make Decorative Ornaments.
Try blowing out your eggshells (the contents – You can still eat the egg white and egg yolk) and decorate them to make ornaments. Here is a tutorial on how to do this.
If you have so many eggs that you are looking for uses for eggshells, you may also need to do something with all the eggs. Try freezing eggs to keep them good for later use.
For More Homesteading Tips:
Noah Germelman says
I enjoyed your thoughts about using egg shells. I raise chickens , ducks and geese for selling. We keep our shells in the oven for whenever we bake, our shells get very crispy.
Kim Bettencourt says
Enjoyed your post! Thanks for your thoughts! When composting egg shells I have always believed that it’s best when the inside of the shells are rinsed first. The organic matter in the shells could cause flies or odor in a compost bin.
Cindy says
Love your post thx for sharing your pictures and info thx again Cindy from Colorado
Fuzzy says
Hey you missed the most important use. Here’s an idea I’ve been using for 45 plus years. First you boil the egg shell for 3 minutes in rapid boiling water. Second you drain the egg shells and put them on a cookie sheet or similar tray into the oven at 175’-200’ to completely dry them. Next you grind them to a fine powder. For this I’ve used my blender, food processor and coffee grinder. Now I’m using my Bullet. The finished product is calcium. We add a teaspoon to a tablespoon to all our recipes, muffins, gravy’s, cookie mixes , pancakes, the list is never ending. The powder is fine enough to not be noticed and for me, being an asthmaic and being allergic to dairy product this has been my free source of calcium. A little less then 1/2 teaspoon a day is all that the average person neeeds.
Jenny says
That is a great tip I’m definitely going to use ,I’m about to have gastric bypass ,so will need calcium tablets daily for life.so will make your great tip also. I am allergic to dairy products aswell so I’m really pleased I read your post many thanks.jenny.
Emily says
What a brilliant idea! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Jones says
Even better if you soak the eggshells in an acid (vinegar/lemon juice etc.), filter through a coffee filter, let the solution dry/evaporate and use the filter sediment in the compost. This solution will dry up as calcium acetate/citrate/malate crystals depending on which acid you used. A chelated form of calcium that is readily absorbable. You can even add wood ashes to the acid and filter. You will gain potassium, magneisum and a whole slew of other minerals from the ash in the chelated form. Best mineral/electrolyte supplement you can find.
FG HAWKINS says
EGGSHELLS ARE EXCELLENT FOR ICEFISHING. CRUMBLE SHELLS AND DROP DOWN HOLE. Y=THEY SETTLE ON BOTTOM MAKING YOU ABLE TO SEE BOTTOM. LIGHT IS REFLECTED ON SHELLS.