Kai: Permaculture recycles everything, just the way nature intended! With all of the laying birds in the family, it’s important for them to get their calcium, and although there are many products one can buy for this, we like to reuse our chickens and quails own eggshells. We simply toast the empty shells in the oven and blenderize to a powder which is added to the bird’s food. I even use it for my parakeets.

As long as the shells are baked, it is perfectly safe to reuse organic eggshells for this purpose. In fact, some female birds in the wild will eat their own eggshells to gain back the lost calcium.
We personally prefer this method because other products, such as oyster shell, can contain lead.

Our Chickens and Quail provide eggs for us daily. While they don’t necessarily provide enough for us to quit buying eggs from the grocery store, It feels good to always have extra eggs on hand.

Quail eggs are small and cute, they are commonly eaten in Asia and India, and have been used in Chinese medicine. They provide a high protein content, and are said to be “safer” to eat than chicken eggs because the quails higher body temperature kills more bacteria.

If your hens are eating a healthy diet, you may actually notice your home-raised eggs having a much brighter yellow yoke than the store bought eggs, this shows how much more nutritional they are for you compared to store bought. We also really enjoy adding a raw egg in our morning coffee, it adds a creamy smooth taste. We wouldn’t personally eat a raw store bought egg, but because we know where our eggs come from, we know they are safe and clean.

If you have been considering getting Chickens or Quail, now is as great a time as any. Many people desire to be more self sufficient and sustainable, and this is one way to do it. And with supply chain issues becoming a greater reality, you never know when you may be needing a few extra eggs on your shelf.