I often get asked what I do with all my chicken eggs since I eat a plant-based diet. And that means no consumption of any animal products.

However, this does not mean that I have to give up my love and passion for breeding with chickens and eggs! I absolutely adore them, and the sheer joy they bring is irreplaceable.

There's nothing cuter than watching a mama hen getting all broody, laying her pretty eggs, and then caring for her chicks (if they are fertilized).

If the eggs didn't fertilize, there are many ways I use the eggs around our farm. Here are my top 4 uses for our chicken eggs.

Use the Eggs as Chicken Feed!

Ok, so this may be a little bit ironic, I know, who eats their own kind?! But, unfertilized eggs are great to give to your chickens.

This is because eggs are high in various nutrients and vitamins such as protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vit A & E, and beta carotene. And all these nutrients are essential for the growth and development of healthy chickens.

Feather and egg production are very protein-intensive processes, so the extra protein and nutrient boost from the eggs are very beneficial to the chickens. It also helps with the growth of healthy nails and muscles.

When feeding chicken eggs to your chickens, they must be cooked! I find scrambled eggs to be the best option, and it works great when I mix it with their regular feed.

If you’d like you can add some yummy extras such as oats, leafy greens, herbs, flax seeds, and sunflower seeds. All these contain much-needed nutrients for healthy chickens. Baby chicks can also eat cooked eggs, just don’t add any seasoning.

You can also feed the eggshells to your chickens. Make sure to crush them finely and mix them in with their regular feed.

Use Eggshells to Grow Seedlings

Reduce, reuse, recycle, as they say! Growing seedlings in eggshells is such a fun and clever DIY project. You will be reducing landfill waste by not using plastic seedling containers. You are reusing the eggshells and egg cartons and can recycle those cartons afterward! It’s a great learning project that you can do with kids to teach them how to nurture and care for something.

How to grow seedlings in eggshells:

Tiny seedlings work best. Try tomatoes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, peppers, herbs, and flowers such as marigolds.
Rinse your shells before planting and handle with care!
Arrange your egg halves in a paper egg carton.
Fill the shells with a good seed starting soil mix that has been moisturized.
Place a couple of seeds in each pot; refer to your seed sowing instructions.
Place your carton tray on a sunny window sill and in the warmest room of your house.
Mist your seedlings as needed, don’t let the soil go dry and be careful to overwater.
Thin out the weakest and smallest seedlings so that the biggest one can have room to grow.
After the first leaves have developed, you can transplant your seedlings to a bigger container or straight into the ground. It’s best to harden them first and also keep in mind your current climate.
When you transplant, gently crush the eggshells to help the roots break through and plant it as a whole, eggshells included!

Looking for another DIY project for your eggs? These Naturally Dyed Eggs for Spring is a fun activity for the whole family! Read my blog HERE

Use Broken Eggshells in Your Soil

Now there is much controversy around this gardening tip. Some people swear by using eggshells in their soil as it releases calcium which is great to help plants build cell walls. Others say that eggshells take way too long to decompose to reap the benefits.

I am a firm believer in adding crushed eggshells to my compost mix or mixing them straight into the soil. Why would you throw it away when it can have potential benefits? It’s worth trying right?

Microbes in the soil and especially more acidic soil, can break down and dissolve the eggshells over some time. Slowly but surely, you will enrich your soil. It’s also great for the earthworms, who play a role in enhancing the soil, giving your plants a better growing environment.

Reap the benefits of calcium by baking your cracked shells on low heat for a few hours, grinding them finely with a coffee grinder or food processor, covering them with vinegar in a bowl, and adding the shells after a few hours to your soil. This way, you can enhance and speed up the process.

Crushed eggshells also help to keep your soil loose and can deter certain garden pests such as slugs, snails, and cutworms from your garden. The eggshells will make several cuts on the pests, causing them to dehydrate and die.

Another thing you can do is placed the crushed shells directly into the hole before planting your seedling.

Sell or Donate your Chicken Eggs

Maybe your family also doesn’t eat eggs, or perhaps you just got tons of hens and can’t keep up with their production! Selling the eggs is a great way to make a little side income or cover all the expenses those ladies eat up!

I’ve got a whole blog post on how to sell chicken eggs to get you going. Including keeping track of sales, how to sell your eggs, and tracking egg production. There are some fun resources and printables you can use. You can check it out HERE

Often we like to donate our eggs to our local food pantry, and this is a great way for us to give back to our community and help where we can.

Ask your local food pantry, food shelter, or soup kitchen if they would like some eggs and their requirements for donations. Some request that the eggs be washed and clearly marked when they have been “picked”.

There you go friends, now you know that breeding with chickens does not only have to be for human consumption. There are so many other advantages and uses for your eggs, including tons of fun moments spend with your chickens!

With Love, Annette

xx

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