Households urged to leave eggshells in gardens throughout March

Gardeners should consider leaving eggshells out in their garden this spring

Katherine McPhillips and Shania King-Soyza

15:48, 05 Mar 2026

Eggshells contain calcium which will really help birds out in spring(Image: Getty)

Supporting our feathered friends needn’t break the bank, as plenty of kitchen scraps can prove invaluable – which is precisely why gardening enthusiasts are being urged to put out eggshells this spring. Maureen Eiger, director of Help Wild Birds, has revealed that eggshells are packed with calcium, which is particularly beneficial for birds during springtime when they’re busy laying eggs.

She explained: “We throw eggshells in the garbage almost every day, but they are full of calcium and minerals. Birds need additional calcium, especially after nesting season.” Birds’ nutritional requirements shift with the seasons. Throughout winter, they typically require high-fat foods to stockpile energy reserves for warmth.

Come spring, female birds particularly benefit from crushed eggshells due to their calcium content, which supports the production of robust eggs that hatch successfully, giving chicks the strongest start in life.

That said, you can’t simply scatter eggshells onto a bird table, as raw eggs harbour bacteria such as salmonella, potentially harming birds and enabling disease transmission to their young.

A better approach involves spending 10 minutes baking the eggshells in the oven first, which eliminates bacteria and sterilises them properly.

Robins, blue tits and sparrows tend to really love crushed up eggshells (Image: Getty)

How to feed birds crushed eggshells

Simply save your empty eggshells in the carton whenever you cook eggs, and once you’ve filled the carton, give the shells a quick rinse under the tap.

Raw egg yolk can harbour bacteria and might lure unwanted visitors like rats into your garden, so give it a quick rinse with hot water.

However, steer clear of soap, as it could be harmful to birds. Afterwards, arrange the eggshells on a tray and pop them in the oven. Bake at 120 °C for around 10 minutes, then allow them to cool completely.

Make sure to clean and crush up the eggshells for the birds(Image: Getty)

The shells should become incredibly fragile, making it easy to crumble them into tiny, gritty fragments until they look like coarse sand or fine gravel.

Avoid scattering large pieces of eggshell in your garden, as birds struggle to handle them, and there’s a risk they could choke.

There’s also the possibility that birds might start linking eggs with food and begin raiding other nests, so it’s better for local wildlife if you offer crushed eggshells in smaller portions.

Simply scatter the crushed eggshells on a bird table or distribute them throughout your garden, and this will provide baby chicks with vital nutrients for a healthy start.

Species such as blue tits, sparrows, blackbirds, chaffinches and robins will particularly benefit during springtime, so expect to spot plenty of activity around your garden come March if you put out eggshells.