Instead of wasting cracked opened eggshells, and putting them in the bin, the natural food item can be used to feed birds that visit your garden – and now is the ideal time to do so. Explaining why is Maureen Eiger, the director of Help Wild Birds.
Maureen said: “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.” In spring, female birds benefit from crushed eggshells, as the calcium content helps them lay strong eggs that hatch successfully – giving chicks the best possible chance of survival.
However, you shouldn’t just place eggshells on a bird table; raw eggs contain bacteria like salmonella, which can cause disease among the bird community.
Instead, it is better to take 10 minutes to first bake the eggshells in the oven, as this helps kill any bacteria and sterilises them.
How to feed birds crushed eggshells
Rinse empty eggshells with hot water (and no soap), then place them on an oven tray. Bake at 120C for about 10 minutes; once done, allow them to cool down.
The eggshells should then feel really brittle, which means you can easily crush them into very small, fine pieces.
Avoid putting large eggshells out in your garden as they are hard for birds to pick up and they could become a choking risk.
Once adequately crushed into small pieces, place the eggshells on a bird table or scatter them around your garden.
Crushed eggshells will specifically benefit blue tits, sparrows, blackbirds, chaffinches and robins, so expect to see these beautiful birds darting around your garden.
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