Can chickens eat their own eggshells?

Yes, crushed shells are a useful source of calcium for laying hens, but they need to be crushed into small pieces that no longer look like shell, cooked or baked first for safety, and mixed into other feed rather than left recognisable. This avoids encouraging birds to associate the shape with food.

Is it bad to feed chickens raw egg?

Raw egg carries a small risk of salmonella, which cooking removes almost entirely, so cooked is the safer choice. Raw egg also increases the risk of a hen developing a taste for whole eggs, which can lead to egg eating in the nest box — a difficult habit to reverse once it starts.

Why has my chicken started eating eggs?

It usually starts with an accidentally broken egg in the nest box that a hen then eats, after which some birds actively seek eggs out. Collect eggs promptly, keep nest boxes comfortable and dark, and speak to a vet or experienced keeper if the habit is spreading through the flock.

How often can I feed eggs to my chickens?

A couple of times a week as an extra, rather than daily, is sensible — their regular layer feed is already formulated to cover their nutritional needs. Egg is a useful protein boost during a moult but should stay an occasional addition rather than a routine part of the diet.

Can chickens eat eggs?

Yes, chickens can eat eggs, including their own, as long as they are cooked first and any shell is crushed into small, unrecognisable pieces. The two things to manage are the small risk of salmonella from raw egg, and the much bigger practical risk of teaching your flock to associate whole eggs with food, which can lead to egg eating in the nest box.

Why cooked is the safer choice

Raw egg can carry salmonella, which is a genuine risk to both the flock and to you if you handle contaminated shells or egg. Cooking — scrambled, boiled or baked into something plain — removes that risk almost entirely and is a simple enough step that there is little reason to feed it raw.

Eggs are also a good source of protein for hens, particularly useful during a moult when they are putting energy into regrowing feathers rather than laying, or for a bird recovering from illness. Feeding their own eggs back to them is not unusual in backyard keeping and is not harmful when done this way.

The real risk: teaching egg eating

The bigger practical concern is not food safety but behaviour. If a chicken gets a taste for whole raw egg — often starting with an accidentally cracked one in the nest box — some birds learn to actively seek out and eat eggs before you collect them, which is a habit that is genuinely hard to break once established.

This is why crushing the shell into small, unidentifiable pieces matters more than most owners expect: a recognisable eggshell shape in the feed, even cooked, risks reinforcing the connection between "egg shape" and "food" that leads to the habit in the first place.

Signs something isn't right, and what helps

If you notice cracked, empty shells appearing in the nest box more often than accidental breakage would explain, that is worth acting on quickly rather than waiting to see if it settles — egg eating tends to spread through a flock once one bird starts and other hens copy it.

Collecting eggs promptly, keeping nest boxes dark and comfortable so eggs are less likely to be accidentally broken, and offering a separate source of calcium such as crushed oyster shell can all reduce the underlying triggers. A hen that is genuinely unwell, off her food, or showing other changes in behaviour is worth a vet visit rather than assuming it is diet-related.

Feeding it as an occasional extra

A little cooked, plain egg a couple of times a week is a reasonable occasional treat or protein boost, especially useful during a moult, rather than something to offer daily as a routine part of the diet. Their main layer feed already covers what they need day to day.

Keep it plain — no salt, butter or seasoning — and mixed in with other feed rather than left as an obviously egg-shaped offering, for the same behavioural reason covered above.

Common questions

Can chickens eat their own eggshells?: Yes, crushed shells are a useful source of calcium for laying hens, but they need to be crushed into small pieces that no longer look like shell, cooked or baked first for safety, and mixed into other feed rather than left recognisable. This avoids encouraging birds to associate the shape with food.
Is it bad to feed chickens raw egg?: Raw egg carries a small risk of salmonella, which cooking removes almost entirely, so cooked is the safer choice. Raw egg also increases the risk of a hen developing a taste for whole eggs, which can lead to egg eating in the nest box — a difficult habit to reverse once it starts.
Why has my chicken started eating eggs?: It usually starts with an accidentally broken egg in the nest box that a hen then eats, after which some birds actively seek eggs out. Collect eggs promptly, keep nest boxes comfortable and dark, and speak to a vet or experienced keeper if the habit is spreading through the flock.
How often can I feed eggs to my chickens?: A couple of times a week as an extra, rather than daily, is sensible — their regular layer feed is already formulated to cover their nutritional needs. Egg is a useful protein boost during a moult but should stay an occasional addition rather than a routine part of the diet.

Sources

Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.

Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.