Easy Way To Help Nesting Birds

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/help-nesting-birds.html

posted by Annie B. Bond Aug 26, 2001 3:04 am

filed under: Garden & Nature, Birds, Nature & Wildlife

6 comments

By early spring, the natural food sources for birds will be very
scarce.

Birds that have over-wintered will be in need of any food
they can find, and those that are migrating will find few sources of
food as they pass through the area.

Birds nest and lay eggs in the spring, and the females’ requirement for
calcium is high right before they lay their eggs.

You can help out the female birds nesting in your area: Chicken (and
other) egg shells are rich in calcium, so save and crush the shells of
eggs you use. Here is how the experts suggest you provide the shells to
the birds.

The safest and easiest way to provide calcium to the birds is to grind up the egg shells and stir them into cornmeal. Sprinkle the cornmeal/calcium mix around the feeders, on a platform if available.

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6 comments add your comment

Fern C. says
Feb 13, 2008 1:11 PM

Stomping on egg shells sounds like a lot of work! I use a small mortar and pestle which grinds the eggshell to a very fine grit.

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Laurence W. says
Feb 1, 2008 3:47 AM

I had no idea! I already leave some bird seeds out for my feathered friends, and will definitely do the egg shell trick too!

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Jillian Fernandez says
Jan 31, 2008 3:30 PM

I have always put out a bowl of left-over bread soaked in water and broken up in small pieces so I will certainly try the egg shell tip.

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Cat Mailander says
Jan 31, 2008 11:21 AM

I had no idea! Thanx for this tip.....I will begin saving my egg shells!!

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Sylvia Wulf says
Jan 31, 2008 11:07 AM

Don't forget to sterilize them first! I save shells until I have a reasonable batch then bake them for 1 hour at 275 - they come out safe to eat and more easily crushed. I just let them cool, pour them into an old plastic bag and gently walk on them, turning and resettling the shells a couple time to get an even crush. Such a simple thing to do to keep my feathered friends healthy and happy :-)

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Fern C. says
Sep 27, 2007 7:51 AM

I have done this whenever i have eggshells. Calcium deficiency is one reason not all the eggs hatch.

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