Get strong eggs with Oyster Strong® System Only in Purina® premium layer feeds
Level up with our unique blend of oyster shell, vitamin D and manganese required for strong shells and healthy hens.
Shell-Strengthening Nutrients in Every Bite
Help say goodbye to soft shells. All Purina® premium layer feeds are infused with the Oyster Strong® System to ensure your laying hens achieve a consistent supply of calcium through a blend of oyster shell, vitamin D and manganese. These three ingredients work together to help your chickens produce strong-shelled, delicious eggs each day.
The Oyster Strong® Difference
Hens that lack proper calcium levels typically produce soft or brittle eggshells. Sometimes an improper calcium balance can cause hens to pull calcium from their bones to produce eggshells, weakening their overall skeletal structure.
The Oyster Strong® System utilizes larger particles of oyster shell to provide a slow and steady release of calcium during the night when hens are forming eggshells. Vitamin D is like the taxi that gets the calcium into your hen’s bloodstream where it’s needed, while manganese helps strengthen and create the structure of the egg. The Oyster Strong System ® brings all three nutrients together to help your hens make strong, healthy eggshells.
Choose a layer feed with the Purina® Oyster Strong® System to help your hens lay strong and stay strong.
Which layer feed + Oyster Strong® System is right for your flock?
Purina® Layena® Pellets or Crumbles
- Our most popular layer feeds
Purina® Layena®+ Omega-3
- Includes added omega-3 fatty acids for your health
Purina® Layena®+ Free Range
- Includes insect protein
Purina® Organic Layer Feed
- Certified USDA Organic
Frequently Asked Questions
If chickens are laying soft or brittle eggs, they are most likely not receiving enough calcium through their feeds.
To form an eggshell, a hen must consume about 4 grams of calcium per day. Every bag of Purina layer feed provides chickens with the necessary amount of calcium needed to produce strong shells.
Once you start providing your chicken with the proper nutrients to achieve strong shells, it takes about 20 hours to make an eggshell. Much of the work is done overnight, long after your hens have eaten their feed.
We created the Oyster Strong® System to provide calcium for chickens during all the times they’re not eating – like when they’re sleeping, gabbing with their coop mates or exploring your backyard.
The three ingredients – vitamin D, manganese and larger-sized oyster shell particles – were chosen so the calcium would break down over time and slowly release when your hen needs it.
If your main feed source is a Purina® premium layer feed with the Oyster Strong® System, you don’t need an oyster shell supplement or a calcium supplement. The Oyster Strong ® System helps provide the necessary calcium your chickens require for strong shells and healthy bodies. No more forgetting to buy oyster shells or making sure the boss hen doesn’t guard the oyster shell dish!
Producing eggs with strong shells is important for keeping bad bacteria out. Soft or thin shells provide less of a protective barrier and can lead to unwanted, sometimes harmful bacteria in your eggs. To identify backyard eggs with strong shells, they should break in a crisp, perfect line when cracking. If the crack is more of a crumble and shatter, your hens could use a calcium boost from a Purina ® premium layer feed with the Oyster Strong® System.
Hens need to consume about 4 grams of calcium each day to achieve the 2 grams of calcium needed to make a strong eggshell – not all the calcium goes to making eggshells. Purina ® premium layer feeds with the Oyster Strong® System have the right amount of calcium your hens need.
Some chicken raisers provide eggshells to their hens as another calcium source, but there’s no need to if your hens’ diet mainly consists of a Purina® premium layer feed with the Oyster Strong ® System. If you’re feeding eggshells to your hens, keep these precautions in mind:
- The calcium in eggshells is not the same as the calcium in oyster shells – it may break down quicker than the slow-release calcium in the Oyster Strong® System.
- Your birds will need to eat more eggshells to get the same amount of calcium as from oyster shells.
- Feeding eggshells to your birds could inadvertently train them to start eating the eggs they are laying.
- Sometimes there is bacteria on the eggshells that could potentially make your hens sick if they ingest it. Always clean and dry eggshells before feeding them to your hens.
You should start feeding a complete layer feed to your hens when they turn 18 weeks old or when you see the first egg — whichever comes first. Gradually make the transition over a week-long period. Follow these three steps when transitioning to a layer feed.
See Why Other Flocksters Recommend the Oyster Strong® System
Hear what happy chicken raisers across the country say about Purina® layer feeds with the Oyster Strong® System:
“When I switched to Purina® Layena® with Oyster Strong® System feed , I immediately noticed a difference. Not only does the food last longer, the eggshells are strong and my hens are happy. I wouldn’t use any other feed for my hens.”
– LJ33 BackYard Chickens member
“Hey Chicken People: I’ve been consistently feeding Purina® Organic layer feed to my birds and they’ve been laying great ever since. Shells are firm and the birds are happy – which is the best news ever! Thanks Purina!”
– Justino, Purina® Organic layer feed online product reviewer
“I bought Purina® Layena®+ Free Range feed as a booster for my hens’ nutrition and they love it! So much so that I started using it as their main feed. It seems better for them than the standard layer feed, it has fly larvae to give them protein they miss out on when unable to free range. We love their egg quality.”
– Karen Mc, Purina® Layena®+ Free Range feed online product reviewer