Adding whole eggshell(not powdered) to vermicompost bin

Hi,

I was wondering if I could just throw eggshell without powdering them in vermicompost bin? It is a big bin (2x4'). It would reduce the consumption of electricity and blades. There doesn't seems to be information about doing so, why the need to powder it? Is it because eggshell can hurt worms?

I have a worm bin - just a tote with holes in it full of composting stuff and worms, there are some eggshells in there.  Stuff still decomposes and plants seem fine with it.  I imagine the shells just will break down much slower and so their minerals won't be available to plants as soon.  I don't imagine any harm over the long term.

I'd be interested to hear if it's actually a significant problem for the worms.  

It's probably a big eggshell vs a small worm mouth thing. I crush egg shells in my hand before giving them to the worms. Doesn't seem to cause any problem for the worms.

I don't think you NEED to crush the eggshells, but you might want to so that their benefits are available in your worm bin. The two main reasons people add crushed eggshells to a worm bin is to make the environment less acidic, and also to act as grit in the worms' guts. Worms don't have jaws and can't bite, so can only take in very tiny particles of anything, including eggshells.

If you don't want to use electricity, an old-fashioned mortar and pestle would probably actually work better. I wish I had one. I use a food processor for just a few minutes, and I feel like it uses very little electric, compared to so many other things I use on a daily basis.

Now I am curious how long an eggshell would take to break down in the bin without crushing. I might add just one to see.