See 031174's post below. Also eggshells are porous, so these would be awfully watery eggs tasting of pickling lime. If you're that worried about not having eggs, unless you live in an apartment you can keep 2 or 3 hens in your backyard in a very small house, even a doghouse. Just make sure you fence them in to protect from predators. And don't get a rooster unless you want chicks. They will flog you. You don't need a rooster to get eggs.