Sand as grit?

[martinjj]

Hi all, New to BYC and to chickens! I want to start giving my chicks some treats. So I thought I would put some sand on a plastic coffee lid and let them pick at to get grit. I think they are about 4-5 weeks old now.
Thanks Martin

 

[Chicken Little Farmer]

im not sure that sand is big enough... i guess it would depend on the kind of sand....

 

[Chicken Little Farmer]

You can get chick grit from farm stores like Coastal Farm and Wilco.

 

[MuranoFarms]

I get contractors sand in a tube from Home Depot. Its something like $5 for 60 lbs. It has all different sizes of sand and rocks mixed together.

 

[plantguy90]

You mean grit has to be about 1-2mm?

 

[underground chickenman]

What I think of as sand is too fine, unless it is really course. Plus, not all sand has the same hardness. You want chick-sized granite. I would just buy it. Assuming you don't have dozens of chicks, you are only going to need a few tablespoons full every so often, so a 5-pound bag from TSC is going to last you a long, long time. When they are older, they can generally find what they need outdoors, but my chicks get what they should have even if I have to spend a little more for it.

UGCM