9-12 Week Old Chickens/Chicks - Slug eating? Grit?

[sebloc]

Hello

Not that this is of much importance, but here I go.
We have a big garden, and there's tons of slugs. If you didn't know, slugs devour gardens. We wondered if our chickens/chicks (it's awkward calling them chicks but awkward calling them chickens) could eat slugs.

Second question, we recently switched over to the next stage of food. The new food, (from starter to the next stage) is bigger then their old food. Do they need grit and if not when should grit be introduced? I have had people tell all different things. They are still in the brooder as the coop needs another couple days to be finished. They are going to be in a run.

Thanks for any info you can provide

-sebloc

 

[CluckerCottage]

Yes, chickens eat slugs. They love them, actually.
As for grit, YES, offer it free choice.

 

[sebloc]

Is the grit mandatory? Confused by your answer sorry

Thanks

 

[CluckerCottage]

I am sorry to confuse you.
Yes, grit is mandatory. They need it to help grind up their slugs and other bugs, etc...

 

[sebloc]

Thank you

 

[Egghead_Jr]

To be clear grit is stone. Nothing more. I'd hazard a guess there is plenty of small stone in your garden they are picking up for free. Mandatory for birds to aid them in grinding down food does not imply it must be deliberately supplied to them. They are perfectly capable of picking up grit all on their own.

Where grit needs to be kept in mind is if your birds are in a desert where there is only sand, kept on concrete or in a coop without access to outside or it's the middle of frozen winter. For those of us that let birds outside and have typical soil type you never need to think about grit. For those of us in the frozen North where a layer of ice and snow is blocking access to the ground for months on end some thought pre winter should be put to prepare. For me it's to shovel some of the smaller gravel from the driveway in fall. If we don't get a January thaw that year toss a few handfuls on the ground every few weeks.