? About Grit & Oyster shells, for Chicks & Hens

[Joe.G]

Can i just use cracked corn, instead of keeping all of these diffirent feeds on hand?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chick starter should have grit in it already. Oyster shell and added grit should be given free choice in separate bowl. Your chicks when they are 4 to 5 weeks old and out side will likely dig their own grit but can be given free choice grit also.

I e-mailed Purina a while back and asked this question. Chicken feed, whether Starter, Grower, or Layer, does not have grit in it. The feed has already been ground up. The chicken's gizzard can break it up without the benefit of grit.

Joe.G. you do not have to provide scratch. They will do fine without it. If you decide to provide scratch, feed it in small amounts. Since it is an incomplete feed, they will do better eating mostly the well-balanced diet provided by the chick and chicken feed. Too much scratch can upset that balance of nutrients they need for best growth. They can survive and grow with a lot of scratch, they just won't have a balanced diet and possibly won't be as healthy. When Dad raised chicks in a cardboard box brooder many decades ago, all he fed them was corn meal until they were 3 or 4 weeks old and could go find their own food. They lived and grew, but they would have grown better and developed better with a balanced diet.

If your birds free range, they should be able to find their own grit, but it will not hurt to provide it on the side. Just expect it to last a long time.

I strongly agree with Tivona and Clay Mudd on not mixing the grit, oyster shell, and feed. Let them self-regulate.

There are plenty of studies that show too much calcium can harm growing chicks. In those studies, they cut the chicks open to see what damage is done to their internal organs. But they are not going to drop dead the instant they eat a bite of oyster shell or Layer. What harm might be caused depends on how much total calcium they eat over a time period. When I have young chickens with a flock, I feed them all the same food (Starter, Grower, Flock Raiser, a combined Starter/Grower, a Grower/Developer, depending on what is available and the age of the chicks) and offer oyster shell on the side. The ones that need the calcium eat the oyster shell and the ones that don't may eat a bite or two but they generally leave it alone. When mine free range, they don't eat much oyster shell anyway. They find a lot of calcium in some plants and bugs they eat and can even get calcium from the gravel they use as grit if you are in limestone country.

When chickens eat about anything other than prepared chicken feed, they should have grit. They don't have teeth and use grit in their gizzard to grind up hard or tough things like grain and grass. When I have chicks in the brooder, I take some sandy dirt and put it in with them, offered on the side, so they are prepared. But if you only feed prepared chicken feed, you don't have to give them any grit.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

For your chicks, I'd feed chick starter. If giving treats then you can give them chick grit or sand but under two weeks I'd just sprinkle a little over their food. After two weeks you can put a container of grit in there. Don't give them oyster shells until they are laying.

For your hens, I'd feed layer feed. It will have some calcium in it. So don't feed that to the chicks, too. The hens can still use on occasion some extra oyster shell, so give them a container of oyster shell. Also a container of #3 grit or sharp gravel so they can digest whole grains and grasses, unless they are able to obtain small sharp stones from the soil (free rangers usually can find their own grit).

If you look at Purina's website (or whatever brand you buy) you can see that there is a chick starter feed, a grower feed (or starter/grower combo), and a layer feed.

If you must feed them all the same food, you can buy Flock Raiser but it has 20% protein, which is a little high for teenage hens but perfect for chicks. But many people feed this to everyone in the flock...esp. those who have ducks, too. Layer feed usually is 16% protein, and grower is usually 17% protein.

The best time to integrate flocks is when the younger ones are about the same size as the older ones, or around 4 months of age for the younger ones.

Don't put your chicks with the hens or the hens will kill them.

Cracked corn and scratch is a good treat but you can skip them if you want. If you give it to them, just throw out a handful to your layers (per about 5 hens) every day as a way to get them to come when you call.

 

[Joe.G]

Ok I picked up two 18 long Feeder trays, I mounted them on teh wall near the feeder in the Hens Coop and I filled one with Grit and the other with Oyster shells, Now they can eat it when ever they want.

I have Cracked corn in one feed barrel that I have been throwing on the ground and have at times mixed a little in with there feed. I also have a barrel of Layers Pellets.

I have a small bag of Med starter feed also. Ill keep them this for a bit ( Maybe a month or two ? )then switch to a grower feed. Sound right?

 

[florida lee]

As Strikefalcon said...
I use scratch as a treat, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

 

[Joe.G]

These are 18" Metal feeders that I have added to the coop one has Grit and the other Oyster shells, I just keep them full, They don't seem to eat much of it.

 

[olliewoods]

glad i found this i was going to ask the same thing
thanks for all the help