Anyone feed Scratch and Peck chick starter? Grit question...

[KristinaE]

I am feeding Scratch and Peck chick starter, which is a milled feed (instead of crumbles). The instructions say to sprinkle chick grit over the feed for the first few days, and then to offer grit free choice after day three.

I put a dish of grit in the brooder today and the chicks went nuts! They were pecking away at it for quite a long time. Eventually I got nervous and took it out.

Will chicks self-regulate when eating grit, or can they consume to much? If so, can it cause health problems? I'm not sure if I should just let them eat all the grit they want, or if I should just sprinkle it on their food for awhile longer.

 

[thehackleguy]

You did the right thing, sometimes chicks go overboard with food, water, grit, or anything new. Once they have some grit in their gizzard they will be good for a while. You can offer it for a little while once a week or so and you should be good until they are out in the coop. Then I would offer free choice.