Best place for the grit??

[fowl_love]

Hello! I am still somewhat new to raising ducks, but loving it so far! For my Master's research, I am raising 24 Blue-winged Teals in captivity ( in a research facility) and studying their migratory restlessness and behavior by having video cameras and sensors recording their movements. So far everything is going very well thanks to reading care guides/books and lurking on this forum. I have added a few areas of enrichment based off of great posts from this forum!

I have been debating on where the grit I give them should be placed in the cage itself. Right now they are all in temporary cages while their permanent cages are being built. I started with adding grit to their water, but then started mixing it in the food bowl instead. Now I have a separate bowl of grit next to the food bowl with some food sprinkled on top. Sometimes it looks like the ducks are eating it, but at times it also looks untouched. Maybe I'm just being overly cautious or a paranoid "duck mother".

The only other birds I have worked with in captivity that also were given grit/gravel were Zebra Finches. But they were eating it all the time, understandably so being predominately seed eaters!

So, I wanted to check with you guys at the BYC forum and see where the best place would be to put the grit, if what I'm doing is okay, and about how much grit do ducks really consume within a day's time.

Thank you in advance for any posts, advice, comments, and/or past experiences!

Anything is very much appreciated!!

 

[SassyKat6181]

I don't provide grit as my birds free range, but I would think that a bowl near their feed would be sufficient. I have oyster shell in a separate bowl free choice for the layers and find that some days it is scattered all around and some days it in untouched. The birds know when they need it.....I wouldn't worry as long as you provide it somehow.

 

[fowl_love]

Alright, thanks so much!!!

Always good to get a second opinion!