Can 5 day old chickens eat greens without grit?

[afarrington2]

Hi, i have a few chicks who are 5 days old! Can they eat parsley without grit?

 

[yo burrill]

Yes they can the only thing they really need the grit for is hard shelled seeds and insects. Mine eat earthworms in the brooder if I can dig them up . And they love grass too!!

 

[galanie]

I doubt they will even eat the parsley. But I disagree. Unless the herb is already chopped finely, they do need grit. I give mine a small plate with some sand in it when they're tiny. They'll eat it, roll in it, whatever but they'll get enough grit in their crops for whatever I decide to give them. Mealworms usually.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I also think they need grit for greens of any kind. Some greens are softer than others, but try rubbing some parsley or grass between your fingers and see how hard it is to break up. If you use sandpaper instead of your smooth fingers, it's a lot easier.

Grit does nothing for greens in the crop that can cause impacted crop, but grit can prevent an impacted gizzard, which is where the greens get balled up in the gizzard and block the exit passage. An impacted gizzard is fatal. Some people have a lot of trouble with the concept that because something can happen does not nean it will each and every time. Not every chick that eats greens without grit will get an impacted gizzard, but some do. And it is so easy to prevent.

You can give them coarse sand, like construction sand. You can take fine gravel from a gravel driveway. You can cut a chunk of turf with roots and dirt still attached and put that in the brooder. They'll not only eat the grass but will get grit from the dirt.

With brooder raised chicks, I take dirt from the run and give that to them on Day 2 or 3. That gets grit into their gizzard so it acts the way it is supposed to. It also gives them any probiotics from the adults plus lets then get immunities from anything they need immunity to. They are usually better able to develop those immunities when they are very young. They are eventually going to be exposed to those things anyway when they join the flock. Why not do that when they are better able to develop the immunities they will need?

If they are broody raised, she gives them grit as soon as she takes them off the nest.

 

[afarrington2]

I also think they need grit for greens of any kind. Some greens are softer than others, but try rubbing some parsley or grass between your fingers and see how hard it is to break up. If you use sandpaper instead of your smooth fingers, it's a lot easier.
Grit does nothing for greens in the crop that can cause impacted crop, but grit can prevent an impacted gizzard, which is where the greens get balled up in the gizzard and block the exit passage. An impacted gizzard is fatal. Some people have a lot of trouble with the concept that because something can happen does not nean it will each and every time. Not every chick that eats greens without grit will get an impacted gizzard, but some do. And it is so easy to prevent.
You can give them coarse sand, like construction sand. You can take fine gravel from a gravel driveway. You can cut a chunk of turf with roots and dirt still attached and put that in the brooder. They'll not only eat the grass but will get grit from the dirt.
With brooder raised chicks, I take dirt from the run and give that to them on Day 2 or 3. That gets grit into their gizzard so it acts the way it is supposed to. It also gives them any probiotics from the adults plus lets then get immunities from anything they need immunity to. They are usually better able to develop those immunities when they are very young. They are eventually going to be exposed to those things anyway when they join the flock. Why not do that when they are better able to develop the immunities they will need?
If they are broody raised, she gives them grit as soon as she takes them off the nest.
Thanks so much!

 

[yo burrill]

Last thing you want to do is give them dirt from a run. Coccidiosis (sp) is found in most outdoor dirt and in poo. You dont want to feed this to babies that have not built up an immunity to it yet. This is what causes Pasty Butt in chicks and it can kill them.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Last thing you want to do is give them dirt from a run. Coccidiosis (sp) is found in most outdoor dirt and in poo. You dont want to feed this to babies that have not built up an immunity to it yet. This is what causes Pasty Butt in chicks and it can kill them.

I humbly disagree with this. Chicks raised by a broody get their cocci immunity FROM eating their moms poop. I also feel (and this is just my opinion, so it may not mean much) theres no point in feeding medicated feed if the chicks aren't going to be exposed to what they're trying to build immunities to. I've been giving my chicks grit from my chickens run for years right along with their medicated feed (unless they're hatched at home, then they get no medicated feed because mom does all of the work, ALL of it), I have never seen a bloody poo caused by coccidiosis. To each his own though, good luck!

 

[JodiLynn]

I also have had great success with "clumps of grass with dirt" in the brooder. My chickens are free-ranged so I just grab a small scoop out of the yard. The medicated feed along with outside dirt allows chicks to build immunity while on the medicated feed. Mine have been thriving since adding the dirt to the brooder, before I had an issue with pasty butt.

 

[afarrington2]

I humbly disagree with this. Chicks raised by a broody get their cocci immunity FROM eating their moms poop. I also feel (and this is just my opinion, so it may not mean much) theres no point in feeding medicated feed if the chicks aren't going to be exposed to what they're trying to build immunities to. I've been giving my chicks grit from my chickens run for years right along with their medicated feed (unless they're hatched at home, then they get no medicated feed because mom does all of the work, ALL of it), I have never seen a bloody poo caused by coccidiosis. To each his own though, good luck!

Now that makes more sense!

 

[afarrington2]

I also have had great success with "clumps of grass with dirt" in the brooder. My chickens are free-ranged so I just grab a small scoop out of the yard. The medicated feed along with outside dirt allows chicks to build immunity while on the medicated feed. Mine have been thriving since adding the dirt to the brooder, before I had an issue with pasty butt.

Thanks for the ideas!