Can oyster shells be used as grit?? or only as calcium??

[Chad the Chicken Man]

I just picked up 2 differnt items one is #2 poultry grit, and the other is oyster shells and my question is are they the same thing. i know the oyster shells are used for calcium but are they also used for grit? i just bought the two to be safe and was going to mix them together. and also i save my egg shells and feed them back as well. just wondering, ive never feed them grit or anything because there free ranging all the time and i have a sand pit and gravel driveway, but with winter around the corner i though i better start to have it by there food to be safe.

 

[colby318]

I think they absorb the calcium, but I don't see why it won't work. My birds pick the gravel out of the driveway for grit. I use the oyster shell on the side.

 

[MissPrissy]

Grit is crushed granite, pebbles, sand etc that is used by the gizzard to grind up food. It is something the body cannot digest.

Oyster shell, while gritty, dissolves and breaks down and is absorbed by the small intestine as a nutrient.

They are not the same and do not serve the same purpose.

 

[Chad the Chicken Man]

so can i mix them together or should i have two separate containers?

 

[MissPrissy]

I think it is best to offer them free choice in their own separate container.

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I have 2 seperate bowls one grit, 1 oystershell.

 

[Chad the Chicken Man]

ok thanks everyone!!

 

[felidaet]

Here is how I feed grit and oyster shell. It works great. Grit is in half of the feeder and oyster shell in the other half. There is a divider to separate the two halves.