The sand is their source for grit(builders sand) in the coop run(the bigger ones have access to dirt out in the run). If I add PDZ and they eat that with the sand or any food they may be pecking at, is it safe?
do not use builders sand for grit. Go get some granite grit at the store and offer it in a dish. here's why, Poultry should be eating the largest size grit for their age. Small grit/sand just goes right on thru them. We want the grit to stay in the gizzard so it helps grind the food. the better ground up the food is by the time it reached the intestines, the more nourishment is extracted from it for the bird. That's why granite grit is so good for poultry. It is insoluble. It doesn't dissolve in the gizzard which has a very high concentration of acid. second, it stays sharp in the acid so it keeps grinding feed in good fashion. Here's a research article I wrote on the subject a while back with bibliography. The Science Of Feeding Grit To Poultry https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...feeding-grit-to-poultry.891051/#post-13560662 The 1st 4 posts. Post #4 has a link to a PDF. On the second page of the PDF is a chart for which size grit to feed which age of poultry, Best, karen