can they eat sand?

[sweeterdeeter42]

Can hens eat sand instead of grit? I know a lot of people have been starting to use sand on the floors of their coops instead of shavings or straw, and I was thinking about doing that, at least in part of the coop. I was wondering if they need grit if they have that sand or if they will eat some of that sand and it will do the same job as grit.

 

[CCourson05]

It's not big enough to be used as grit... It just passes through...

 

[chickenanna1]

Depends whether you purchase chicken feed from a supplier which has grit in it. But I would say that yes as grit helps in digestion to grind their food up. If you let your chicks roam in an outdoor pen and eat other food, which they will (grass, seeds, bugs, etc.), grit is definitely needed. They will eat sand and small particles for grit though.

On your travels, look out for deposits of sharp grit of granite, gravel or other hard rock and collect a variety of sizes. Offer the smallest to young chicks and the larger ones to adult birds.