Can't find grit the right size

[chickenbottom]

Quote:
it wont be ground up to make a powder it will be crushed to chunks of egg i dont see how its softer if its harder and in chunks

What I'm saying is, you find the hardest thing your chickens eat. Right now I'm thinking about the various grains that come in my chicken feed. If I rubbed the grains against the egg shell, the shell would break before the grains.

And the point of grit is to break up food right?

i see what your saying. and yes grit is for chickens to grind things up and keep the system going smoothly

 

[Judy]

Wrap the regular chicken grit in a piece of fabric and beat it up with a hammer, or lay a board over it and beat that with a hammer.

You may not even need grit, depending where you live and what your soil is like, but this is a simple way to be sure they get what they need to grind their food.

 

[louloubean]

our feed store sells baby chick grit too.
that sounds like it would work better for you.
(i mean your BANTAMS, not YOU!)

good luck!

 

[lovemychix]

Quote:
The grit I have is big and I do the same thing.

 

[BWchicken]

Thanks for all the input! I don't even drink coffee, but I might buy a coffee grinder and try it out for grinding grit. It probably won't work, but I hate to waste all the grit I already have.

I've been using the hammer method, but it's not very efficient, I end up with big uncrushed pieces along with sand (and they won't eat the sand). I end up with very few pieces they can actually eat. But it's better than nothing. I really need to find some real chick grit.

I looked at the local feed stores for chick grit, but no one carries it, only the regular grit. Googled it too, no luck. Does anyone know of an online source where I can order the red chick grit mariposamama mentioned?

Thanks

 

[NYREDS]

Egg shells will replenish calcium used in egg laying but they're not "grit" [neither is ground oystershell].
Grit needs to be harder which is why granite is used. I suspect granite grit will defeat a coffee grinder. I usually use pigeon grit for bantams. Your feed store should be able to get some for you. If your birds are out on the ground chances are they are finding grit on their own.

 

[Uppity Peon]

If you look around you may find different grades of washed sand for landscaping or building. I found one I think they called "chat" which was used on golf courses. It's just washed sand that is coarser than play sand or mortar sand. I bought it for my raised beds to mix with compost because the soil around there was just clay and caliche.

 

[MariposaMama]

Here is the stuff I buy. I get it from my local feed store but this place sells it online. I also found it at TSC but their website says in store only.

http://www.lumber2.com/Chicken_Grit_p/pm0060441.htm

 

[codybird]

Granite will grind the coffee grinder.

 

[fowltemptress]

Have you asked the feed stores to order chick or pigeon grit for you? Just because they don't carry it in their store doesn't necessarily mean they don't have access to it.