Chick ate two rocks!!??

[barefoot]

I took two of my four week old chicks outside today and I watched horrified while one of them pecked up a relatively large rock and ate it before I could stop her. Then, not a minute later, she did it again. The rocks looked like they had some sharp edges and were about 1/4 the size of a pea.

This is the first time I've raised chicks and I'm soooo worried about her. I know they need grit, but those seemed like awfully large rocks. Is this normal? Do you think I should be worried about her? Hopefully this is what people mean when they say 'grit'? I have been picturing grit as sand-sized, not pebble-sized.....

Thanks to anyone with advice.

 

[augiedranch]

im pretty knew at all of this too.. but i would think that i dont think a chick is dumb enough to do something to damage her.. twice... they are pretty tough and cute little buggers.. i think they are smart too in my opinion. i wouldnt really worry about her... thats just my opinon though. keep an eye on her.. make sure she is eating and drinking.

my chicks peck at stuff all the time to test wether or not they like it or not.. maybe thats what she was doing...

 

[MS9325]

Dont worry chickens sometimes eat small rocks or stones to help digest the food in the gizzard, it will be just fine.

 

[silkiechicken]

Sounds normal to me. When I butcher older birds, I regularly find rocks the size of pencil erasers that are smooth... meaning they were larger when they went in.

 

[Sharisr32]

Rocks = grit

and actually when they free range chicks are pretty smart to know to eat rocks as stated above they need it for digestion

 

[Frosty]

They eat rocks, broken glass, etc... don't worry unless they eat string (keep all strings from feeds bags away from them!!!) The inside of the gizzard is very tough, it would take a lot to damage it. I have butchered turkeys and found rocks over 1" diameter in the gizzards. Never understood how they swallowed them!

 

[barefoot]

Oh good! You've all made me feel so much better. I figured that she wouldn't do anything that would harm her, but being new to chickens, I'm a very overprotective mama. My dad and husband crack up at my antics. Maybe this is a sign that I need kids?

I am having so much fun with these babies, even the ones that are still recovering from the "mystery illness". I love to let them out and lead them around the yard in a little line. Cute, cute, cute!

Thanks for giving me some peace of mind.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Quote:
Sorry to say, it doesn't get any better even when you have kids!

I have five children and still tend to over worry about my chicks. That just goes with anything that is a baby, human or animal!

 

[Big_Charlie]

Something that I've learned as a parent to an almost 3-year old (with another on the way), having raised a few puppies, and that I suspect will be true about chicks too, is that you have to work pretty hard to break them. Human kids eat stuff all the time, with the phrase "This too shall pass" handed down by pediatricians for generations. I would suspect your chick will be just fine and was doing something quite natural and normal for a young chicken to do.

Big Charlie

 

[twigg]

Sorry to say, it doesn't get any better even when you have kids!big_smile I have five children and still tend to over worry about my chicks. That just goes with anything that is a baby, human or animal!

Truth was never better put

I never have seen a chicken stuff a marble up it's nose