Chick Grit ???

[OutofthePen]

Hi I am new to raising chickens I currently have 4 Buff Orpington chicks they were 3 weeks old on Monday, right now they are on chick starter only but I wanted to start introducing them to other types of foods like mealworms, my question is are they too young ?, when do you start them on chick grit ? Any advice is geatly appreciated.

 

[Judy]

You can do it now if you wish, or at least many people do, but watch the size of the pieces. Those throats are small and they can get choked. They don't actually need anything but their feed, though.

 

[OutofthePen]

You can do it now if you wish, or at least many people do, but watch the size of the pieces. Those throats are small and they can get choked. They don't actually need anything but their feed, though.

Great.... so chick grit is just an additional supplement ???

 

[Judy]

Not really a supplement. They use grit to grind up their food in their gizzard. In time they pass it so need to eat more. Chick feed has sufficient grit addded for them to handle the feed, but if you give other foods, they need to be offered grit. You don't need to mix it in the food, just have it available in a separate dish, and they will take what they need.

 

[OutofthePen]

Thanks

 

[HDLMN]

Is it okay for me to give them a little regular grit with the starter feed when they are two days old?

 

[Den in Penn]

See Judy's post above (4). If all they are getting is starter then they don't need grit yet.

 

[disneyguy]

Pardon the post takeover but it seemed an appropriate alternative to starting a new thread - does feed differ when it comes to pellets or crumbles, which I was told the latter is just a crushed up version of the former?

 

[HDLMN]

Im pretty sure most of the time they are the same, but remember, it can vary per brand.

 

[dusica731]

So sorry to butt in, but should I be using grit if my flock free ranges all day? They are 4-11 weeks old...