Chicken Grit???

[kealalegacy]

My girls are about 2.5 months old and i started giving them small amounts of mashed tuna and vienna sausage... just read that they should also have some grit to help grind down the food i their gut. What kind of grit should i look for?

I make sure the tuna and vienna sausage is super mushy (put in a food processor). im hoping to give them some yogurt next month.

Want to be sure im not doing anything to hurt them... I love treat time as much as they do!

 

[jacyjones]

I am in the UK so not sure for you - I bought chick grit at the feed store. They sell grit for adults and tiny grit especially for chicks - see if you can get some cos they really need it when they have other types of food.

 

[Kassaundra]

You can grit anywhere you are buying their food. It comes in granite type and oystershell type, if they are not laying they need the granite type, when they start laying they need the oystershell type. If they are outside they may have already been supplying their own w/ the rocks on the ground, but it is best to offer for your own piece of mind and it is cheap enough.

 

[saladin]

Tuna and vienna sausage are both soft feeds that would need no grit.

 

[eggseroneous]

You can get grit at the feed store.The grit comes in different sizes, and I'd go for the smallest right now. Make sure it is a granite grit and with NO CALCIUM added. Calcium is harmful to chicks. Only give it when they're old enough to be laying eggs. Also, some folks think oyster shell is grit, but it is not---it is pure calcium and does nothing to grind the food. Grit grinds the food and oyster shell supplies calcium. Two totally different things.

Also, no reason to wait to give the yogurt. My week old babies eat all kinds of mushy stuff already. And at 2.5 months, you don't have to put the food through the blender.. They enjoy really digging in and grabbing pieces of food. They like to play the "I've got something good, so I will run now to keep it away from the rest of you guys!" game. Very entertaining. They can eat just about anything on the good treats for chickens list:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

It's best to start to give them a wide variety of foods because the older they are, the longer it will take until they try the offered food. Sometimes they will act afraid or not interested. If you get them used to trying new things, they'll attack it with gusto even if it is something they've never tried before.

 

[Ironmaiden]

eggseroneous wrote;

It's best to start to give them a wide variety of foods because the older they are, the longer it will take until they try the offered food. Sometimes they will act afraid or not interested. If you get them used to trying new things, they'll attack it with gusto even if it is something they've never tried before.

Wow. I never thought of THAT. Just like kids!

I'm breaking out the raisins and scrambled eggs as soon as I get home.​