Concerned

[joeanybody]

Hello all, I am currently on my second flock. I have 8 hens, 4 leghorns and 4 ISA browns, which are approx. 4 months old. They have been paying for a number of weeks now and are doing good in that department. My concern is this: they don’t eat grit and they drink a whole lot of water. I keep grit and oyster shell out in separate containers. They will eat the shell but not the grit. I found this really odd. Next, I am providing 2 gallons of water daily and all is being consumed. Even with spillage and evaporation I would estimate 1.5 gallons per day is being consumed. Are either of these two things normal? Should I get a vet out to look at them for dehydration?(assuming I can find one). TIA

 

[nuthatched]

That's normal, but they're too young for oyster shell yet. If they have access to the ground, they might not need grit.
Do they have shade? What's they're diet?

 

[Debbie292d]

I am assuming since you are giving 4-month-old chickens grit, they are not free-ranging. Does their run have dirt? If so, they're getting their grit. If no dirt in run, do they have a dust bath? If not, you could make one with a kitty litter box or something and put garden dirt in it and some ash or DE (food grade diatomaceous earth.)

1.5 gallons of water in one day is a little high. We have a 5-gallon nipple bucket in the coop and it lasts a month with 12 silkies, although they free-range and find water elsewhere too.
If you worry about dehydration, you could try Hydro Hen once every other day for a couple of days and see if that changes anything. Maybe they're just hot and drinking a lot though?

 

[Debbie292d]

That's normal, but they're too young for oyster shell yet. If they have access to the ground, they might not need grit.
Do they have shade? What's they're diet?

I think Joe typoed and meant "laying." "They have been paying for a number of weeks now and are doing good..."

 

[nuthatched]

I think Joe typoed and meant "laying." "They have been paying for a number of weeks now and are doing good..."

4 months is 16 weeks, if they're 16 weeks and have been laying for a few weeks, there's some sort of discrepancy since that's physically impossible.

 

[Debbie292d]

4 months is 16 weeks, if they're 16 weeks and have been laying for a few weeks, there's some sort of discrepancy since that's physically impossible.

I figured that too but I only know silkies. I just don't know what "paying" is otherwise lol.

 

[joeanybody]

I think Joe typoed and meant "laying." "They have been paying for a number of weeks now and are doing good..."

Yes new phone new autocorrect.lol. They have been laying for a few weeks now. They lay every day. Age is approx since they are store bought

 

[nuthatched]

I figured that too but I only know silkies. I just don't know what "paying" is otherwise lol.

They could be older? They have to be about 8 weeks older than estimated. In which case, oyster shells are fine.

 

[LaFleche]

With the ongoing heatwave I imagine that quite a lot of wild birds will have discovered the water supply and are quenching their thirst as well.

I see them here all the time and have to refill the chicken water dispensers almost twice as often because of them .

 

[rosemarythyme]

Even if their run is free of small rocks that serve as grit, chickens really don't need a lot of it (they keep it in their system until the rocks get worn down into tinier, smoother pebbles) so a single bag of grit can easily last for years with a small flock. Never hurts to offer them the option, but it's normal in my set up to see the grit cup contents sitting around for months without a real noticeable drop in level.