Curious about Grit

[kukupecpec]

Hey there!

So I'm brand new to backyard chickens, but I'm loving it! I have been having stone trouble with my girls, poor planning on my part really. I was told by a friend just to buy Walmart chicken feed, but when I got there, they only had scratch. After feeding them nothing but scratch fire a week their poop became bright yellow and completely liquid. I've bought then some oyster she'll and layer feed hoping to help their stomachs get back to normal, I'll never make that mistake again. But now I'm wondering about grit. The feed store that i have started using is wonderful! But they only carry "chick grit". Do adult hens need a different grit? I had seen online that they have a grown chicken grit and i would hate to get them the wrong thing.

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

Not sure what part of the world you're in but I'm in Alaska and the chickens in the summer get enough grit from the rocks around the yard. Now in winter, I supplement them with #1 grit, sometimes called HensTeeth. It's crushed limestone I believe, I let the birds have free access to it in winter, they take it as needed. Be careful of the scratch, they love it but it's like candy to a kid, enough of it and they'll get fat. I don't give the scratch in the summer, they can eat bugs for a treat. Plus they get veggies and garden greens but in the winter when it's cold I'll throw some scratch out in the yard which will entice them to come outside and eat. The scratch gives them a little more energy to produce the heat to stay warm.

Good luck with your birds and welcome to the forum.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

It is my understanding that most chickens get enough little rocks and minerals from the ground that they usually do not need additional grit. If your birds are kept in a very small area or cooped up off the ground and no lot have access to healthy dirt then they will need grid. Chicks and young pullets who are kept inside or in brooders will need grit because they don't wander and find it naturally in their environment.

Layer feed is for laying chickens only. If any of your birds are young pullets and have not started laying yet you should get a non-medicated grower feed and provide with the oyster shell until all of them are laying.

If they are all laying and you are feeding a layer feed, it already contains extra calcium so you do not usually need to provide oyster shell also. (It will not hurt though).

And, as you now know, scratch is just a snack.

As a new chicken mom I would recommend reading about apple cider vinegar and diatomaceous earth. Those two things will help prevent some health and bug problems and I wish I had known about them when I started out.

 

[devora]

Chick grit is grit. No diff.

 

[kukupecpec]

Thanks so much everyone! What a wealth of information! My girls do get to come out in the evening, but it's so hot outside they stay in their shady coop and run during the day. I think I will stop provide them grout just in case, can't hurt to offer it, as long add the chick grout is not to small or anything. I am heading back to the feed store today so i will pick up some non later feed, they were super helpful so they should be Albee to help me find the right stuff. Thanks again for all your help!

 

[growyourbrew]

I too don't give grit. When they were chicks and in the house, yes. But once outside, I have not 'gritted' them. I also have not given them oyster shells in a long long time. Some people offer it free-choice. I only provide it if their egg production has gone down or if their shells are brittle. I do however feed crushed cooked egg shells back to them.
Yes, scratch is only as a treat. You need to feed them meat or layer feed, depending on what you are looking to use your chickens for. Chicks under a certain age need grower feed (check the package for ages).
I also give them hay (winter) and grass and weeds and table scraps to lower feed costs.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Chick grit is grit, but it is really small compared to pullet or hen grit. I guess it would still work.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I do offer grit because although my chickens are let out into my barn/pasture area they roam the same space every day and the ground is pretty fine textured out there, so it got picked over pretty fast. If you feed chick grit they will likely just eat more of it since it is so small. It's going to wear down and pass out of their gut faster then hen sized grit.