Do chickens eat grit even when they don't need it?

[Country4ever]

I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with one of my hens. She is gurgling and losing dark brown fluid out her mouth when I tip her. She has no palpable crop and seems quite healthy otherwise.

I'm keeping her separated in a dog crate and threw some grit in there and she ate it right up. Made me wonder if I'd been too lax in providing grit to everyone. So I threw a bunch into the run, and the other hens gobbled it up. I've thrown it there in the past, and when they realize its only grit and not a treat, they're not interested in it. But today, they gobbled it all up immediately. This made me wonder if the sick hen was suffering from not enough grit.
When they snarf it up like this, does it mean they really, really needed it, or do they just eat it for the heck of it sometimes??
Thanks.

 

[gritsar]

Chickens need grit at all times.
If it's not in their enviroment, you have to provide it.

 

[Country4ever]

Thanks gritstar,
What I'm asking is, do they only eat it when they need it, or do they just eat it up if they're hungry and don't care that its not food?
If they ate it up quickly, does that mean they were really low on it?
Would they ignore it if they had plenty in their gizzards?
Thanks.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
My feeling is that they would ignore it if they already have enough. Same goes for the oyster shell. I put a pile of oyster shell out and sometimes the girls start in on it right away, other times they ignore it. My roo never touches it.
Grit has to be replenished all the time.

 

[Country4ever]

Thanks gritsar! That's what I was thinking too. The fact that my chickens really jumped on it and snarfed it down tells me they were deficient in it, and maybe that's why the one was bringing up alot of dark brown gunk, even though her crop wasn't palpable. At least that's what I hope was going on, and it will resolve, once the hen takes in enough grit.
They have a big run, but it just hit me awhile back that it has probably a foot of composted poop and straw in it.......which wouldn't contain the natural grit found in the ground. So I need to routinely throw a bunch in there, or have a pan of it in the coop.
Does the grit they ingest eventually just get worn down into dust and excreted?
Thanks!

 

[Sissy]

I always add 5# grit to the entire bag of feed
so my ladies are getting it everyday .
and for calcium if i run out i use the dry up eggshells from the hard boiled chopped eggs i have fed the babies.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yes.