do chicks need grit if food is blended?

[littlecoopnextdoor]

I have some surplus pumpkin and squash seeds that I was going to grind up into a coarse powder for the chickens. They're about 3.5 weeks old. Do they need grit to be able to eat a sprinkle of seeds? Do they need grit to process soft fruits etc? They have been outside a few times this week for extended periods, so they've definitely been eating dirt and some sand but not sure how many rocks etc. Thanks!

 

[Chickassan]

Dirt and sand count as chick grit

 

[Ridgerunner]

If the food is already ground up, no they do not need grit. They do not need grit for certain foods, like egg yolk or yogurt. If the food needs to be ground up when they eat it, then they need grit.

If they have been on the ground and pecking at it, they have grit.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

If the food is already ground up, no they do not need grit. They do not need grit for certain foods, like egg yolk or yogurt. If the food needs to be ground up when they eat it, then they need grit.

If they have been on the ground and pecking at it, they have grit.

thank you for this reassurance. they were not on the ground at all yesterday, just in their coop- does grit stay for a few days in their gizzard?

 

[Ridgerunner]

does grit stay for a few days in their gizzard?

How long grit stays depends on how hard the rock is and how big it is. For an adult chicken a pea sized piece of granite might last a month before it is ground down to a fine sand and sent out the back end. A softer or smaller piece of rock will not last as long. I don't know what rock you have in your soil so I cannot say, but think in terms of several days if not weeks.