do i need grit?

[ufgrad98]

My chicks are 5 weeks old and i have just let them outside into their coop and run. i do not feed them anything other than the chick starter food, however, the run that they are in is made of of red clay soil and mulch. do i need to give them grit??

 

[Player Hater]

they will usually find their own grit if they are outside

 

[AlienChick]

It certainly can't hurt throw a little chick grit out into the run for them.

If they are ONLY eating the chick starter, they would not need any grit.

But being outside they'll eat grass and such, so they'll need something to grind it all up.

They will scratch up little rock pieces and eat it as grit, but it'll make you feel a whole lot better to throw out some chick grit for them as well.

 

[ufgrad98]

okay--next question is where do I buy grit?

 

[Judy]

Old debate on here. Some soils provide a lot more really hard rock pieces of the size they need than others. Grit is only a few bucks a bag and it takes my flock of 20 or so nearly a year to go through one, so I prefer to play it safe. But some who have kept chickens for years do not.

 

[camocoop]

any place that sells feed for chickens should have grit, i got mine at a farm store

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Your feed store should carry grit. If you scratch around in the red clay soil and can't find little sharp pieces of stone, then I would definitely give them some grit.

 

[gale65]

I have week-old chicks and they keep trying to catch flies in the brooder. Should they have grit at this age? What is best to give them for that?

I should add that none of the feed stores here sell chick or chicken grit. I guess they figure everyone has their chickens out on dirt or something. They do sell plain oyster shell but I think chicks aren't supposed to have that.

 

[AKsmama]

You can use construction sand if you can't find chick grit. Don't use parakeet/pet bird grit as it has too much calcium for chicks.

 

[ufgrad98]

i just called a feed store and they told me that i did not need to give my chicks extra grit because the chick start n grow food already contains grit. So, is this true??