Do my 3 week old chicks need added grit?

Long Last Farm

Songster
9 Years
Apr 30, 2010
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Southern Tier, NY
Hi! I am a newbie chicken owner, and a newbie poster, also! This forum has already been so helpful:)
My question: I have (3 week old) Blue laced Red wyandotte chicks, and have been feeding them Starter/Grower 20% feed. When will they need added grit? Also, how soon should I provide them with a roost? They are already trying to"roost" on the feed dish, and watering containers.
Thanks so much!
 
from the Murray Mcmurray catalog, you should sprinkle baby grit on the feed daily as if you were salting your food starting at 3 days of age. Avoid to much at a time as the birds will fill up on it instead of the feed.
 
Different people have different idea's about feeding grit to day old chicks. Some say you don't have to others say yes. I am one of those that believe in putting it on the food as soon as they go to the brooder. And I sprinkle it on like salt like KNP says they will eat it instead of the food. I do feed mine all natural feed from a local mill, they grind it and ad the minerals and it's 21%. It has a few course ground grains in it and that's mainly why I give mine grit. I have heard if you give them crumbles from a comercial mill that they don't need grit. But I like to be safe. I keep grit and oyster shell out all the time for my laying hens. But again I think it's personal preference. I haven't heard of anyone on here say that their chicks died because of a lack of grit or to much
 
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Some folks do and some don't. You only really need to give them grit if you're feeding them treats. As long as they are only eating the crumble (and the occasional bug that finds its way into the brooder) they don't need grit.
 
A workable rule of thumb about grit is that is you would need to chew it with your teeth in order to eat it then the birds will grit in order to properly digest it.

.....Alan.
 

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