Do they need grit?

[Belbris]

hi,

We have 3.5 week old Australorp chicks. I’d read in some books that you should start them in grit so went to buy some but the guy in the pet shop said they don’t need it until they are closer to egg laying age??

What are the thoughts here? Needed or not?

Our chicks are indoors most of the time eating chick starter but we take them outside for about an hr a day in the sun and they eat bits of grass and whatever else they find.

Thanks

 

[Pyxis]

If you're taking them outside and letting them scratch around, they'll be finding their own grit They only need grit provided if they are eating things aside from their starter, and don't have a way to get grit if you don't provide it to them.

 

[AlleysChicks]

He’s probably thinking of calcium. You can offer chick grit. It’s small, a little bigger than sand grains.

My first set of chickens I didn’t give grit to until they were close to laying age and that’s because I gave them some scratch grains.