Do they really need grit if.........

[maggiemooscluckers]

My run is in the desert where we have no grass. Lots of small sandy dirt with lots of "natural" grit. Is it necessary to also give store bought grit or sand. Looking to lighten the feed bill where ever possible. Thanks

 

[woodmort]

No.

 

[sewchick]

I dont give mine grit or oyster shell unless the eggs are soft. I feed them layer feed.

 

[GermanChick]

They find plenty of grit if they free range / have a large run with sand. Mine have a big box of sand in their run, they love to "bathe" in it and they eat it as grit.

 

[johny]

Hard desert sand should be all they need.
Mine stopped eating grit from a bowl, when I let them out on a sand run.
The problem is that, I will need a few wheelbarrow loads of sand to replace what they eat.
The sand "floor" of the run has gotten shallower. Maybe it is just compaction from running around outside. I would have thought it would stay the same level but maybe they eat the sand in the day and poop it out on the poop tray at night.

 

[Dingleberry]

Nope, your good to go

 

[BeccaB00]

Nopee!

 

[maggiemooscluckers]

Thanks for the help. Need to keep from giving the feed store anymore $ than possible. I was raised around chickens but we didn't have healthy free range chicks. My parents owned an egg farm so you know what that means. Four to a gage! All 13,000 of them. That isn't the life my babies will have! I'm really excited about having chickens that I can enjoy! Thanks again. I will always take all the help I can get.

 

[2DogsFarm]

Grit is cheap.
I'd rather spend a few $ and leave out a dish they can eat from free choice if they want.
Same for oyster shell.

Since my girls have been freeranging I haven't refilled either dish in months.

My total outlay for both was < $10
That was many months ago

Enjoy your pets - they are way more amusing than I ever imagined

 

[Akane]

They'll usually find enough free ranging or in a run with some rocks but a bag of grit lasts nearly a year so I just buy it anyway. I lose far more money in food waste than unnecessary grit and oyster shell combined.