Do you feed grit to 1 day - 6 week old chicks?

[Candiss]

And if so in what form? Thank you.. Newbee here.. All info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Tiramisu]

Most people only feed grit when they start giving them treats, but I think the chicks feed contains some grit. They can also get grit from eating dirt or small rocks.

I gave mine some sand for grit when they were little.

 

[kipper]

I was told by a poultry Phd that chick starter contains all they need, including grit.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

I'm a noobie too, but the gentleman at the local feed store said, in a nutshell, they likely won't need it but it doesn't hurt to offer them some. Most pet stores carry parakeet or similar sized grit, so it would work for small chicks. He said just to put a bit of that in a little bowl near but not right next to the feed. That way if they need it, they can have it.

 

[Tiramisu]

I think you need to be careful with parakeet grit though. I think some contain calcium in too high of amounts for chicks and it can cause them kidney problems.

 

[Candiss]

Thank you all for your help.. I love this board & the people, very helpful.

Candiss

 

[PegramPoultryProprietor]

The previous post about chick starter and not needing it is correct. I was told by my local agent they don't ever need it as long as they are only eating crumble type food. Anything in their diet like greens and you will need grit; but I would shy away from anything except medicated (or non med if you prefer) starter crumbles for the first few weeks.