Enable me! Think this will work for grit?

[gritsar]

Enable me in my quest to become a farm hermit. I love being home, I hate going to town.

I am trying to prepare for my one broody that is due to hatch her chicks this week and my other broodies that still have a ways to go.

The supplies I need to pick up - another chick waterer, two chick feeders, a couple bales of pine shavings, some flockraiser, some oyster shell and some grit. All these things are available locally, except the grit. For the grit I would need to travel an hour.

I don't normally have a use for grit, since my birds all free range, but I need to offer some to my stubborn broodies that are refusing to go outside.

I have identified a spot in our long driveway where there is small pieces of granite, still there from the last time the county graded our road. It's in a section of our road that rarely sees vehicle traffic.

I want to screen this, to get the smallest pieces out to offer to my broodies. That'll do for now, right? Next week I have to travel to the city for a dr.'s appt anyhow and can pick up some grit then.

 

[easttxchick]

Yep, it should be fine-that's basically what they pick up when they're out free ranging anyway.
I'm with you-I need to go to town(have needed to for days) but I want everything delivered...
Do you have some Chick Starter?

 

[mrsengeseth]

When my chicks were small, they completely ignored the purchased grit i had gotten them and went after all my landscaping materials (ground pea gravel, landscape sand and etc. ) it never hurt them. I dont' know that it was the best for them necessarily, but it's what they did, with no ill results. They are happy adults today.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Sheila, since they are going to be in the coop with the rest of the flock I am going to feed flockraiser instead of chick starter. The only chick starter I can find anywhere around here (including in the bigger towns) is medicated. I don't want the rest of the flock eating the medicated, so flockraiser it will be. I have dispensers filled with oyster shell in both coops anyhow.

 

[easttxchick]

That'll work-just didn't want you to have to go back to town in case you forgot baby chick feed.

 

[redhen]

Honestly..My birds have NEVER touched their bowl of grit in their coop...
Same bowl of grit there for 3 yrs now....

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
That would be the same thing here Red, except the broodies are eating a grain mix right now (instead of layer feed) and they are confined to their crates, so I have to offer them something.
I need to start offering it to the meaties too, since they don't peck around outside as much as I'd like them to.

 

[redhen]

Maybe you could even add some of the tiny rocks you mentioned getting from your drive-way, right to their feed?? If they wont take it out of the bowl...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Sometimes I see a girl down the road from me out in her driveway picking out small rocks for grit for her waterfowl.