Fed Dried Mealworms to 3 week old Chicks without grit.

[JustBabyMargo]

No feed has grit in it that I'm aware of. Grit is small stones and pebbles.

Oh oops! I was told they do! I give my chickens grit free choice anyway!

 

[Ryguy3684]

I went on a 3 day vacation and had my brother watch my 6 3 week old chicks. When I returned I saw a bag of dried mealworms. He told me he was giving them to the chicks as a treat for the 3 days I was gone. I was very upset considering I didn’t ask him to do that.
I am nervous because my chicks are not on grit yet. They are only on chick starter. Will they be okay if they ate the mealworms or will they have a hard time processing it? I am going to get chick grit tomorrow to make sure but I am so worried something will happen.

Dried mealworms are pretty easy to break down and digest, so they should be fine. I would still get some chick grit for them. That way, you don't have to worry if they get any other "unexpected" treats. My brooder is in the garage as well, and they end up getting hold of little bugs that come in.

 

[Kiraeh]

Grit is most important for fibrous things like grasses or seed husks. I expect a chicken could eat bugs all day without grit and be fine- they do have digestive juices and the gizzard is a big muscle for churning things up.

 

[nuthatched]

Grit is to help the gizzard take care of food to help break it down for digestion. I think it is necessary.
Maybe its not necessary if a chick is only fed chick feed and it may not be necessary if the chick has had mealworms in addition to the chick feed.
But, if the chicks don't have access to the ground and soil, grit is absolutely necessary especially once they are fed "treats". Mealworms are considered treats.

You're right, I thought it said 6 week old chicks instead of 3 and I also forgot a lot of people don't put their chicks outside/give them dirt as early as I do, mine are out by 10 days.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It'd be best if they had some access to grit but will a few mealworms without grit harm them? No. But they won't optimize their digestion without grit, as they have no teeth and the grit helps to crush down food to aid in digestion.

I don't believe the chick starter has grit in it.

Oh really just layer feed and other raisers and stuff?

Check your ingredients list. Some folks have said their feed contains grit, however none of mine do. It's entirely possible some brands include it.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

It'd be best if they had some access to grit but will a few mealworms without grit harm them? No. But they won't optimize their digestion without grit, as they have no teeth and the grit helps to crush down food to aid in digestion.




Check your ingredients list. Some folks have said their feed contains grit, however none of mine do. It's entirely possible some brands include it.

I've never seen it either. I'd like to know which brands do contain it.

 

[Kiraeh]

Most feeds wouldn't need it- any pellet or crumble is already completely ground up at the mill.

 

[K0k0shka]

Ingredients lists are easy to look up. Best to check for yourself instead of believing what people tell you, especially on the internet where everybody is an expert. Poultry feed in the US generally does not contain grit, and if it does I expect it would be clearly labeled somehow.

Like others have said, grit is necessary for digestion because chickens don't have teeth. You can get away with not feeding grit if they eat soft things, or if they have access to rocky soil, but even that's no guarantee. Not all rocks are the right size. Or if the ground is too thickly grassy they may not be able to get to the rocks. Or if it's a small area they've stripped down and been mining for years, it may have run out of the right size rocks. Or if you have thick bedding like wood chips on the run floor, the chickens may not be able to get to any rocks in the actual soil. There are lots of potential scenarios where they can benefit from additional grit. Having a bowl of grit available at all times won't hurt and is easy to do, it's cheap and lasts for a very long time, so it's a good idea to do it just to be safe.

 

[Carters Chick House]

You're right, I thought it said 6 week old chicks instead of 3 and I also forgot a lot of people don't put their chicks outside/give them dirt as early as I do, mine are out by 10 days.

Wow..really only ten day? That's awesome. My wee ones are one week old and I can hardly wait to put them outside for an hr. or so. Can I offer them grit at 2 weeks as well?

 

[nuthatched]

Wow..really only ten day? That's awesome. My wee ones are one week old and I can hardly wait to put them outside for an hr. or so. Can I offer them grit at 2 weeks as well?

I'm not sure about the grit, I've never offered it since I live where the dirt is perfect for them to find grit.