Feeding All My Birds

[GodLovesU]

Have y’all found any specific dishes to be good for offering the oyster shell?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I should ad that I feed two different brands of chick starter, one of which is a mash that I ferment. The other is a crumble I feed as is. The fermented stuff actually has grit in it so I do provide grit in that sense but I don’t think adult birds need it added to their food—it’s probably designed more for chicks in a brooder without outdoor access.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Have y’all found any specific dishes to be good for offering the oyster shell?

Those little cups that attach to the side of a cage work great. They’re designed for birds or travel in kennels I think and hold about a cup worth. You can clip it to the side of their run just make sure it’s covered so the oyster shell doesn’t get wet and start dissolving

 

[Nabiki]

I use ceramic pet bowls to offer oyster shell for my quail. My chickens get layer feed that has calcium in it.

Your birds need grit if they are eating anything in addition to their milled feed. There is some benefit to grit even if they are eating only milled feed. I have never fed any of my birds grit because they have access to dirt that contains small stones or bits of gravel so they can forage their own.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Have y’all found any specific dishes to be good for offering the oyster shell?

Here you go. Two separate bins, one for grit and one for shell.

It’s nailed onto the side of their run dustbath, but since neither grit nor shell rot, I just occasionally scrape things out when too much run litter has joined in and then refill it.

The category appears to be “dual mineral feeder.”

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007RG5NXO?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[FrostRanger]

What you can also do is attatch some small pots or buckets to a post so they can't be knocked over. Otherwise some dog dishes work fine too. And yes, I would provide grit to all your birds, regardless of whether they are on strictly commercial feed and/or have access to natural grit, a small bag of grit is cheap and never goes bad. Worst case scenario with grit provided is they just won't use it. Worst case scenario if they need grit but don't have it is they get sick and potentially die. It's a small, cheap measure of safety that just doesn't hurt. Both grit and oyster shell should be in separate dishes and offered free choice. They will take some as needed and will self regulate