feeding grit and such

[dollydaylillies]

Hi new to chickens. I am giving my baby chicks approx. 4 months old chick grit in a bowl by their food. I also read you can give them course sand not play sand and they can use that as grit. I also read giving them Oyster Shell. Do I have to start giving them this as well or when they start laying eggs? Also someone said about feeding them DE. I thought I just used the DE in the bottom of their coop as well as their nesting boxes. They are able to go into their run daily which is appox 8ft by 5ft not sure of the sq footage. The run only has weeds in it which they don't seem to like. Ukly weeds which I weed eater down for them. I pick nice long grass for them and throw it in which they seem to like. I thought perhaps this winter I would reseed it with winter rye grass.

thanks for your advise in Ohio first time chicken owner.

 

[Janay]

You should only give them oyster shell once they start laying eggs. Too much calcium would be bad for them as they are young.

 

[dollydaylillies]

thanks that's what I thought. What about table sacks? They really don't seem to like them much except cooked noodles and corn on the cob. Given them watermelon, bananas, strawberries, lettuce, they really only like their chick feed even mealworms.
Someone said they are not old enough.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Here's a feed/treat guide to follow.

Foods that Chickens Love!

Berries

Greens Don’t give out iceberg lettuce, which is really just green-tinged, unhealthy water and don’t overdo spinach which can result in poor egg quality if fed to often.

Eggs and Eggshells-Remember to rinse and crush the shells and cook the eggs before feeding. Scrambled and boiled eggs are also a wonderful snack for chicks and molting chickens.

Fruits The fruits you give them can be damaged but never moldy.

Garlic-Garlic is very healthy for chickens and acts a natural wormer, laying stimulant, feather re-grower and boosts the circulatory system. It’s also helpful to put in the water or food when a chicken is sick.

Herbs Basil, thyme, comfrey, parsley, bay leaves, lavender, calendula, spearmint, lemongrass, catnip, sage, oregano, yarrow, chickweed, marjoram, cilantro, peppermint, clover, dandelions, dill, bee balm, echinacea, fennel, mint, feverfew, garlic, ginger, lemon balm, marigold, nasturtium, nettles, pineapple sage, rosemary, wormwood and cinnamon.

Dairy

Meat Scraps Don't feed them spoiled meat, as it’s poisonous.

Vegetable

Pumpkins and Squash

Spaghetti, Pasta, Bread and Rice

Bread, Cake, Cookies, Cereal, etc Scrape off the frosting on cake and cookies.

Garden or Yard Weeds Avoid feeding them yew, mushrooms or fungi.

Foods to Never Feed Your Chickens:

Alcohol

Moldy Foods

Anything Salty

Asparagus-This will change the flavor of a hen’s egg to a bad taste but it otherwise is not harmful.

Avocado-Avocado has a fatty acid in it called “persin” which sadly can be fatal to chickens and sometimes other birds.

Green Areas of Potatoes, Peels and Potato Sprouts-All are poisonous to chickens and you personally shouldn’t eat them either!

Herbs and Plants to Stay Away from-Azalea, philodendron, rhododendron, sweet pea, black nightshade, foxglove, oleander, castor bean, vetch, henbane, irises, lantana, St. john's wort, trumpets vine, morning glory, datura, clematis and honeysuckle. If any of the herbs you are wondering about are not listed in this book, look them up before giving to your flock.

Leaves from Tomato, Pepper, Potato, Eggplant or Nightshade Plants

Onions-Onions contain a substance called “thiosulphate” which will kill red blood cells, cause anemia and sometimes even result in death.

Potatoes-Surprisingly, potatoes contain solanine which causes diarrhea, heart failure and kills red blood cells. However, sweet potatoes do not contain this substance and are perfectly fine and dandy to feed to your flock. Sweet potato fries are also fine as long as they aren’t salted.

Processed Foods and Sweets

Raw, Dry Beans

Raw Peanuts and Other Nuts

Rhubarb leaves-Rhubarb leaves surprisingly contain oxalic acid which is poisonous to chickens.

Tobacco

 

[cafarmgirl]

Hi new to chickens. I am giving my baby chicks approx. 4 months old chick grit in a bowl by their food. I also read you can give them course sand not play sand and they can use that as grit. I also read giving them Oyster Shell. Do I have to start giving them this as well or when they start laying eggs? Also someone said about feeding them DE. I thought I just used the DE in the bottom of their coop as well as their nesting boxes. They are able to go into their run daily which is appox 8ft by 5ft not sure of the sq footage. The run only has weeds in it which they don't seem to like. Ukly weeds which I weed eater down for them. I pick nice long grass for them and throw it in which they seem to like. I thought perhaps this winter I would reseed it with winter rye grass.

thanks for your advise in Ohio first time chicken owner.

The grit is fine. They don't need oyster shell until they start laying. You can feed them DE if that is how you want to spend your money but there really isn't any point to it, it won't keep them free of worms. You can use it in the litter, nest boxes and/or dust baths, it may help ward off external parasites but if they come down with a case of mites you'll still need to treat them with something effective that will actually get rid of them.

I would be cautious about giving them long stems of cut grass. When chickens graze they nip off shorter pieces and swallow them, with cut grass they are more likely to just swallow down the whole long stem. If they eat to much there is the possibility of getting an impacted crop. Shorter pieces or just let them get what they can on their own.

 

[jjchiar]

I bought grit and it appears to be crushed granite rock. Is this normal? Do they actually like rocks?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Den in Penn]

I bought grit and it appears to be crushed granite rock. Is this normal? Do they actually like rocks?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Grit that they use in the gizzard to grind their food is just rock. So they have to ingest the small stones to digest food. Granite, being one of the harder rocks last longer in the gizzard. they know they need them. But you know I never asked whether they actually like rocks.

 

[dollydaylillies]

Goodness so much information to know.

So do you think I can plant the Herbs Basil, thyme, comfrey, parsley, bay leaves, lavender, calendula, spearmint, lemongrass, catnip, sage, oregano, yarrow, chickweed, marjoram, cilantro, peppermint, clover, dandelions, dill, bee balm, echinacea, fennel, mint, feverfew, garlic, ginger, lemon balm, marigold, nasturtium, nettles, pineapple sage, rosemary, wormwood and cinnamon. Mentioned in your thread in their Run???