Finally Grit Question Solved

[Saaniya]

Grit for chickens is necessary if they consume seeds and corn. If they free range outside and there is small gravel/stones available on the ground, then chickens will naturally pick it out themselves. I still offer my chickens grit as well as cracked oyster shells. It is free choice. It does not get much traffic though. I have the grit because I keep pigeons also, and purchased a 40 pound bag of it. I think it may last me a lifetime since my flocks are pets and SMALL.

Yes I agree with u ..
I never give my Roo's a tiny pebble but as they get more older and started scratch my room walls I consulted a vet who told me that grit , pebbles , gravel , sand , dirt is must for chickens , birds as it help digestion and I pretty agree with this I see chickena peck on ground take tinny stones ..and these tiny stones (natural) have many minerals and calcium too

 

[Saaniya]

If you need chick grit (I know I have and the farm supply store was out), they also sell small bird grit at Walmart.

I live in new Delhi India ..and here poultry feed manufacturer send about a tonne grit in packages ..

 

[Saaniya]

I'll be interested to hear, too, as I was told by a Produce Store salesperson that I didn't need grit as it was only for layers to make their shells strong ... calcium. I said, "I thought it was for their crop (I'd already told him that the chicks were outside and eating all sorts of foods, not only Chicken Starter)" He still said I didn't need it. Not a very reliable store. I only went there because it is right in my suburb and the nearest knowledgeable produce store is half an hour away.

When I have my roosters as day old I really don't know that these cute birds also eat stones too ..in their childhood days they ate only mash feed , crumbles so they didn't required grit ..as they getting old they started scratch my walls almost they eat half of the drywall from the flooring I contact to a avian vet and he told me that they wanting grit they required grit for a strong gizzard although they have many acids in their gizzard that aid digestion but they need grit as well

 

[betR2]

Grit for chickens is necessary if they consume seeds and corn. If they free range outside and there is small gravel/stones available on the ground, then chickens will naturally pick it out themselves. I still offer my chickens grit as well as cracked oyster shells. It is free choice. It does not get much traffic though. I have the grit because I keep pigeons also, and purchased a 40 pound bag of it. I think it may last me a lifetime since my flocks are pets and SMALL.

Thanks cavemanrich for that info. Much happier now. I'll stop giving the chicks several spoonfuls mixed into their chick starter to cover all the nutritious treats they get and just put some out separately.

 

[Ms Biddy]

I collect decomposed granite and coarse sand from washouts and stream beds to use as grit. I sometimes use a kitchen sieve to rinse out the fine sand or I just let the chickens worry about it. The gizzard is a strong muscular pouch that crushes up food since chickens can't chew. The small rocks inside act like teeth to assist the muscles in breaking up the food. When opening up gizzards during butchering I've found rocks the size of aquarium pebbles on down to the size of course ground black pepper. If grit is hard to come by for some reason, coarse sand and fine pebbles are also used in terrariums and by bonsai and succulent growers in their potting mixes and can sometimes be found in nurseries or aquarium shops as well as ebay. It isn't needed if you're just feeding commercial feed since the particles are already milled so fine, however I get the impression that almost everyone here feeds things like scratch, treats and fresh greens. Grit also helps break down the pieces of straw and pine shavings that chickens can't seem to help snacking on.

 

[betR2]

I live in new Delhi India ..and here poultry feed manufacturer send about a tonne grit in packages ..

Ha ha. That would be enough for many lifetimes! I am glad that you have solved that problem!

 

[betR2]

... Grit also helps break down the pieces of straw and pine shavings that chickens can't seem to help snacking on.

Don't they just! One chick buries itself and has a nice 'bath' and then all the others jump on it and eat all the bits on its back. The day one decided to do this where the yoghurt had been was absolutely hilarious. They really are great time wasters and just a little bit crazy (should fit right in with our family).

Thanks for all the info. I thought exactly that. So, I was surprised that the produce store salesperson said it was only for layers. I would've still given them grit, anyway.

 

[Saaniya]

Ha ha. That would be enough for many lifetimes! I am glad that you have solved that problem!

Heheheheh yea a tonne

 

[Saaniya]

I collect decomposed granite and coarse sand from washouts and stream beds to use as grit. I sometimes use a kitchen sieve to rinse out the fine sand or I just let the chickens worry about it. The gizzard is a strong muscular pouch that crushes up food since chickens can't chew. The small rocks inside act like teeth to assist the muscles in breaking up the food. When opening up gizzards during butchering I've found rocks the size of aquarium pebbles on down to the size of course ground black pepper. If grit is hard to come by for some reason, coarse sand and fine pebbles are also used in terrariums and by bonsai and succulent growers in their potting mixes and can sometimes be found in nurseries or aquarium shops as well as ebay. It isn't needed if you're just feeding commercial feed since the particles are already milled so fine, however I get the impression that almost everyone here feeds things like scratch, treats and fresh greens. Grit also helps break down the pieces of straw and pine shavings that chickens can't seem to help snacking on.

What is granite?? And how to find it

 

[lazy gardener]

Hey everyone I'm so happy ..finally I found grit and u orders I'm attaching pic ..I hope that everyone will send advice's hopefully after lot of search I got grit can't wait to have it in my boys feeder as far my boys are live in my home they don't find grit so I order this they also don't eat very tough scratch they only eat pearl millet and all cooked corn things so it will be worth to order View attachment 1214558

Did you order that grit yet? Save yourself some money. That is too small to meet the needs of a chicken! And it's loaded with calcium. You can see the bits of oyster shell in it. If you do a google search on Amazon.com for CHICKEN GRIT, you will find plenty of options. If I recall correctly, from a previous thread, you were concerned b/c your birds were eating pebbles from your drywall that had paint on them, yes? Can you go out into the countryside and find some pebbles that do not have paint on them? If so, those will be sufficient. Size should be .3 - .6 cm. But, if you simply give them a scoop of soil with pebbles in it, they will pick out what they need.

I'll be interested to hear, too, as I was told by a Produce Store salesperson that I didn't need grit as it was only for layers to make their shells strong ... calcium. I said, "I thought it was for their crop (I'd already told him that the chicks were outside and eating all sorts of foods, not only Chicken Starter)" He still said I didn't need it. Not a very reliable store. I only went there because it is right in my suburb and the nearest knowledgeable produce store is half an hour away.

That employee was clueless. However, he was kind of correct when he said that if they were outside they probably didn't need it. If you have pebbles in your soil, or access to soil with pebbles, then your birds probably get all the grit they need. However, some areas are very sandy, without any noticeable insoluble stones. Some of these areas are from years of river action creating deep silty delta type soil. Then... if you live in snow country, my ground is frozen or snow covered from Nov. through mid to late April. No grit to be had then... Or if your birds are lucky enough to be in a tractor which gets moved often enough that they can't destroy the turf, you would need to supply grit. So... the "they don't need it if they are outdoors" statement may be true, or it may not. You have to assess YOUR situation, and respond appropriately.