Gimmee the dirt on grit!

[raisingkane]

Hi there,
My chicks are 4 and 5 weeks of age. I have had them out in their run and coop for two nights now. Grit is a mystery to me. At what age do I start supplying it? They are still eating the medicated "starter" food which I was led to believe has grit in it. When do I need to supply the real deal and how do I do it? Mix it in with the food? Throw it on the ground? We are all loving life now that they are outside. Getting the Rhode Island Reds into the coop at night is a challenge, the barred rocks are tricky but the brahmas (my are they sweet) and the jerseys are easy to set in. Will they at some point just walk in themselves? Ooops... Now I've got a couple of questions here...
Thanks

 

[missusduray]

I am fairly new to this but let me take a crack at some of your questions.

At dark, they should go into the coop by themselves without being chased. Mine do.

If you supply treats then their should be a separate grit bowl available. You can sprinkle it on treats like salt and pepper but it is probably easier to jsut let them have a bowl of it in their pen. They will eat what they need. You can get it at a local feed store. If you feed them JUST the chick starter then they shouldnt need any extra grit.

Hopefully that helps you out.
Kristyne

 

[Dawn419]

Since your chicks are already outdoors and have access to their run, they'll get grit from the ground/ dirt in their yard.

My chicks are still in their indoor brooder so when I provide cut up grass for a treat I also put in a shallow bowl of play sand for them to pick at. They also use the grit bowl for dust bathing.