Grit and Vitamins

[RavenEh]

What do you guys use for Grit and where do you get it from? My chicks are old enough to get veggies now so I want to make sure I have some in there for them. Some threads said sand, some said ground oyster - but aside from the sand, I don't know where to find it. TSC doesn't have any, and the only other feed store I went to said to buy sand and use it.

Also - do you feed vitamins to your chicks? If so, what kind? Mine are on a high quality starter crumble (8 weeks old) solely.

Thanks so much! There is so much conflicting information out there...

 

[GitaBooks]

My chicks have access to the gravel on the driveway, so I'm not sure about the gravel problem. I would say supplying tiny pebbles or oyster shell should be okay. Just make sure its clean, not covered in chemicals or anything.

As for whether or not to supply vitamins, vegetables, scrambled eggs, and chick food should supply all they need. I love giving special treats of watermelon and insects also!

Best of luck!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Oyster shell is provided as a calcium source for actively laying hens to take as their body directs, so chicks this young will be disinterested in it which eliminates the worry of early calcium overload, but also means that it will not be of any use for them as a grit. The properties of oyster shell that make it a good choice for calcium make it a poor choice as a grit. This is why you see mention of providing both grit *and* oyster shell as separate offerings for the flock to use.
If the environment your birds are in has natural grit in the soil (small pebbles) they may be able to get by without you offering any. However, birds that are confined in smaller areas can pretty quickly exhaust that natural grit supply, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on it or just go ahead and provide some just in case (it's cheap, so I would rather error on the side of caution than not since my birds are often kept to the run for days at a time vs. being able to range the larger area where the soil is not as picked over). Commercial poultry feed is water soluble and is digested by your bird without the need of any grit at all - but if you are going to feed anything else it's important to supply a grit source (natural or provided you) to allow for proper digestion.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Oyster shell is provided as a calcium source for actively laying hens to take as their body directs, so chicks this young will be disinterested in it which eliminates the worry of early calcium overload, but also means that it will not be of any use for them as a grit. The properties of oyster shell that make it a good choice for calcium make it a poor choice as a grit. This is why you see mention of providing both grit *and* oyster shell as separate offerings for the flock to use.
If the environment your birds are in has natural grit in the soil (small pebbles) they may be able to get by without you offering any. However, birds that are confined in smaller areas can pretty quickly exhaust that natural grit supply, so it's a good idea to keep an eye on it or just go ahead and provide some just in case (it's cheap, so I would rather error on the side of caution than not since my birds are often kept to the run for days at a time vs. being able to range the larger area where the soil is not as picked over). Commercial poultry feed is water soluble and is digested by your bird without the need of any grit at all - but if you are going to feed anything else it's important to supply a grit source (natural or provided you) to allow for proper digestion.

I all ways give chick grit to new born chicks before they get their first chick food. A teaspoon full of grit dumped out on a clean piece of cardboard is fine say for 10-15 chicks. You will be amazed at how quick they can hide this much grit and see them scratch the grit around and peck at it.. Next comes a hard boiled egg, mashed up well and some chick starter. Some old fashion oat meal follows this up on day 2. Keep up the boiled eggs, oat meal, and chick starter for several days then add canary seed or corn hominy-grits. By a week old they should be eating hulled oats, cracked corn, and the occasional kernel of shelled corn.. Calf Manna is a good supplement to feed but you need to bust up the pellets for baby chicks. Buttermilk or clabbered milk is a good baby chick beverage as well as simple sugar syrup.

The idea is too get your chicks off too a fast start.