Grit for ducklings.

[Unluckyduck]

Hello! I am a new first time duck/ling owner and need some advice on grit. Where i live we don’t have many feed stores and they only supply shell/calcium grit rather than crushed or small granite stones. I wanted to know if i could take stones and rocks from outside and crush them myself, small enough for them to consume, and place either in a seperate dish or sprinkle with their feed. They are currently being fed small starter pellets but i would like to add mashed peas and greens into a separate bowl for them every now and again. They are mainly housed indoors in a brooder, but when warm enough have been in a small outdoor area on grass, however i think they are more occupied playing with water than picking at the ground. They are 5-6 days old, are they too young for grit and greens? Should i just feed them the current pellets until they are 3 weeks old? Does grit need to be smooth pebbles or are jagged/crushed stones okay? And if i can make my own grit for them, is the method mentioned before okay to do? I just want the best for them and constantly worry i might be doing something or feeding them wrong, thank you.

 

[ruthhope]

You can use sand -- children's play sand is preferable to construction sand -- not sand from the beach that is full of salt!

 

[Unluckyduck]

You can use sand -- children's play sand is preferable to construction sand -- not sand from the beach that is full of salt!

Thank you for your reply! I will definitely look into children’s play sand.

 

[KaleIAm]

Personally I would not use sand. My veterinarian told me that sand can cause impaction, even in adult ducks - and to not use it in my ducks' area. Impaction can be life threatening.

I would buy chick grit. You can order it on Amazon or chewy if you can't get it locally. I started giving greens/small amounts of healthful treats when my ducklings were about 2 weeks old. Along with chick grit in a little bowl.

 

[Unluckyduck]

Personally I would not use sand. My veterinarian told me that sand can cause impaction, even in adult ducks - and to not use it in my ducks' area. Impaction can be life threatening.

I would buy chick grit. You can order it on Amazon or chewy if you can't get it locally. I started giving greens/small amounts of healthful treats when my ducklings were about 2 weeks old. Along with chick grit in a little bowl.

Thankyou for the info!! I also read about sand and saw how it can cause compaction so I decided otherwise. It looks like i will have to order some in considering the situation. Thank you again.

 

[Yardmom]

I find my birds small stones from outside. It has worked fine for me. I am lucky to have stones in a drip edge on the barn. My hens take their chicks there as well.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

You can order grit as well. If they have access to soil, most likely they don't need grit on the side. I offer all year, but unless the ground is frozen they don't choose the grit in the container because they get enough from our soil.

As far as sand, play sand is not recommended at all due to the fine particles and risk of impaction. If you use sand in the run, it needs to be the coarse construction type of sand. I have construction sand in the run with ducks and chickens. I still offer grit on the side as stated above.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

You can use sand -- children's play sand is preferable to construction sand -- not sand from the beach that is full of salt!

This info is actually backwards. Play sand isn't recommended at all as it is fine dusty particles which can cause impactions - construction sand has more texture to it and would be more beneficial to birds.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-sand-in-your-chicken-coop.47795/

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com...e best sand to use,for the birds' grit intake.

https://www.thefeatherbrain.com/blog/sand-chicken-coop-bedding#:~:text=NO!,illness in the long term.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-coop-bedding-sand-litter/