Grit in a pinch

[Dhkoenig]

Hi All - my 4 hens (acquired when I bought my new house - it came complete with 2 leg horns and 2 buff orpingtons who I have subsequently fallen head over heals in love with..) one of my girls is sick - I took her to the vet and we are awaiting bloodwork and xrays. they gave me antibiotics and anti inflammatory until we get results. My cousin just taught me that grit is different than oyster shells. I have been giving them oyster shells based on google searches for grit - thinking it was grit. Here is the problem. I feel like I need to get grit into my girls TOMORROW so we don't have a bad outcome but stores here are all closed on Sundays for most of the state. i don't have sand, my girls cannot free range because I have to big hounds and this is a predator rich area (hawks, foxes, etc) so I ordered grit from amazon for Monday, but what do I give them tomorrow - I don't have sand handy, eggshells I understand are not really grit as much as calcium...does anyone know what I can use until Monday (just one day) to get something into their gizzards that can grind everything up? Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi All - my 4 hens (acquired when I bought my new house - it came complete with 2 leg horns and 2 buff orpingtons who I have subsequently fallen head over heals in love with..) one of my girls is sick - I took her to the vet and we are awaiting bloodwork and xrays. they gave me antibiotics and anti inflammatory until we get results. My cousin just taught me that grit is different than oyster shells. I have been giving them oyster shells based on google searches for grit - thinking it was grit. Here is the problem. I feel like I need to get grit into my girls TOMORROW so we don't have a bad outcome but stores here are all closed on Sundays for most of the state. i don't have sand, my girls cannot free range because I have to big hounds and this is a predator rich area (hawks, foxes, etc) so I ordered grit from amazon for Monday, but what do I give them tomorrow - I don't have sand handy, eggshells I understand are not really grit as much as calcium...does anyone know what I can use until Monday (just one day) to get something into their gizzards that can grind everything up? Thanks!

If they have been o.k. up until now, they will be fine until the grit arrives in the mail.
Depending on your soil, they may be finding suitable grit in their run, but I do prefer to make it free choice - just scatter it on the ground or place it in a cup attached to a post in your run.
Same with oyster shell.

What is wrong with the one that is sick? What does the vet think it is?

 

[MarkJr]

Mine eat gravel from my driveway.

 

[Dhkoenig]

If they have been o.k. up until now, they will be fine until the grit arrives in the mail.
Depending on your soil, they may be finding suitable grit in their run, but I do prefer to make it free choice - just scatter it on the ground or place it in a cup attached to a post in your run.
Same with oyster shell.

What is wrong with the one that is sick? What does the vet think it is?

The vet wasn't sure. She took an xray and blood but said she had to send it out but wouldn't know til next week. She said that she was a little thin and that her crop is slightly distended, which makes me wonder because I just found out from my cousin that oyster shell is not grit. So annoyed because when I searched grit on amazon for chickens oyster shells were the top search result so I figured they were one and the same. Duh

 

[Dhkoenig]

Mine eat gravel from my driveway.

Mine aren't free range because of my two big hounds and the amount of predators in our area so maybe if I shovel a big couple of scoops of dirt from somewhere in the yard and put it in there it could give them some fresh bits that they haven't already used up from the floor of their run??

 

[Dhkoenig]

The vet wasn't sure. She took an xray and blood but said she had to send it out but wouldn't know til next week. She said that she was a little thin and that her crop is slightly distended, which makes me wonder because I just found out from my cousin that oyster shell is not grit. So annoyed because when I searched grit on amazon for chickens oyster shells were the top search result so I figured they were one and the same. Duh

They gave me oral liquid antibiotic and anti inflammatory - so I hate to give them random medicine that they may or may not need until I know what it is...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The vet wasn't sure. She took an xray and blood but said she had to send it out but wouldn't know til next week. She said that she was a little thin and that her crop is slightly distended, which makes me wonder because I just found out from my cousin that oyster shell is not grit. So annoyed because when I searched grit on amazon for chickens oyster shells were the top search result so I figured they were one and the same. Duh

They gave me oral liquid antibiotic and anti inflammatory - so I hate to give them random medicine that they may or may not need until I know what it is...

If you can give more details about symptoms you are seeing that may be helpful. (lethargy, coughing, sneezing, bloated abdomen, not laying eggs, etc.)
Photos of poop and the sick hen.
Age, what you feed including treats, how are they housed, etc.

A crop should feel full (have food/water in it) when the bird has been eating/drinking. Feel the crop first thing in the morning before she eats or drinks - it should be empty/flat. If it's not then she has a crop problem.
Keep in mind that crop problems can be a symptom of something else going on - reproductive disorders, infection, worms and coccidiosis are a few common conditions that affect crop function.