I have three questions: 1.Is this a good grit substitute? (I read that you don't necessarily have to buy it) 2. Do my chicks really need it? 3. If so, when do I need to give it to them? Thanks for the help y'all!!
Kinda hard to tell by the pic how big it is...it looks HUGE in the picture! It needs to be tiny for chicks. No, you don't need it unless you are feeding anything other than chick starter. That is a complete feed, so they really don't need anything else. Grit is so darn cheap, I buy mine by the 50# bag and I think my grain elevator charges something like $6.50 for the bag and it lasts me about a year.
That looks a bit big for chicks. Great for adults, though. Start with play sand or the like. Yes, they will need grit if they eat anything besides crumbles/mash. I tried parrot grit from the pet store, chick grit from TSC, and play sand from Menards. They were all about the same thing and the cost was much better on the sand. I bought a couple bags, and spread them in the run to insure they get plenty while poking around in the grass.
Chicks do not need grit if they are on a starter/grower and your not throwing other things in the brooder for them to eat on.
How old are your chicks? Mine are 5 weeks old and I use Parakeet Grit which is like sand. Your little rocks look about the size of full-grown chicken grit. My bag of Chicken Grit says to start using it at 10 weeks.
Thanks. Sorry about the picture...I know those rocks look HUGE, but they're actually quite small. They are just a tiny bit bigger than grains of sand, really. My chicks are only 1 1/2 weeks old, so I won't give it to them yet. I didn't know that you could get other kinds of bird grit at a pet store! That's a great idea...when my chicks get older and go outside I'll have to go get some of that. Thanks again for the help!
