Grit? Sand?

[Mulemom]

I saw on another post that it is ok to give treats as long as the chicks have sand or grit to help digest it. I've also seen posts that say not to give treats till they are over a week old, and then I've seen on other posts that there is enough grit in the chick starter that they don't need additional and that if they get too much it can cause problems. I got a bag of grit when I bought all my other supplies, but it just says "chicken grit" on the bag. Is there something special for chicks? Is sand a better fit? Should I wait till I start feeding them treats? Inforation overload! I'm having trouble keeping it all straight. My chicks come on Monday, and I can hardly wait!

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Some of this, I think, is based on differing opinions and different experiences.

At 3 days old my group ate a moth that flew into the brooder. I was very concerned. Someone suggested I give them a little grit just to be safe. So I bought Parakeet grit & gravel at the store. It is very, very fine (like sand). And.. I figured if my chicks were with mum, they'd be eating all sorts of stuff at that age. I didn't really give them any treats (nothing they liked, anyway!) until after they were 1.5wks.

I think the problem with the "chicken gravel" is that the pieces are too large for tiny chicks. I've heard some suggest driveway sand, or even dirt. My fear here is that my hubby is a bit of a gearhead, and there very well could be chemicals mixed in with anything laying on our driveway!

As far as the chick crumbles go, I've heard conflicting info on here about that, too. Some say it has grit in it, some say it would say on the label. I checked my bag.. nothing listed about it at all.

So... I know that's probably not much help, but I think it may be a judgement call.. at least that's how I felt about it at first. I do go VERY light on the treats at this point (my group is almost 3 weeks), and only give them a little gravel to go with it. LOL! Actually, I haven't dare give them anything I would consider a choking hazard. I gave them cooked peas last night.. but mashed them first in my fingers! I'm so panicky...

Guess it's the mom in me!

Meghan

 

[schmoo]

I bought the chick grit at the feed store and IMO it was way to HUGE to give to chicks. It was basically tiny rocks.
So I waited and I found some parakeet (sp?) grit at Walmart (even my local grocery store has it in the pet food section) It was like tiny pieces of sand, much better size for chicks. JMO I just mix a little with whatever treat I give them. Hope that helps.

 

[joanm]

Hi, I having the same concern. My chicks will be two weeks on monday. My coop is finished and I want to be able to put them in the coop for a couple of hours during the day. Well, they certainly will eat suff in the grass, do I give them grit when I bring them in? Is it okay to let them play in the coop during the day, temps are in the high 80's to 90's - I know they are so bored in the brooder.

 

[Mulemom]

Parakeet grit makes seems a lot more reasonable! Thanks!

 

[JudyMcKinn]

I bought a bag of chicken grit, and also a bag of chick grit. Both are made from Granite, the bags say. The adult chicken grit is like little squares, almost, that are about as wide on a side as a regular lead pencil lead. The baby chick grit is like very coarse sand. It is labeled as "starter" grit, and the brand name is "Gran-i-grit". I think that is the name of the regular grit, also, but not sure, as I have put it into a large can (Christmas popcorn can, lol) and tossed the sack.
I have a mom hen and babies out in the Silkie pen, and I just toss a handfull of the baby chick grit on the ground, and they pick it up as needed. I have out grit in a pan for all my adults, but I also toss out a handful or 2 on the ground where they are picking around, and they seem to know about how much they need.
This stuff is very inexpensive. Small bag, but very heavy, and wasn't over 2 to 4 dollars, if I remember correctly.

 

[akyramoto]

i just started giving my chickens grit, here is a pic of a milk jus i recycled into a grit dispenser. I really like using milk jugs because i can bungee the handle to the side of the cage so the chickens can't knock it over.

so far it seems to be working well.

 

[naturemom]

I've been wondering what to do about grit, too. I was at Farm and Fleet the other day and they only had regular grit, not chick grit. The hardware store down the street has a pet section and I bet I can get parakeet grit there! And I love the milk jug dispenser. I'll be making one of those soon. Thanks so much!

 

[schmoo]

Ahhh milk jugs are an excellent idea!! I believe in using what you have first. I saw another persons post on here and borrowed the idea of using them as chick feeders. I have a large store bought feeder which is great, but not for everyone whos hungry at once.

I have 26 chicks, almost a month old. Instead of having them pick over who eats when at their young age, everytime I use up I milk jug I wash it with soap save it and make a chick feeder. I cut 4 holes with a razorknife whatever height and size their heads fits in well that week. Make sure its a smooth cut.

They grow so fast. I have 3 so far and will eliminate the first shortest one soon.

Oh and my dad would appreciate the duct tape. He would be lost without it

 

[cookinmom]

that there is enough grit in the chick starter that they don't need additional

Just for what it's worth, the chick starter doesn't actually have grit in it. Take a little bit and wet it in your hand and you'll see why no grit is needed. It turns to mush when wet.​