Grit Substitutes

[ClickityChick123]

Hi everyone, I'm wondering if I can still use sand for grit for my eight week old chicks. If I mix in some crushed eggshells would that help? Can I just use crushed eggshells?

 

[FrostRanger]

Don't give the chicks eggshell, they don't need the extra calcium. Sand and gravel are fine though

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum! Glad you joined!

Where are you located? I think this may be a case of people separated by a common language. In the US we call oyster shell, crushed eggshell, and such calcium supplements. In the UK and some other parts of the English-speaking work call that soluble grit. To us grit is the small rocks that the chickens store in their gizzards to grind up their food. To others it might be called insoluble grit. That has caused confusion on this forum a few times.

I'm wondering if I can still use sand for grit for my eight week old chicks.

Eight-week-old chicks are getting to be a decent size. Sand could work if the grains are fairly large. Small-grained sand is mor problematic. If your soil has rock in it they should be able to find their own (insoluble) grit if they have access. At that size I'd want to move away from sand.

If I mix in some crushed eggshells would that help? Can I just use crushed eggshells?

Crushed eggshell will not help them grind up tough stuff in the gizzard. They need rock for that. Growing chicks need some calcium for growth, especially for their bones. But they don't need as much as hens need for eggshells. They are probably getting enough calcium from other sources, like their regular feed. If they get too much calcium it can cause damage to their bodies.

 

[ClickityChick123]

We're in Lakewood, but thanks that helps a lot. I have started letting them roam in a controlled environment and they love it.

 

[Debbie292d]

We're in Lakewood, but thanks that helps a lot. I have started letting them roam in a controlled environment and they love it.

Which state out of curiousity as I know of three Lakewoods -- Wisconsin, Florida, and Colorado. If it's the first one, we're nearly neighbors!

 

[ClickityChick123]

We're in Colorado, sorry for the confusion.

 

[Debbie292d]

We're in Colorado, sorry for the confusion.

Ah, okay! I lived there for a couple of years. I liked how I could get to the mountains or the city in just a few minutes. The winters are great there too...snow comes by the foot, then gone by afternoon.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[ClickityChick123]

Thanks so much! It's such a fun community here at BYC!