Grit

[Appalachickens]

Once my chicks were a few days old, I started putting a little pan with a clump of dirt from the run and some chick grit in the brooder. It disappears pretty quickly. For the older chicks in the coop, I have a hanging holder of chick grit mixed with crushed granite gravel from the driveway. That also disappears pretty readily.

 

[Bawkbok]

Depending on the amount of water, you might have a dish of mush, or you might have bits sitting in the bottom of a dishful of water.

The feed got wet during a thunderstorm and turned into a thick glob of concrete mess essentially. Why would rain make the consistency be so different than when I add water to make a mash? It's not nearly as sticky. Is it due to the particulate matter in the air picked up by the rain? I dumped the feed thinking it would not be good for the girls to eat. How long does rain soaked feed take to mold anyway?

ETA - Grit turns nasty when wet also. What does everyone use to serve the OS and grit in to keep it dry? Otherwise, I have to remember to remove it before it rains, or I'm replacing it all after a rain. I've been dumping a lot of OS and grit this week. OS turns to a pasty concrete when wet. Is this ok for the chickens to eat or am I being overly anal about everything needing to be dry?

 

[EastonsMommy]

Moving chicks from brooder to coop. What do I need to do for grit? They will not be free ranging

Buy Grit a small bag at TS was $7 I believe

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Grit turns nasty when wet also. What does everyone use to serve the OS and grit in to keep it dry? Otherwise, I have to remember to remove it before it rains, or I'm replacing it all after a rain. I've been dumping a lot of OS and grit this week. OS turns to a pasty concrete when wet. Is this ok for the chickens to eat or am I being overly anal about everything needing to be dry?

I keep mine in the coop. In cat food gravity feeders. Like these. I fill them maybe once a year for 20+ hens. I'm not lazy, I'm efficient!

 

[Bawkbok]

I keep mine in the coop. In cat food gravity feeders. Like these. I fill them maybe once a year for 20+ hens. I'm not lazy, I'm efficient!

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Great idea. I'm going to explore that option. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Altairsky]

Judging by the constant mess my chickens kept doing in an unfinished electric box under my porch, just to eat the construction gravel around it, I came to the conclusion that construction aggregate is the grit with the best flavor.
I then proceeded to buy a bucket of construction gravel, and toss it at my chickens in a playground style pile. They love it.

 

[WildNectarine]

I’m sure plenty of you know this, and it’s usually listed on the bag, but I would like to add here that many bagged commercial chicken grits aren’t just stones, they can have additives like vegetable oil and probiotics, and while I don’t mind, some people might, especially the all-organic people, so it might be it worth buying your own untreated stones.