Grit

[Doormantnt]

Hello all....this is my first go around with chickens. I have 6 assorted 6 week old chicks, they have been on Start and Grow since I got them at 2-3 days old (feed store buy)...I have read that as long as they are on a "starter" food then they don't need grit. I bought a back of chick grit when I got them, and still have it (didn't use much) only sprinkled on in beginning. Well last night I realized my radishes in the garden were coming in early (love spring), and while I was pulling some and cutting tops, I figured I'll give the girls a surprise. So I got my wife and said you want to see something funny, and hung 2 tops thru the side of the cage....the girls went ballistic...confusion at first, then DEVORED the tops...then I realized with "treats and organics" that I should probably put in the grit now....MY QUESTION NOW IS...can I just free access it like food and water, or is it to be more restricted???? I put the grit in a bowl immediatiatly after (and before they ate) the tops, but the girls were really going after the grit, and I was concerned they would eat to much...is that possible?? I have never seen all 6 with all there heads in a bowl at the same time.

I know once they start laying, free access calcium (oyster shell etc.) but what about grit.

they coop is well under way of completion (within 2 weeks, and week for run) I know I'm late and they get SO big SO quick....future knowledge COOP DONE....THEN GET CHICKENS LOL...

Thank you all in advance for your responses...

TNT

 

[ging3rhoffman]

Yes give them grit. You can just put a bowl down for them. We put sand in our run so we dont have to worry about grit any longer.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

I am asked a lot about using grit for chickens
yes some chicks will over eat and get a clogged crop
as the grit will build up in it
if they were eagerly eating it I probably would have taken the bowl of grit out for a while giving their crop time to filter it to the gizzard

the most used grit is granite grit

I used mineralized granite grit for pigeons

as the minerals were good for the chickens and it was red and chickens love any thing red

I never fed chicks grit as I never fed whole or cracked grains
just fed commercial crumbles to my chicks

then when they were adults I always had a feeder of grit as chickens need the grit and minerals
any questions just email me

here is a article on grit and its use by a friend of mine

Grit and its use
Randy Henry


This is an article to dispel the notions that all Grits are alike. A lot of grit is desiccated granite, soft stuff, flows through gizzards like sand, the cheap stuff, usually just a by product of some other mining enterprise. Iodine is one of the toughest items to get in a correct amount, systemically yet is necessary for proper immune system development. The red iodized granite pigeon grit is all hard granite, infused with a chelated iodide formula that provides better grinding action and releases iodine molecules to bond with feed particles.

Red Iodized Granite Pigeon Grit is selected for particle size and is produced solely for the purpose of performing in a bird's gizzard. It out lasts all softer, more rotten stone products often sold as grit or in premixed grit formulas. Since pigeons feed squabs by regurgitation, a good grit base is provided to squab's gizzards even before they fledge.

I feed my pigeons cafeteria style, that is free choice Whole kernel dried Corn, whole
kernel Dried hard red Wheat, and whole, dried either Green Peas, commonly called wrinkle peas or Lentils. Just FYI, they eat twice as much Corn as Wheat, twice as much Wheat as Peas. An early supply of a good grit is imperative for squabs to digest the whole grains they are fed by their parents.

The parents are selective, they only produce pigeon milk for a short time, no grit is introduced to the squabs at that time. When the parents are providing the squabs with
whole grains, they provide them with grit to facilitate digestion. Since many more commercial squab producers utilize whole grains, than do other commercial avian producers, pigeon breeders have funded the most research re grit formulation.

The advent of raising squabs on pelleted feed is relatively new while feeding reprocessed feed to chickens and waterfowl is dateable to much earlier. It seems to appeal to the birds as well, as those I have seen or have butchered all contain a very high percentage of the grit from the containers compared to any grit sours they may have picked from. I have a lot of grit source, my place once belonged to a roofing company, they dumped small pea sized gravel's by the truckload around here over many years. These rocks range from white quartz to crushed granite and the birds ingest very little of any of it. Randy Henry
(JaRaCo)
any questions email me

 

[Chris09]

I was told some time ago by a breeder of of some of the best RIR's
in the US that if your chickens are on a peleted or a crumbled feed or on the ground you do not need grit. It is only when you start adding hard grain to there feed you need to add grit.. As far as oyster shell he said if you are hatching the eggs no need for that eather there is calcium all ready in all good breeder feeds. Why would you want to make the shell harder for your chicks to get out of.. Now with that said I have had chickens for around 30 years now all Show and Exhibition quality and I never feed grit or oyster shells. My bird eat 28% pro. starter from 0-5 weeks 20% pro. grower 6-laying as soon as they are laying eggs they go on a 18% breeder pellet and some scratch grain. All my birds are healthy..
If your birds are on the ground they will get all the grit they need picking at the ground..
Chris