Grit?

[NewToQuail]

My buttons are nearly 3 weeks old now.

Do they need grit? When should I start giving it to them, and where is the best place to buy it? Will the grit supply the calcium that the hens will eventually need?

Thanks!

 

[saddina]

Quote:
If you give them sand to bathe in, they most likely eay that. Grit is not the same as calcium.

 

[laputa]

Grit is pretty much just sand, and composition is mainly silicon dioxide. A few bucks will get you a big bag in home depot. Even if there is tiny amount of calcium in sand, it would be far from enough, and most likely not in a usable form either.
Shell's main composition instead is calcium carbonate, and is much more solvable and usable.

 

[shelleyd2008]

You don't need to feed them grit unless you give them things other than cat food or crumbles. If you give them a lot of mealworms or other treats, then you'll need grit.

I get the cuttle bones for my buttons calcium needs (available at any pet or department store). Sand would work for grit used for digestion, or you can get some starter-sized grit, it is small enough for them.

 

[wilds of pa]

we always provide extra chick grit when brooding are bobwhites as they have a tendency to eat small particles of bedding.

we also give oyster shell and med size grit to our adult bobwhite as well just encase they need or want it.

your choice


~Wilds~

 

[Emilys3guppies]

Shelley...your buttons like the cuttle bone? They'll use it?

Would a coturnix use a cuttle bone, I wonder?

 

[NewToQuail]

I've been feeding them mashed boiled egg and some finely chopped fresh foods (carrot, chard, crumbled bird bread I made for my parrots). I sprout seeds for my parrots and wanted to give some to the chicks, which is what made me think of grit. I was under the impression that grit was made of crushed oyster shells.

I plan to use sand in the pans in their hutches when they're older (the pans are a bit too shallow to hold shavings) so I could just go buy some now. Is any sand okay?

I have cuttlebone already, I'll put one on the brooder. Do you just give them the whole thing?

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
They love the cuttle bone! I would think coturnix would use it, but you'd probably be better off getting regular oyster shell for them. They would go through a cuttle bone very quickly, I would think. I have 2 different pens of buttons, one with 2 girls and one with 3. Their cuttle bones will last a few weeks, but they are tiny birds!

But you can get cuttle bone in bulk off ebay, if you already have the connectors. It would still be more economical to use oyster shells though.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
They don't need calcium until they are of egg-laying age.

 

[laputa]

Sand dollars would also work.

They are also much easier to ground than shells. If you have sandy beach in your area, you can probably forage a lot of broken sand dollars on the beach.