" Hen Grit " or a bag of rocks?

[StephieSky]

I picked up a bag of grit at a family farm store. Its packaged in a brown paper sack and tied with twine, hand labeled as "Hen Grit " Another impulse buy.
When I opened the bag it looks like I bought a bag of rocks with gray dust. I have plenty of pebbles and rocks around here with abt 100' long RV approach and parking that has yet to be paved and has compacted gravel laid in.

Should I toss this out and purchase a labeled grit? Or dish it up and put it out on good faith? Is this what hen grit is supposed to look like?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Grit is just rocks. That is exactly what the kind I buy looks like. If you free range your birds or they have a large dirt run with lots of sand/little rocks/dirt they will find their own grit and there is no need to buy it.

I have a very small yard and my hens are confined to a run with not great dirt so I do give grit.

Chickens do not have teeth. Instead, they eat these little rocks which collect in their gizzard. As the food passed through the gizzard, this very strong muscle grinds the rocks against the food to break it down and "chew" it. Overtime the rocks wear down and pass through their system and they need to eat more.

 

[Chick Charm]

That's what grit is. If you put your chickens out to forage they will find grit on their own. That grit does look a little course but they will wear it down likely. I don't buy grit but I think a lot of people do. Your chickens will find it if they forage. You could buy smaller grit if you wanted.

Wish ya the best.

 

[StephieSky]

Grit is just rocks. That is exactly what the kind I buy looks like. If you free range your birds or they have a large dirt run with lots of sand/little rocks/dirt they will find their own grit and there is no need to buy it.

I have a very small yard and my hens are confined to a run with not great dirt so I do give grit.

Chickens do not have teeth. Instead, they eat these little rocks which collect in their gizzard. As the food passed through the gizzard, this very strong muscle grinds the rocks against the food to break it down and "chew" it. Overtime the rocks wear down and pass through their system and they need to eat more.

Ah Thank you. I knew some of that but I didn't quite comprehend that grit is rock. I thought grit was ground up shells. I want to provide them with something cleaner than the gravel anyways. And then too, they do have free access to that only when we're out back. I'm still concerned about all the gray dust in the bag though (?)

That's what grit is. If you put your chickens out to forage they will find grit on their own. That grit does look a little course but they will wear it down likely. I don't buy grit but I think a lot of people do. Your chickens will find it if they forage. You could buy smaller grit if you wanted.

Wish ya the best.

Perhaps I'll try this if it can or maybe should be washed first? And then if they don't take to it I'll provide something smaller. I do need to provide everything as there will be times they'll be confined to my back or side yard. Especially in winter.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

You can put it in a bowl if you want or just throw it out in the dirt. Don't expect them to eat a ton. It will not disappear daily like feed does. They just need a little here and there and will eat as need. I have 6 hens buy 1 5 lb. bag a year, if that. To tell you the truth I can't remember the last time I bought any but I still have some.

There are two different things you can buy that look like gray rock/flake things. One is the crushed oyster shell which is generally given as an extra calcium source. It does not make a good grit because it is very brittle. Then grit which is just rocks and is not a calcium source. I believe are are some mixes available (I person would not want this) and some grit for indoor parrot-like birds does have calcium in it? (I feel like I remember reading this somewhere but would need to look it up again to be 100% sure -- it think that is why you don't want to use parakeet or whatever grit for outdoor poultry) It can get confusing.

Is the grey dust rock debris? If so I wouldn't worry too much. My little grit feeder generally has this on the bottom of it as it get low and I just dump it in the dirt in their run.

 

[StephieSky]

You can put it in a bowl if you want or just throw it out in the dirt. Don't expect them to eat a ton. It will not disappear daily like feed does. They just need a little here and there and will eat as need. I have 6 hens buy 1 5 lb. bag a year, if that. To tell you the truth I can't remember the last time I bought any but I still have some.

There are two different things you can buy that look like gray rock/flake things. One is the crushed oyster shell which is generally given as an extra calcium source. It does not make a good grit because it is very brittle. Then grit which is just rocks and is not a calcium source. I believe are are some mixes available (I person would not want this) and some grit for indoor parrot-like birds does have calcium in it? (I feel like I remember reading this somewhere but would need to look it up again to be 100% sure -- it think that is why you don't want to use parakeet or whatever grit for outdoor poultry) It can get confusing.

Is the grey dust rock debris? If so I wouldn't worry too much. My little grit feeder generally has this on the bottom of it as it get low and I just dump it in the dirt in their run.

The dust could very well be rock debris. It never occured to me that would be the source of the dust. The bag doesn't say its fortified in any way. Thank you so much I didn't know the crushed shell wasn't a complete grit or all they might need. Thats good to know! I was thinking if I picked up some of the crushed shell I had all my bases covered. Still so much to learn!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

It can feel complicated and sort of overwhelming. There are always new things to learn, but I think that is part of fun. Since you have the grit you might as well put it out and see how it goes but with a nice big yard with lots of dirt chances are you don't have to buy it if you don't want to bother. Of course there is no harm in leaving a bowl out in case they want it.

If you are feeding a layer feed to your flock and are getting nice egg shells then you do not have to buy any extra calcium or oyster shell.

There a number of schools of thought on all this and a lot of it has more to do with your personal goals and flock rather than a right and wrong way to go about this. If you want to keep it as simple as possible then access to dirt, a constant supply of clean water and a layer feed (for adult hens only) is all you need. Dirt will have grit naturally. Layer has extra calcium and is made to be complete nutrition.

Some people feed a layer and still keep a separate bowl of oyster as a just in case. Just like the grit, it doesn't hurt as long as it is separate from the feed. You can give scratch grains as a snack if you want also. You can take it a step further if you feel like it and grow fodder or sprout the grains.

Instead of feeding a layer, some people (myself included) feed a grower or flock raiser feed. In this case the oyster shell is a must because the feed does not have the extra calcium mixed in like the layer does. The reasons are generally if for any reason you have a flock that has non-laying or infrequently laying birds (young birds, roos, molting birds, etc). This way the birds can regulate their own calcium and the non laying birds don't eat too much, which is especially bad for chicks and very young pullets.

You can get a little tricky with it and do layer when the birds are laying a lot and then grower + oyster through the molting and winter season when the laying is less. Depending on your weather, grit may be more necessary in the winter if the birds have to be shut in but not needed in the summer.

You can get really into it and start dealing with organics and different protein types, corn or no corn -- on and on -- but again you don't really have to either. I know my system is certainly more complicated that it needs to be for my hens to do well but I have my own reasons doing what I do and I like this aspect of chicken raising a lot so I enjoy getting into these details.

Sorry, lol, this may have been more than you wanted.

 

[StephieSky]

Sorry, lol, this may have been more than you wanted.

Not a chance Its perfect. I'm currently feeding layer crumbles and garden greens; all they desire. Whatever they can forage daily when they get let out in the morning and again in the afternoon. This normally consists of bugs, berries and clover. They don't seem to like my lawn grasses or any of my ornamental plants. Even the seeded ornamental grass beds gets hunted for bugs while the seeds are ignored entirely.
I give them a grain based treat in the morning. Usually steel cut oats in cream to give them a good start on their day. Its also what Tommy prefers lol A bit of mealworms or a bite of good quality raw beef in the evenings as they are somewhat anemic but I was advised moderation so I don't overheat their system. Poor nutrition was on the vets list of complaints when I went in to pick up their antibiotics after their tests came back.
They're on vitamins, electrolytes and ProBios too.
I think they're done laying. I hope they are. Gracie went semi-broody and started sitting their nest for longer periods. Liza hasn't laid an egg in over a week but she won't set if Grace wanders off. Grace hasn't laid an egg in two days and now they seem content to take turns setting on the nest or doing it together. Not sitting for the amount of time it would take to actually hatch anything but enough that I think they think they might lol As a precaution I'm swapping the eggs out for fake ones they can cuddle to their hearts content.
I'll switch them over to the flock raiser and a dish of free choice oyster shell also. Excellent advice! Thank you again

 

[jpfromnc]

I have a creek by the run I just go dig up a 5 gal buckets worth every 5 days or so they really go through it then they bathe in it but all the recent rain has stopped me from adding DE to it I worried they were eating too much grit but they seem to LOVE it and it keeps them entertained a bit but I've noticed no ill effects yet does anyone know if there is such a thing as over doing it with the grit?

 

[StephieSky]

I have a creek by the run I just go dig up a 5 gal buckets worth every 5 days or so they really go through it then they bathe in it but all the recent rain has stopped me from adding DE to it I worried they were eating too much grit but they seem to LOVE it and it keeps them entertained a bit but I've noticed no ill effects yet does anyone know if there is such a thing as over doing it with the grit?

How many chickens do you have?! I only have two! lol If mine ate 5 gallons of river stone in 5 days I'd need a wheelbarrow to cart them to the vet I really don't know but I'm going to guess the only time a chicken would eat too much of anything is if there is a profound nutritional deficit in their normal diet. They seem to instinctively know how to balance their system given the opportunity and denied access to weird things like styrofoam.

I'd be interested to know what is in the river stone that they are so crazy about. I hope someone comes along with a good idea why they gobble it up and even bathe in it! Interesting