How much Grit do chickens usually need?

[ChickensAreSweet]

My chickens love grit too. I buy three sizes- #1, #2, and #3. The sizes range from chick, to I think up to 7 weeks old, to adult.

My chickens will eat it sporadically, and I am always surprised that they love it so much. I figure maybe our soil isn't too rocky (it isn't) and they have trouble finding it. I offer some mixed in the feed and free choice. They leave it at the bottom of the feeder if they don't want it.

Mine are healthy and happy. If the grit is too small, I think I read somewhere on BYC that it won't do the job. Check your grit size. I pay $11 for 50 lb.

 

[Ali707]

Quote:
Man! I have to find the $11 for 50lbs bag. I think I am getting a little taken advantage of!

 

[johny]

my ten birds have gone through at 20 pounds of grit since late summer. When I bring in a new scoop into the grit feeder they all runover and seem to love it. The only thing they come running for faster is meat scraps.

Maybe it is the cracked corn they are eating for keeping warm this winter.

 

[HorizonSon]

I will make this as clear as possible... Baby chick grit will NOT suffice as grit for "adult" birds... and God help you, if you think sand will! They need rocks, pebbles and stones... Anything less will not stay in their gizzard and will simply pass through their digestive track.

Anyone who thinks something like sand will work as grit has obviously never looked inside a chicken's gizzard.


/end rant

 

[pusskatkins]

TSC recently stocked 25lb bags of granite on their shelves. Oh my, it's expensive! My chickens won't eat it anyway. I buy pea gravel and sand. The next time my husband orders a dump truck full of gravel for our driveway, I'll ask for pea gravel too!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens use particles from the size of sand up to about the size of a pea as grit. How long it lasts before it is disposed of by passing on through their system depends on what size it was to start with and what material it was made of. Granite is a hard material and will last longer than other materials. Sandstone is fairly hard but it will break apart into the individual sand pieces pretty fast under pressure so it does not last real long. Limestone will work as grit but not real well. The chicken's digestive system produces acid, just like a human's, and the acid dissolves the limestone. They have to replenish it a lot. That's the reason oyster shell will not work as grit. Oyster shell is not as hard as limestone and the acid dissolves it too fast for oyster shell to do any good.

Chickens are very adaptable and can do well in a lot of different conditons and use a lot of different things. Chickens do seem to prefer the larger chunks for grit. They don't have to eat as much. But they can get by on the smaller stuff. They just eat it constantly. Play sand is already ground so smooth and is so fine that it will not work well at all. It will pass through their system too fast. Coarse sand, like construction sand, works much better. And even better is something with larger chunks in it. But they can do OK on the coarse construction sand.

I've kept chickens in a run with no grit provided. When I processed them, their gizzard had pretty much all sand since they had long since used the larger pebbles available. It was not unusual when they took a dust bath for them to peck at the dirt and eat that. They grew well and produced eggs well. When I put the bag of pea gravel in the run and let them free range, I noticed larger chunks in their gizzard. I did not notice any difference in their growth rate or egg production rate due to larger size of grit being available.

While I did find a plum pit in the gizzard of a 22 week old rooster, the largest size they normally use for grit is about the size of a pea. You do not want them eating tacks, small nails, or wire. Those can puncture the gizzard when they try to grind them up and cause a slow death. I've seen warnings about them eating glass but I am not absolutely convinced that eating glass is all that dangerous. Many rocks are also very hard and sharp, such as flint. It is still probably good practice for them to not eat glass though. Why tempt fate?

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Will colored aquarium rock hurt a hen?

 

[Ridgerunner]

A lot of times, colored aquarium rock is plastic. That, I would not use.

 

[ARose4Heaven]

Thank you for the advise about the aquarium rock! I did not know it was plastic. I was only concerned about the colored coating. WOW! I learned something today! Thank you.

I will send the DH to town for some grit or construction sand.

 

[Carmen Sasse]

Hi I just go the elevator and buy a full bag I think it is 50 for 8 bucks