How quickly do chickens use grit?

[greenmulberry]

I cannot find grit for sale around here! The farm stores sell oyster shell, all kinds of feed, but no grit. I am still looking, but I wonder how urgent this is.

I did scoop up some of the small (pea or lentil size) peices of granite gravel from my driveway and gave that to them in their run, and have noticed that most has dissapeared, so I am assuming they are feeling like they need it.

Soon I may just order some from mypetchicken.com if I cannot find any locally, but I hate to do that as I am sure the shipping will be a lot for something that really should be inexpensive. Does anyone have any other ideas?

 

[silkiechicken]

If your chickens have a run that has a dirt floor or get to free range, you don't need to go out and buy rocks for them. That's primarily for those who don't have access to the dirt or are not free ranged. (Or are in the house in a brooder still)

 

[usbr]

Dispite having a very sandy soil, the chickens are stealing the driveway at an alarming rate. I might have to get some more gravel by next year at this rate.

I wouldnt pay to have something like that shipped (it will be expensive) and it seems they have no issue with using your driveway either. Let them have it or get some replacement and throw it in the run. Do you let them out? If so, they should find the driveway and after that you wont need to do anything, well maybe order some more gravel in a year or so. I dont believe it to be a real pressing issue.

HTH

 

[greenmulberry]

Quote:
Even if I have no rocks in the soil? They have a 8 foot by 24 foot dirt bottom run, but there are zero rocks or pebbles in there, except for the ones I picked up and gave them from the driveway.

I haven't free ranged them yet, I wanted the to get used to HOME

first, before letting them free, but we don't really have rocks in the soil here, unless somehow some gravel put down nearby.

 

[Bubba]

Get a big wash bin or bucket. Throw in a shovel full of dirt add water stir and stir while adding water till its just the heavy stuff in the bottom. The dirt and mud will rinse away. I haven't seen dirt with ZERO grit in it unless it comes from a home improvement center.

If you still can't find any goto a local river or water basin. Take buckets of the dirt there, it WILL have grit in that.

Bubba

PS Why pay for something thats free, if your worried about if its clean. Just add some bleach to it after you rinsed the dirt away. Wash it a couple good times (there should be no bleach smell), spread it on a cookie sheet bake at 250 for 1/2 hour to one hour. It will kill anything on it and strip most chemicals to. (edit) You don't need alot of bleach a tablespoon per 5 gallon bucket should be fine, just let it sit for a day after you stir it in. I can't stress rinsing enough and use your sniffer!

 

[peepkeeper]

I use kiddie play sand, like for sandboxes, for my chickens. Just pick up a bag at wal-mart or wherever for about 3 bucks. Mine love it.

 

[jessied1227]

My girls LOVE the sand pile

We had about a half a dump truck full left over from the sand mound, and we just put rail road ties around it.

My 4 year old is always running in the back door yelling Mama, the chickens are eating my sand again!!

Jess

 

[momma-hen]

Depending on your home, and when it was built, it IS possible to have very little available grit in it. I see the guys building houses nearby, and they put down finely screened topsoil just before they spray that grass-growing stuff on. If the new owners were ever to have chickens, those chickens would have to go down more than 6 inches before they hit any kind of rock/grit.

 

[greenmulberry]

I just remembered that there is an old sandbox on our property, from the previous owners kids. I was going to take a couple shovels of that and toss it in, as I had been wanting to get some sand in there to help keep the mud down when we have lots of rain.

The sandbox has pretty course sand in there, I bet it will do the trick for them.

 

[alaskan_crew]

Laura,

I had a little trouble finding grit in my area also. I do know that in the pet bird aisles at Wal-Mart they sell a small box of parakeet grit that should work good but from what I've gathered, the sand from the sandbox should be all they need.