I thought chicks need grit?

[Mimi13]

I'd just add


Good golly! And I thought I heard it all! I'll have to pay more attention to my bling when I'm around my girls. They usually try for my watch and beaded bracelets. I'm wishing you a brilliant outcome and hope all goes well! BTW, did you name the hen Diamond? So sorry I couldn't resist.

Believe it or not, I almost changed her name to Diamond, but I didn’t want to keep reminding myself of my own stupidity.

 

[jeepgrrl]

Naw, you aren't stupid...they just can be curious ,crafty, stealthy, little feathered b^+@#es, as I lovingly refer to them as. It amazes me what they will peck at and try to eat...everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is free game. To them, your beautiful diamond was just a big ol' piece of grit! Are her eggs extra shiny?

 

[Isilvertoes]

Can somebody tell me how much grit I should be giving to my 3week old chicks and 5week old chicks? Should I just give them grit and hold on to their chick starter food until the grit feed is all eaten?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Can somebody tell me how much grit I should be giving to my 3week old chicks and 5week old chicks? Should I just give them grit and hold on to their chick starter food until the grit feed is all eaten?

Grit is not feed. They need their feed.
Put the grit in a second container and they will eat only what they need of it.

Do not withhold feed from birds of any age please.

 

[MissChick@dee]

My yard is grit. Mine free range for grit. I don’t have to buy it. If yours are confined to a run full of wood chips you should offer grit. It’s cheap why risk it?
Funny a gal I know has had chickens her whole life and had never heard of bumble foot. She said “I’ve never had to doctor my chickens” I asked “never?” She said “Nope Iffin they die they die” so I guess it’s relative to who you ask.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Can somebody tell me how much grit I should be giving to my 3week old chicks and 5week old chicks? Should I just give them grit and hold on to their chick starter food until the grit feed is all eaten?

Grit is rocks or tiny pebbles that the chickens store in their gizzards for digestion. It grinds up their food...they don’t have teeth. For tiny chicks you can get a shovel full of dirt from your yard and put it in a shallow box. They will pick the size and amount they need. With chickstarter you don’t need grit. If you offer any other type of food besides the starter they will need access to grit. IMO don’t offer anything but the chick starter for The first 2-3 weeks.
So feed is feed...they need access 24-7 to food and fresh water.
Grit is what they store in their gizzard to digest the food (tiny rocks)
ETA: Walmart sells grit for parakeets it’s small and a good size for baby chicks if that sounds more convenient for you.

 

[Mimi13]

Are her eggs extra shiny?

No! And believe it or not, this is the same bird who decided she would be the rooster I didn’t have. Not only would she sneak up behind me and peck me, the dang thing grew spurs! Yep, I trim them every other month. Oh, and she doesn’t “attack” me anymore either.

 

[jeepgrrl]

No! And believe it or not, this is the same bird who decided she would be the rooster I didn’t have. Not only would she sneak up behind me and peck me, the dang thing grew spurs! Yep, I trim them every other month. Oh, and she doesn’t “attack” me anymore either.

Thanks for the early morning chuckle! You definitely have quite a unique hen there!

 

[Criticalicious]

When you first offer chick grit, it will seem like they are eating too much. Offer it free choice anyway. Let them get their fill of grit. They will stop once they've filled the gizzard for the first time and then will only eat the grit when they need more. Eating grit may temporarily fill up their stomach, but it will not harm them. They will eat food again soon after.

The advice not to offer grit when feeding chick starter ONLY applies to commercial feeds. They have the nutritional profile for chickens similar to pre-made baby food for people. They are simple to digest. If you use a whole feed, for example Scratch n Peck, or one where you can see the grains such as cracked grains from a feed mill, you will need to offer grit from Day 1. Assuming your chicks are in a brooder, not free ranging.

Chickens need a size-appropriate grit, and you can offer the smaller grit to bigger birds as they grow, just to use it up, so long as you're also offering the larger grit too. Again, they'll pick out what they need. As the grit is ground up in the gizzard (by rubbing against other rocks), it turns to powder and is flushed from the system.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thanks