introduce chick grit?

[showjumper_girl2002]

My chicks are about a week and a half now and I've been wondering the same thing. The bag of chick grit that I bought said to start feeding it at 2 weeks so that's what I'm going to do. I figure it's only a couple more days to wait

good to know your bag says 2 weeks. my bag doesn't say when it just says for chicks up to 10 weeks. I was going to put it in with them today but i'll wait till they're 2 weeks old just to be safe!

 

[instar8]

Never too soon to start grit! if they were with their mamas, they'd be eating dirt from 2-3 days on, which is good. Caged chicks need greens and such, plus they'll eat bedding and newspapers, if their crop isn't full of grit, they can get bound up. I used to use sand and parakeet grit, but now i just take the regular chicken grit, bash it up with a hammer and scatter it over their food, plus a cup in the cage to pick at.

 

[instar8]

Her impacted crop was really bad unfortunately and that didn't work

i appreciate all your respnses and help! i want to make sure i start them off right

would play sand suffice for them to dirt bathe in? Also I already bought the chick grit

should I wait till they're older or can I go ahead and put it in the brooder with them? What is the best age to start giving treats?

I didn't see the comment about play sand...i wouldn't do that, they add stuff to that to sanitize it...but chicks need grit, and it definitely doesn't come in the ADM or Purina feeds around here

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Never too soon to start grit!  if they were with their mamas, they'd be eating dirt from 2-3 days on, which is good. Caged chicks need greens and such, plus they'll eat bedding and newspapers, if their crop isn't full of grit, they can get bound up. I used to use sand and parakeet grit, but now i just take the regular chicken grit, bash it up with a hammer and scatter it over their food, plus a cup in the cage to pick at.

 

So I can go ahead and put some chick grit in with them now? It says its for chicks, should I still mash it up finer anyway?

 

[instar8]

Oh yes, right away. I put grit in their very first food. Little buggers are good for eating paper towel and litter, you don't want them getting impacted.

 

[instar8]

Especially if they're 5 days old...sprinkle it on their food...you can't overdo, it just passes through if they don't need it

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

So I can go ahead and put some chick grit in with them now? It says its for chicks, should I still mash it up finer anyway?

If you have 'Chick' Grit then no need to grind it up, it is already much finer than adult chicken grit.

 

[instar8]

I buy a granite grit for my adult birds, it's quite coarse, so i just bash it up a bit for the chicks, rather than buying a separate product...sorry, i didn't mean to confuse!

Give grit from day one in my opinion, that's your chick's teeth!...the crop will store it up to be ready when stuff needs grinding .

 

[azygous]

I think the grit manufacturer just took a stab at "two weeks" because customers want directions on everything.

Think about chicks being hatched and raised by a mother hen. For the first three days or so, they're absorbing their yolk sack, and need no other food than that. But around the third day, momma is bringing them outside and beginning to teach them how to find food. Little chicks are just like human babies in that they explore the world with their mouths, or beaks in this case, and everything is potential food to them.

Grit is important, like a previous poster commented because they do end up sampling just about everything they encounter that will fit in their beaks. Mine have eaten their share of pine shavings, toilet paper, paper towels, along with lettuce leaves, melon, yogurt, etc. Having grit in their little crops helps them get through chick-hood without any accompanying horrors. I've read where a chick ate a meal worm without being provided grit, and the worm couldn't be digested. In fact, it continued to live and tunneled through the back of the baby's head.

And that bit about avoiding play sand, thank you to the poster who mentioned it was because they sanitize it with something that's toxic to chicks. Just use ordinary dirt or construction sand, or sand dune sand if you live near some.

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Thanks for all the help!! In regards to using dirt for them to dust bathe in, my chicks are on unmedicated starter, is it safe to use the dirt outside? I'm a bit paranoid about cocci :/