Local feed stores out of chick grit, DIY versions? :(

[TwoShepherds]

The local feed stores are out of chick grit. Does anyone have any DIY versions they recommend? I want to start offering my chicks small amounts of food other than their feed. I have some un-opened bags of playground sand that we haven't needed for my kids' sandbox....would that be too fine? Should I get some of our regular chicken grit and pound it down with a hammer? I plan to dig up a piece of grass w/soil and put in their brooder as well, but I doubt that would be sufficient. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[R2elk]

The local feed stores are out of chick grit. Does anyone have any DIY versions they recommend? I want to start offering my chicks small amounts of food other than their feed. I have some un-opened bags of playground sand that we haven't needed for my kids' sandbox....would that be too fine? Should I get some of our regular chicken grit and pound it down with a hammer? I plan to dig up a piece of grass w/soil and put in their brooder as well, but I doubt that would be sufficient. Anyone have any ideas?

If you happen to live in an area with ant hills, they can be an excellent source of appropriate sized grit. Just be sure that you don't collect too many ants with the grit.

 

[TwoShepherds]

Thanks for the idea. That is definitely a possibility. We have tons of ant hills in the pasture and the backyard, ughh. Huge ant cities. My four-year-old has been after me to get rid of them. Got into a nest hidden in bricks when I was putting up a small garden fence the other day. Ouch! I might know where a few abandoned mounds are though.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I never thought I would see a day when chick grit would be hoarded yet here we are. I have been using coarse sand with my 2.5 weeks old bantam chicks and they are doing fine. I just sprinkle it on top of their starter feed.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

The local feed stores are out of chick grit. Does anyone have any DIY versions they recommend? I want to start offering my chicks small amounts of food other than their feed. I have some un-opened bags of playground sand that we haven't needed for my kids' sandbox....would that be too fine? Should I get some of our regular chicken grit and pound it down with a hammer? I plan to dig up a piece of grass w/soil and put in their brooder as well, but I doubt that would be sufficient. Anyone have any ideas?

I made my own! I took a few spadefuls of dirt from my garden and put a colandar with large holes over a strainer with holes roughly the size of grit. The large colander filtered out larger rocks while the smaller one caught what I wanted. I got about 2 tbs of grit. Wasn't much but saved me a trip to TSC!

 

[TwoShepherds]

I never thought I would see a day when chick grit would be hoarded yet here we are. I have been using coarse sand with my 2.5 weeks old bantam chicks and they are doing fine. I just sprinkle it on top of their starter feed.

I know, weird times. I had to drive about 20 miles away to the next town to get the Flock Raiser feed that I give to my older birds. My Tractor Supply has been out of it for weeks. All I can find locally is layer feed (and chick feed). At least they still have that! :-/

 

[R2elk]

I never thought I would see a day when chick grit would be hoarded yet here we are. I have been using coarse sand with my 2.5 weeks old bantam chicks and they are doing fine. I just sprinkle it on top of their starter feed.

Grit should be offered separate and not put on or in the feed.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I made my own! I took a few spadefuls of dirt from my garden and put a colandar with large holes over a strainer with holes roughly the size of grit. The large colander filtered out larger rocks while the smaller one caught what I wanted. I got about 2 tbs of grit. Wasn't much but saved me a trip to TSC!

Thanks! I think I have a metal colander with extra small holes somewhere (my husband hated it and might have tried to make it disappear). I will see if I can recover it. I'm not sure if my dirt will work, but I can try. We have a gravel driveway...maybe there's some finer stuff mixed in with those rocks.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

You'd be surprised what you'll find in your dirt! Mine has a lot of clay so I didn't think I'd get what I did. Maybe strain it outside with a water hose. I did mine in the kitchen sink and it was a mess!

 

[R2elk]

You'd be surprised what you'll find in your dirt! Mine has a lot of clay so I didn't think I'd get what I did. Maybe strain it outside with a water hose. I did mine in the kitchen sink and it was a mess!

Good advice. Dirt down the drain can cause serious problems later.