NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

If you are only feeding pellets or crumbles they don't need grit...but if you are feeding scratch or any whole grains, then they do need it. Chickens gizzards are like grinders. The grit is the stone. The muscles move the grit around to pulverize the solid food. Pellets & crumbles will easily fall apart in the chicken so it doesh't need grit. Whole or part of grans are hard, and the chicken needs the grit to break the hard stuff down so It passes through to the area where it is absorbed. A gizzard will become stronger the longer it has grit in it. So, if you are not feeding anything that is hard, and suddenly feed hard grain, the chicken will have a hard time breaking the grain down. So, one should introduce grains gradually to a chicken that has not had grit before, or has been eating pellets or crumbles. It takes a couple of weeks with the grit for the chicken to get to its strongest point in the gizzard.

Only pellets and crumbles? That just seems cruel. Not to mention boring.

 

[ChickPrincess]

They have been getting lots more than that, especially now with the leftover lunch stuff.
They're happy, but now definitely need the grit!

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

Let me know how it works out for you. Be generous with the amount of coloring.

Well, there was blue poop in the coop this morning !! Now I'll be looking for some blue on an egg !

 

[Gramma Chick]

They have been getting lots more than that, especially now with the leftover lunch stuff.
They're happy, but now definitely need the grit!

Do they dust bathe anywhere ? My chickens always eat a little dirt also when they dust bathe ..So I think they are getting their own grit .

 

[Cass]

Ok, they are getting stupider and dumber by the minute. One of the Sumantra hens flew over and landed on a snow drift. And sat there. And sat there. Her feet had to be getting cold, but she didn't fly back. So I walked over, scooped her up (ever try to catch a Sumantra? They don't like it) and I carried her to the path she had just flown from. Then she walked away. Like nothing happened. Didn't even flap her wings while I was carrying her.

Now I wasn't expecting her to say "thank you", but a little cluck would have been nice, don't you think?




(and don't tell me snow blind, the sun was behind her and the path was bright green, populated with 20 other chickens. Just plain bird brained, I tell ya.)

 

[Henicillin]

I dug a chicken path through the run just as an experiment. Sure enough, they all came out and walked around on the path, avoiding going off the path like the plague.

The duckehs sit in the snow and "swim," because they're weird like that.

 

[Tough Old Bird]

Gramma Chick,

the nesting box scenario was hilarious, as was your commentary!

I enjoyed the "show" and am glad it had a happy ending, LOL!

TOB

 

[ChickPrincess]

When they do actually brave the snow, but today was the first day out in DAYS! I open the door if I'm going to be home, but they often don't venture out.

(oops... this post was in answer to Gramma)

 

[Gramma Chick]

Ok, they are getting stupider and dumber by the minute. One of the Sumantra hens flew over and landed on a snow drift. And sat there. And sat there. Her feet had to be getting cold, but she didn't fly back. So I walked over, scooped her up (ever try to catch a Sumantra? They don't like it) and I carried her to the path she had just flown from. Then she walked away. Like nothing happened. Didn't even flap her wings while I was carrying her.

Now I wasn't expecting her to say "thank you", but a little cluck would have been nice, don't you think?




(and don't tell me snow blind, the sun was behind her and the path was bright green, populated with 20 other chickens. Just plain bird brained, I tell ya.)

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] maybe they are bird brained .[/FONT] ..Maybe it was a chicken traffic Jam !
One of our young hens Doggie ...was bird brained when she was young . You had to chase her down & capture her to get her to go in the coop at night .
I was often heard to say " theres always a least 1 stupid one in the bunch " .
Now Lucky puts them all to bed ...Not my problem anymore !

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Snow blindness is UV light reflected from snow . chickens seem to be worse with fresh snow [/FONT].
I am not willing to crawl on my belly in the snow & see a chickens point of view ...to check ...I dont think they can see other paths or options though ..

 

[Gramma Chick]

When they do actually brave the snow, but today was the first day out in DAYS! I open the door if I'm going to be home, but they often don't venture out.

(oops... this post was in answer to Gramma)

Is it too comfy in the coop or run ?
Maybe mine are more apt to come out ..because they know there is stuff to do under the deck ..like dust bathe ..or eat dirt .in their second home .