Thanks for the tip! I read about grit but didn't really understand when to use it. Their starter food said it doesn't need anything additional. When you bring in the grass, do you just leave a chunk of it in their area or do you break it up and leave it all around? Also, do you leave the grit in a separate bowl or does it get sprinkled around by the grass?
Thanks so much. It's been about eight hours and I haven't seen anything else red. I didn't have Corid on hand so I just ordered some from Amazon. Sounds like a lot of people keep it in their stash for emergencies so I'll have it in case I need it.
Yes, Corid is something that a lot of us keep on hand, especially during chick season.
Amazon is usually cheaper than
TSC, or atleast where I live. About $10 less.
As for giving the chicks grit (Crushed Granite), it's a good idea even if you are only feeding chick starter. Some folks don't provide grit until they introduce other things like scratch, that's o.k. if you wish to do that. Me, grit is a pet peeve of mine - I have grit available first thing - it's in the brooder and once out of the incubator, just hatched chicks will pick up a piece or two of grit. My Mama hens, one of the first things I see her do is take chicks to feed, water and grit...
Anyway. To give a plug of sod/dirt. I'd source that from the area in which you plan on them living, say from your run. Since your chicks are on puppy pads right now, I'd just place the plug right on the bedding. The chicks will explore and eventually start digging about at it. If the plug has grass or weeds in it, that should be fine. They will probably take a nip here and there.
If you have established flocks, coops/runs and are going to eventually introduce these chicks to those flocks or areas where other chickens are living. Gather a little loose dirt from the run(s) and add that along with the plug of sod so the chicks have exposure to the pathogens and poop of the other chickens. Hope that makes sense. In the past, when I've raised chicks indoors, I did this. Now, I don't raise them inside, they go outside at hatch and are brooded in a secured area within the runs/coops, so they are immediately exposed to just about everything or I broody raise chicks, and let them get exposure by roaming around the flock with Mama Hen.
