Oyster shell even in sand litter coop?

[leighks]

I use construction grade sand in both my coop and run. Although I have seen my chickens pick something of the larger grains of sand out, I still provide them with grit and oyster shells, and also their ground up egg shells- full bowls of all 3 at all times.

Grit and oyster shells are inexpensive, so for me I would rather buy them and make sure all the bases are covered rather than waiting to see if a problem develops. Also I have seen some mixed reviews about using sand, but I love the ease of clean up. I add some Sweet PDZ once a week and my chicken coop is as odor free as a chicken coop can be. Good luck!

 

[R2elk]

I decided to offer limestone grit in a bowl in the coop.

Limestone "grit" is not grit and does not serve the purpose of grit. It serves the same purpose as oyster shell as a source of calcium. It disappears easily because it dissolves easily in water which is why it cannot serve the purpose of grit since it dissolves very quickly and cannot be used to help grind food in the gizzard.

 

[rebrascora]

Others have covered your original question.

I would like to add that whole grain feeds need to be fed as a daily ration rather than ad lib and wetted or fermented is better so that the fines containing the vitamin and mineral and essential amino acid supplements (which hopefully you will be buying and adding) are bound to the grains and also get ingested. Free range birds will do better on a whole grain diet than penned birds. There is a real risk of Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome, which can cause sudden death, by supplying whole grain feeds ad lib to penned birds because they will bill out and eat their favourite bits (usually the high carbohydrate grains) and waste the rest or the more dominant birds will eat the "best bits" and leave the less ranking birds to clean up the leftovers which are usually the higher protein pulses. If you give them a set ration twice a day then there is less opportunity for them to pick through it and eat more of one component than another. It really is about more than just what you provide them to eat but how it is offered and how they are managed and also what breeds you have because heavier breeds like Sussex and Orpingtons will be more prone to Fatty Liver Disease than Leghorns which are flightier birds that will be more likely to burn off the surplus carbs.
Many homesteaders do not consider their chickens as pets and will eat them after a couple of years production and will enjoy a fat chicken to make a meal but if your birds are to be with you for life as pets as well as egg producers, then ensuring they individually eat a balanced diet becomes much more important. A pellet or crumble ensures that each bird gets a balanced diet containing everything they need and is formulated so that it fills them up and they are not tempted to over eat and can be offered ad lib without concern to penned or free range birds.
Not trying to discourage you but just to make you aware of other issues around the use of whole grain homemade feeds.

 

[Lilyput]

Hey there, I did some searches but couldn't quite find any exact answer that I'm looking for.

I plan to have sand for litter both in the coop and run, which obviously should eliminate the need for buying separate grit. My issue, however, is with the absence of calcium. I will be making a blend of whole seed and grain feed for my layers that would typically contain oyster shell for grit. I guess it's not a problem if they end up mostly using the shell for their grit, rather than so much of the granite in the sand if I do still include it with their feed. But I'm wondering if anyone out there in BYC who uses SAND in their space still supplements with oyster for the calcium benefit?? Or would I be okay without it and see what happens? Is there something else that is a good calcium supplement, since I'll have to find some selenium-rich something also?

Or am I just overthinking...which is entirely possible...

Thanks!

I would add grit and oyster shell. A small bag of grit goes a long way so definitely worth the purchase. I also feed leftover food including meat (especially in winter when insects in shorter supply).

 

[Mary Chapman]

I never give my chickens oyster shells. And I've had chickens 35 plus years. I save dry dirt in a 5 gallon bucket from my own ground and set it in a dry place. And put a few hand fulls in with their feed. I also give them whole corn as a treat. I know 'chicken experts' will disagree with me, but everyone has their own way of doing things that work. And I breed and raise exotic and rare chicken breeds only.