oyster shells?

[shmooborp]

at what age can you start feeding pullets oyster shells? i heard that if you feed them them at to early of an age they can get sick o die

 

[Gersbud]

I don't know if they can die or not but I always leave my oyster shell seperate from regular feed and they only eat it when they want to in the coop. This is with my regular hens and when I add pullets I don't remove it. None have died yet

 

[kstaven]

Normally people do not offer oyster shell until pullets start to lay or are approaching laying age.

 

[d.k]

* Mine got o-s quite a bit younger than that, but she'd already been eating sand and shellrock bits outside for sometime, being a feral.

 

[bigzio]

Yep, that's normal. Please learn that grit and oyster shells are totally different.

Grit is to help digest feed to the optimum level.

Oyster shell is fed to provide the calcium in the diet, that is needed from the stress of laying.

Both are important, however not related at all, and not to be confused as one or another.

bigzio

 

[shmooborp]

so i should give them grit now and oyster shell later?

 

[petlove]

I need info on this topic, as well. With the starter chick crumbles do you need grit? I was under the assumption that you don't. Please advise.

 

[ibpboo]

A thread on grit

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=40907

 

[shmooborp]

(to the post above) for mine i didnt give them grit i just added a bit of water to make its soft.. the LOVE it ... they attack it... i even did a test, i put dry in and wet in ad they all ran straight to the wet food. silly chickens! HAHA

 

[rooster-red]

Most commercialy produced starter feed already contains grit.