Pigeon grit??

[swimmer]

Yesterday I went to feed store to buy some grit. They said to use pigeon grit. And that's all they had in 50 pound bags. I normally don't use grit, just let the girls get it while they free range, but had 14 inches of snow last night. So needed to get some grit before the storm. Went to open the bag this morning and read the label. It says it mineralized pigeon grit. Should have paid better attention while at the store, but assumed the cashier knew what she was talking about. Can this be used for chickens? The first ingredient is limestone, then a bunch of other minerals and flavoring.... Didn't open it yet just in case I should return it. Let me know your ideas.... Thanks

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Pigeon grit is the ONLY grit I can find in more than five pound bag quantities and it's worked fine for me. I only use it for birds that aren't on the ground who need it.

 

[swimmer]

Great! Thank you.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
It sounds like it is a, "Enriched" or "Fortified" and is quite different from ordinary poultry grit.
Some pigeon grit will have; calcium salts (carbonate, phosphates and silex), minerals and valuable trace elements (iron, manganese, iodine, bromine, magnesium, etc.), redstone, seaweed, anise seed and or oil and charcoal.
Others like Multi-Mix Grit will have up to 21 different materials including lime minerals, flax seeds, pigeon minerals, vegetable grains, protein grains, seaweed, charcoal, oyster shell,anise, brewer's yeast and redstone.

With out know exactly what you have it is hard to tell you anything other than use it sparingly.

Chris

 

[cmom]

I agree.
Quote:
I use both pigeon grit and granite grit. Chickens don't chew their feed they just swallow it and the gizzard does the chewing. A chicken's food goes, as is, into the crop, where it is slowly funneled into a very small " stomach" for some digestive additives--then to the Gizzard, where it is 'chewed', that is, ground into material that can be digested as it moves into the intestines and so on... The Gizzard is best able to break down whole grains and other chunky bits that they eat when full of grit. Longest lasting grit is Granite grit, that lasts well. All other rock and stone is so much softer, that it wears down fast. Granite grit is the best choice, works really well for best utilization of feeds.