sand for grit?

[Silverose]

so the "creek sand" I gave them earlier should be fine then right? it's pretty much tiny rocks, it's what we put in the kids sandbox, that we brought up from the creek. I put some in with the chickies earlier (approx 3 weeks) they seemed to enjoy scratching it around, if nothing else.

 

[Genetic Rooster]

I am a "NEW EGG" in every since of the word.....my grand parents raised chickens when I was a boy, and I helped feed them, and even fetched a few mean ole roosters for dinner from time to time....but that was many moons ago.....So when I read new chick do not need grit....this somewhat perplexed me..my son, who has just gotten into chickens at the same time as I did,.... has purchased chick grit....mash, and crumbles...oyster shells.( tons of it )..mix's all of it in the food before he stores it....and as I understand, believes that no grit in a young chicks diet can be harmful..........also...(and might should be in a new thread all by itself) do I need to keep the chicks (in a brooder) feed pan full constantly? his chicks are going thru what we estimate to be more than 3lbs of feed each per month(projection) in other words...can we over feed new chicks?.

 

[Fred's Hens]

First, if chicks are 100% on starter crumbles, no grit is needed.
Second, no chick needs added shells, in their feed or separately. Until they are 18 weeks old, no chick is going to lay an egg.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Chicks raised outdoors with a hen have access to grit, of course. Chicks raised indoors in a brooder and fed only chick feed don't need grit because the feed breaks down easily in their stomachs. Chicks should not be given oystershell, though. They don't need it because they aren't producing eggs yet, and too much calcium can cause damage to their internal organs. That's why you should not give layer feed to chicks. I also don't think it's a good idea to mix grit and oystershell in with the food. It's wasteful, and you can't monitor how much of each your flock is consuming to know whether they need more. I use a separate dish each for grit and oystershell and offer it free choice to our adult flock.

Chicks will not overeat. They are growing at an incredibly rapid pace and if you restrict their feed you're going to restrict that growth which would be harmful. Chicks should have free access to as much feed as they want to eat.

To go back to the original poster's question, I believe sand is far too fine to actually serve the function of grit, even for a small chick. Gravel would be more along the right lines, but it doesn't always have the rough irregular edges like the granite used in commericial poultry grit which is ideal. I just smashed up some regular grit with a hammer to offer to our chicks.

 

[Genetic Rooster]

Quote:
Chicks raised outdoors with a hen have access to grit, of course. Chicks raised indoors in a brooder and fed only chick feed don't need grit because the feed breaks down easily in their stomachs. Chicks should not be given oystershell, though. They don't need it because they aren't producing eggs yet, and too much calcium can cause damage to their internal organs. That's why you should not give layer feed to chicks. I also don't think it's a good idea to mix grit and oystershell in with the food. It's wasteful, and you can't monitor how much of each your flock is consuming to know whether they need more. I use a separate dish each for grit and oystershell and offer it free choice to our adult flock.

Chicks will not overeat. They are growing at an incredibly rapid pace and if you restrict their feed you're going to restrict that growth which would be harmful. Chicks should have free access to as much feed as they want to eat.

To go back to the original poster's question, I believe sand is far too fine to actually serve the function of grit, even for a small chick. Gravel would be more along the right lines, but it doesn't always have the rough irregular edges like the granite used in commericial poultry grit which is ideal. I just smashed up some regular grit with a hammer to offer to our chicks.

Thx ...makes sense, and goes along with the rest of the info i have been pouring over.

 

[kickenChickens]

Quote:
Chicks raised outdoors with a hen have access to grit, of course. Chicks raised indoors in a brooder and fed only chick feed don't need grit because the feed breaks down easily in their stomachs. Chicks should not be given oystershell, though. They don't need it because they aren't producing eggs yet, and too much calcium can cause damage to their internal organs. That's why you should not give layer feed to chicks. I also don't think it's a good idea to mix grit and oystershell in with the food. It's wasteful, and you can't monitor how much of each your flock is consuming to know whether they need more. I use a separate dish each for grit and oystershell and offer it free choice to our adult flock.

Chicks will not overeat. They are growing at an incredibly rapid pace and if you restrict their feed you're going to restrict that growth which would be harmful. Chicks should have free access to as much feed as they want to eat.

To go back to the original poster's question, I believe sand is far too fine to actually serve the function of grit, even for a small chick. Gravel would be more along the right lines, but it doesn't always have the rough irregular edges like the granite used in commericial poultry grit which is ideal. I just smashed up some regular grit with a hammer to offer to our chicks.

Thx ...makes sense, and goes along with the rest of the info i have been pouring over.

Seems there's a little bit of misunderstanding here! First and foremost my chicks are on starter crumble ONLY! After one week of age they are given grit because their diets are then being supplimented with fresh foods. And lastly they are never given oyster shells!!! However for all my adult birds I do Mix it all together (about a hand full of each per 25 or so lbs.) as it keeps less clutter in the hen pen. And one other point all of my poultry keep as close to unlimited food as possible..... but when you've got 100+ chicken there might be a laps or two once in a while!