Your doing great! Grit and sand are important to break down the grass and treats. Some people feed treats the chicks in the 1st week of hatching. It's up to you what you want to do. The chicks are fine with treats now as long as their eating an adequate amount of starter.
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For grass, veggie scraps, bugs, etc. yes, they need grit. For soft foods like yogurt, canned pumpkin, etc. no. I would consider bannas, and probably melon, as soft foods but it wouldn't hurt to let them have grit anyway
Grit now week 2 or grit later and when.
I started giving mine sand for grit at two weeks of age.
Hot cereal size multiple grains/organic now or wait till 8 weeks or more.
Shouldn't be a problem. Mine like Oatmeal!
My guys are really active and looking for stuff constantly.
I sprinkle a bit of their chick mash and call them twic a day, today I added some sifted grit, sand size and put about a tsp out with the cast mash??? Is that OK???
I usually just put out a saucer of sand in the brooder. They eat up as much as they want, dump the rest over into the shavings and then scratch it out to peck up at their leisure.
I toss a shovel full of dirt in the run once a week or so that is full of small rock and sand. They spend hours going through it to get the grit they want.
Thank You, I feel better now, they have had a bit of the sifted grit the last two days and I have some great clover out back and some watermelon in the fridge for tomorrows heat wave. In another week they should be out in their new pen at least during the day and there is some grass and of course lotsa dirt & bugs out there. I will pu up some of the cereal I mentioned next time I am at the organic grocers.
When I ask about these things at the local feed store they look at me as if I am nuts, "just feed the chick starter then start them on laying mash when they start to lay..."
From now on I'm just going to travel back to my homestead memories and see how the broody mom's did it and follow their lead!
have a mixed group. of chicks eight.and.nine weeks old is.it ok.To start them on mixed grains or cracked corn with grit to aid in digestion right now they are still in their coop waiting till next month to build their run.is it ok to change their food now or wait they are digging thru their bedding and pecking around.for other things to eat than the chick starter they now are eating. Also have a drip chicken nipple water system in a 3 1/2 gal. Bucket wounted.in the vertical position and they.drip.all the time.is.this normal?
