this grit thing

[Cynth]

Just need confirmation. chicks get grit when they eat anything like vegitation. Do they need it when they eat worms,bugs, or this sort of thing? What about oats and dry foods? obviously not yogurt, but how about scrambled eggs? thanks.

 

[Cynth]

Oh and I make homemade plain yogurt, how often can they eat that?

 

[Imp]

It is probably better to have grit available, whenever they are eating foods other than starter feed.
Bugs have hard parts so grit would be helpful.
Keep all treats to about 10% or less of their diet.
The yogurt is fine, even daily.

Imp

 

[waterguy81]

I am no professional but... Think of your brooder, coop, or run as the enviornment. In the wild without human interaction the chicken has access to sand, dirt, rocks, grass, water, and all the things you can think of. If you bring a little of each thing into there home they will be much more happy and healthy. Scatter a small portion of each item around and let them find it. (trust me they will) and that is how it is in nature.

I have 26 Rhode Island Reds and they are 3 weeks old now. I gave them 2 bottle feeders and 2 bottle waterers then scattered around on top of there pine bedding I put the scratch and grit. They really thrived and stayed busy and you wouldn't believe how happy they seem.

Play the mother nature roll and you will never go wrong. And dont worry yourself if you lose one or two. That is life and it IS going to happen. Watch the flock as a whole more than one on one.

Hope this helps.

 

[goldminer1976]

Poultry grit is inexpensive and sized just right for your flock. Chicks 8 weeks and up start to benefit from adding small amounts to their food. If you have a small amount of chicks, 25 or less get a steel morter and grind up scratch into small pieces to add to their diet. The grit will start to work and the health of your chicks will be ready for the outside world once they leave the brooder.

 

[debid]

Quote:
8 WEEKS?! Geez, mine will be out in the coop before then!

I gave grit before my chicks were even 1 week because they were eating bugs and bugs have hard exoskeletons. They seemed happy to have it.

 

[Saltysteele]

grit is essentially a chicken's teeth. their food goes into their gizzards whole. the gizzard is a muscle that keeps squeezing and turning the food, and the grit is what smashes/chews the food.

if they're eating powder, or powder that is formed into crumbles, pellets, etc., then they may not need the grit. once you start getting into hard/solid bits and pieces, they need "teeth" to chew it and get the nutritional benefit.

grit is necessary. i've been mixing oyster shells in with their feed since they were 2-1/2 weeks old (waited till they were older, due to it being larger sized than the bagged grit).

if they're able to scratch around where there are small stones/gravel, then they may pick it up naturally. i use oyster shells, because they're going to need it eventually, anyway. some may say "the oyster shells dissolve." yes, they may dissolve, but they don't dissolve immediately, and by the time they do dissolve, they have eaten more oyster shells, anyway.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just need confirmation. chicks get grit when they eat anything like vegitation.

Chicks and chickens need grit when they eat any kind of vegetation. They cannot grind up grass or other vegetative matter without grit in their gizzard.

Do they need it when they eat worms,bugs, or this sort of thing?

Pretty much. I've never tried chewing up an earthworm or a grub, but I think teeth would help. Teeth definitely would help chewing up hard shelled bugs. Since chickens do not have teeth, they use grit in their gizzard to grind these things up.

What about oats and dry foods? obviously not yogurt, but how about scrambled eggs?

You definitely need grit with oats and most dry foods. Scrambled eggs and yogurt are OK without grit.

I give mine sand out of the run on about Day 3, right after they have learned what their real food is. I believe it sets up their digestive system to work the way it is supposed to. They are also prepared for when my wife stuns a wasp and puts it in the brooder so they can play keep-away with it.

Do not feed chicks oyster shell. It contains high levels of calcium which can cause bone deformation or kidney damage in growing chicks. They do not need extra calcium until they start to lay.

 

[BoldViolet]

So how MUCH grit do they need?

Free choice?

 

[patman75]

Quote:
Give them access to grit 24/7 and they will eat what they need.

Or

Sprinkle some in with their feed.