To feed Grit or Not???

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As for grit I just moved my 8 week old RIR and 6 week old Fayoumis outside. I know that they need grit but have yet to make it to the feed store to get some grit. So just a quick question...could I use the grit that I had for my parakeets until I can get to the feed store?
 
I was wondering the same thing with the grit. My babies are only 1 week old and in a brooder. But they must be eating some of the bedding, as some of it is small and they like to scratch around in it, its Aspen shavings. Can I use the grit I use for my parakeet?. Its hi calcium, the first ingredient is granite and the next is oyster shell.
 
Everything I've read says yes. The feed store said it's all basicly the same, only smaller! Hope this helps. They may even find some little pebbles on thier own from pecking around too. Good luck!
 
I was told yes, until you can get some regular grit. The girl at the feed store who raises her own chickens said the calcium should be saved for when they start to lay, to strengthen the shells. She also said that what little is in the parakeet grit would be fine. The grit I bought from the feed store is fine grit. It's not pricey at all. 50lbs for $6. We have 5-3week old chicks and I thought that would be way too much, but I was told that even though it is smaller sized, they can still eat it when they get older too, so it won't go to waste. And it is all granite. Hope this helps. :D
 
I've let my chooks go without grit for a while when I know they've got access to pebbles, though sharp grit's necessary in general. It help to chop up any long bits of grass or whatever they eat that potentially would bind them up and kill them. Sharp (normal) grit chops that stuff up in both the crop and the stomach.

I've given chooks small-bird's grit temporarily while they don't have larger grit, it should be fine. Chicks should ideally be getting small grit as soon as they are keen, but most of them seem to obtain that from their own eggshell to begin with, at least they do when hatched naturally. On a random note, if you observe any of your poultry eating a long piece of grass rather than doing their best to remove it, that's a silly bird that's got the greatest chance out of all your birds of being the one that gets crop or gizzard bound in future. I've noticed that with mine; those who persist with swallowing over-long pieces rather than trying to be rid of them seem to come down sooner or later, almost as a rule.
 
I just gave my girls grit for the first time a few days ago, and I have to tell ya I was truely surprised at how they took to it! Do you just leave a bowl in the brooder, or do you give it to them a few times per day? I'm sort of worried that they eat so much of it. I supposed that's normal, but being new to all of this I kinda worry.
 
I'm planning to build a small bin in our coop this weekend that has a divider down the middle and will work like a gravity feeder. One side will hold grit, the other will hold oyster shell for them to have free-choice. Mine are pasture-raised as well, and they have free-choice chick starter in a hanging feeder in the coop (we'll switch to layer/broiler around 15-16 weeks, they're 8 weeks old yesterday). I started giving mine grit out of my hand when they were only 2 weeks old because we were giving treats such as squash, zucchini, and tomato slices - the 3rd week we were giving beheaded meal worms and red worms. Our pasture - yard in general - doesn't have any rock at all in it; however the side yard pasture where I have the OEG bantams has plenty of pebble and sand from an old garden path that used to be there years ago. We tilled the area very, very well and that helped to break up the pebbles into finer grit-like pieces, and I planted untreated fescue/bluegrass mix seed about 6 weeks ago that's coming up now.
 
beeksnfeet said:
I've never seen a frizzle in person, only pics, but some of them look hysterical! Having naturally curly hair my self I can relate!. Do any of your other ones look like this one? I bet with all the pretty colors, she'll turn out just beautiful! Are her legs covered in feathers or is it a shadow on the pic??
Click to expand...
Sorry, I haven't been on in the last few days to really check. Yes she is fully feathers on her legs and feet, I can't even see her toes, and I think she has more feathers on her feet then anywhere else. I have 3 others that are my mystery bunch, and yes they all have minor to normal feathers on their legs, nothing like this one though. And they are all have crazy feathers coming in. I need to take an updated photo of them and see if anyone can tell me what they are starting to look like now, but probably not, they all look so horrible right now.
 

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