Used Grit

[chickenwhisperer]

How long does grit last in a chicken?

Do they continually exchange old for new with no control?

Do they have a favorite piece or 2 of grit that they hang on to?

If they dont need it(starter mash etc) do they keep it for later or just not eat it?


This makes me want to do an experiment with colored aquarium gravel . . .

 

[Ridgerunner]

How long grit lasts depends on what it is made of. Granite grit is pretty hard and will last longer than, say, sandstone grit. Grit made out of diamonds lasts longer than granite. It all eventually gets ground down to sand and passes on through their system. Grit not only gets ground against the food they eat but against the other pieces of grit in their gizzard so it is constantly being ground down. They cannot store grit.

Be careful with aquarium gravel. Some is not gravel at all but is colored plastic that looks and feels like gravel.

 

[RocketDad]

Be careful with aquarium gravel. Some is not gravel at all but is colored plastic that looks and feels like gravel.

Even the stuff that's really rock is covered with a layer of epoxy plastic, and the color is synthetic dyes.​

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Yeeh, the colored aquarium gravel is prolly not the best idea . . .

So basically, they have no control over it, and any given piece of grit will stay until its ground all the way down, then discraded?

I understand that different material will last for different times before being ground down, but what Im asking s do they use each piece till its unusable, or do they constantly switch it?

 

[RocketDad]

I'm confused by your question. The grit is just rocks, sitting in the gizzard.

The gizzard is a muscular bag. It contracts to squeeze the contents; the rocks inside grind up the food contents.

When the food contents are small enough to pass out of the gizzard and into the intestines, it does so. Same for the rocks -- if they're small enough, they pass through. If your chickens have access to large sand, they'll pass a lot more "grit" on a day-to-day basis than if they have access to pea gravel.

 

[dacjohns]

It's not something they think about. Oh, today I'm going to trade in a piece of grit for something in a different model. Grit is rocks in the gizzard. The gizzard is the stomach.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Quote:
Perfect, you guys answered my question, thankyou.


So now I start to wonder, do chickens prefer larger or smaller grit?
Or does size grit a chicken wants change as it grows?

Regardless, I guess since they live outside on the ground they can figure it out for themselves.