What is chicken GRIT ? How do I provide it ? Do chickens really need GRIT ? What happens if chickens don’t consume grit ?

[Chicken Newbie07]

What is GRIT for chickens? Do chickens really need GRIT? What can happen if chickens don’t consume GRIT? Do I need to buy GRIT for my backyard chickens?

All of these questions come to mind when we are starting to raise our own chickens. Whether it’s an adult hen or rooster, egg layer or not yet, all chickens need GRIT.

GRIT is simply small stones found in our dirt. Yes, that’s it! Chickens peck at the dirt for bugs and also for these tiny stones. These stones go into the bird’s gizzard and with muscle contractions, the stones help grind up their food into something they can easily digest.

When chickens do not have these little bits of rocks available to them, they can develop some health issues. Two common complications are “sour crop” and “impacted crop”.

SOUR CROP is when food inside the gizzard begins to rot because it’s unable to be digested by the chicken. This is often a result of lack of GRIT. Sour crop can be deadly if not resolved early. You can tell if a chicken has SOUR CROP when the breast looks abnormally enlarged.

IMPACTED CROP is similar to sour crop. This is when the gizzard becomes full of things like long grass or hay and this causes a blockage. This condition can also be very dangerous and ultimately deadly if not detected early.

This video gives you a quick and easy to understand run down on this topic.

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Here is a CHICKEN PLAYLIST you will enjoy https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRor-rh0O1lXgo4YassMExk9s0Yq-dS4c

 

[Kiki]

If you are only feeding a complete balanced crumble or pelleted age appropriate feed you don't ever need to buy grit.

 

[RainbowHen]

If you are only feeding a complete balanced crumble or pelleted age appropriate feed you don't ever need to buy grit.

Chicks will eat bedding so I always supply grit from the first week forward. Also get them on dirt and grass for "field trips" as soon as 3 days old. Never had an issue.

 

[Folly's place]

Chickens who are confined in cages or indoors, and who ONLY eat mash, crumbles, or pelleted feed, don't need grit. Eating anything else, as birds who get bugs or free range, or who eat any other items at all, require grit for digestion.
I give chicks small sized grit when they move to the coop brooder, because the chicks start getting bugs and stuff. In winter when there's snow everywhere, i provide grit, large sizes, for any birds who want to get it. Our soil has lots of small stones available, so most of the time that works for our flock.
Mary

 

[GC-Raptor]

I provide Granite Grit at 2 weeks of age throughout Adulthood in a hanging pail with 3/32" holes drilled in the bottom to drain moisture.

I give them Scratch Grains daily as a treat.
They only Free Range an hour before sunset daily, and they consume grass, weeds, bugs and worms.

Most of the small stones available on my property are crumbly or smooth and not good for grinding in a gizzard.
My average number of chickens is 5 to 7. I currently have 8.
My first 25 lb bag of Poultry Grit lasted around 3 years.

At 4.5 years of chicken keeping my just weighed second 25lb bag weighs 17 pounds. <$3.00 a year is cheap insurance.
GC