What is the difference between grit, red grit and oyster shell?

[Beccalee]

Hello we are new to the chickens and learning a lot from the site. Thank you for your information. I have been reading than went to the feed store and am very confused. They have grit than there is red grit and than oyster shell. What is best? Should I feed grit and oyster shell? When do we start adding. We have 4 Red hens and 2 black and redish hens.( need to postmore so i can post pictures) Than we got 6 baby chicks the chicks are 2 weeks and leghorns. When do they get grit. Hens get layer pellets and chicks get nedicated chick starter. Thank you all. Becca

 

[SmokinChick]

Not sure what red grit is?
But I offer grit and oyster shell. They are two different items. The birds need both. The grit grinds food in the gizzard. While the oyster shell is absorbed and used for making shells. You should offer grit to the young ones as soon as they start eating something other the crumbles.
Good Luck

 

[JodyJo]

From what I have read, Red Grit is just grit...not the same as oyster shell. Both are needed...oyster shell for strong shells and grit for digestion. If you free range, they will find it on their own...

 

[debid]

Layer feed should meet their calcium requirements UNLESS they are getting a portion of their diet from other sources. You can always offer oyster shell free choice and they'll eat it if they need some or just crush up their dried egg shells and leave those where they can get them. I offer oyster and crushed egg shell free-choice but that's mostly because I'm feeding an all-flock feed rather than layer. The girls scarf the stuff down as soon as they start laying. They know if they need it.

Grit and red grit are the same except the red grit has a coloring on it to entice the birds to peck at it. The coloring is completely unnecessary, IMO. Grit is stored in the gizzard and serves as the chicken's "teeth" when they eat anything that isn't "pre-chewed" (layer and chick feeds are finely ground, no grit required, but other foods like scratch grain require grit for digestion). I don't provide grit because I range the chickens in an area that includes a granite scrap driveway with a whole lot of chips exactly like packaged grit. If they were confined to a run, I'd put up a grit cup because our soil is mostly clay.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
The coloring is completely unnecessary, IMO. Grit is stored in the gizzard and serves as the chicken's "teeth" when they eat anything that isn't "pre-chewed" (layer and chick feeds are finely ground, no grit required, but other foods like scratch grain require grit for digestion). I don't provide grit because I range the chickens in an area that includes a granite scrap driveway with a whole lot of chips exactly like packaged grit. If they were confined to a run, I'd put up a grit cup because our soil is mostly clay.

Red Grit is Red Clay/ Red Stone where as regular chicken grit is Granite. Red Grit is mostly used for pigeons and may or may not be a mix. If it is a mix then it can have silex stones, oyster shells, seashells, redstone, charcoal and even may have minerals and trace elements.

Chris

 

[Beccalee]

Thank you all your wonderful.

 

[ScottM]

So would you have a smaller 'feeder' with grit and oyster always available?

 

[claudicles]

I supply both even though my girls are on a good layer mix and I find they tuck into both. Microwaving and grinding the eggs shells you use for cooking and feeding them back is a good source of calcium too. The shell grit i guess my girls need as they lay pretty well so maybe the 3% normally in feed in not enough. My girls have plenty of access to ground but my top soil is pretty fine so I guess there isn't much rock in it. As someone else said, if they hve access to a granite path adding extra grit would be a waste of time.

 

[debid]

Quote:
Thanks for the correction, Chris! Clearly, the guy at the store misinformed me!