When do you start scratch and grit??

Glad I just read this. Mine get to go out a few times a day and are in a tractor but totally new to chickens, learning something new everyday! Thanks!
 
Hi! My chickens are 12 weeks old...

When should I start real life grit and scratch?

They live in a chicken tractor, so they are always on a pretty fresh parcel of ground where they dig and hunt all day....they LOVE LOVE LOVE clover! I took them through a full 5lb bag of chick grit, but that has been gone for a few weeks. When can I start giving them scratch grains and real grit? And what is the best way to do that, just throw it in their run?

I fed them oatmeal on Sunday. I made a quarter of a cup for 5 chickens...went back in an hour it was ALL GONE! I tried feeding them some just white sandwhich bread torn up, but they didn't care for it :(

Any other words of advice or wisdom when it comes to feeding 12 week olds?

Once my pullets are feathered out they start spending their days out foraging in the yard. Once they are on the ground I introduce them to grit and scratch. Here is a photo of a few of my birds from their 1st few days out foraging:



 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for your advice and feedback!

I bought a LARGE bag of hen scratch yesterday at the local feed store and scattered a scoop full in the run last evening. They were VERY curious. They seemed to be the most interested in the bits of corn in it, but they couldn't quite figure out what to do with it at the same time (same reaction as when I fed them the bits of bread). I think they got frustrated. It is going to be very interesting to watch them learn to love all this stuff!

I am going to get them a bag of grit probably today....like I said before they've already been given quite a bit of "chick grit" and they are scratching and eating things out of the grown all day every day, so I think they've probably got a lot of grit in their system.

Here is my question for all of you that let your chickens out of their pen randomly:

Do you have trouble with them running away from you and not being able to catch them or corral?
What I'm scared of is they will run straight for my electric fence and my 150lb mastiff, I won't be able to catch them, and sayonara chickens! That's why we decided on a chicken tractor, so they could free range to a degree but still be kept safe from the mastiff, the electric fence, the beagle, the 5 cats, and any number of unseen predators that lurk about where we live...
 
I don't have a hard time corralling mine......of course, they are in a fenced in yard, and I have my 4 little dogs fenced from them too, so they have half the yard to roam in. They tend to go back to their run often tho, and I have found them laying around in it with the door wide open. I usually toss out some scratch and dried mealworms in the run each morning which prob also helps get them back in............I have grit available inside the coop in a built-in feeder, along with food (note to self, remove food if they don't eat it up - seems they aren't). My 4 pullets are in the 15-18 week old stage and I just started putting out scratch and grit. I've also started mixing in some layer crumble with the pullet developer I've been getting. I will put out oyster shells once they start laying.
 
Once my pullets are feathered out they start spending their days out foraging in the yard. Once they are on the ground I introduce them to grit and scratch. Here is a photo of a few of my birds from their 1st few days out foraging:



Are those Buff Orpingtons? I have 3 that looks just like this...but a few more feathers and a little less fuzz. I'm not quite sure if they really are BOs, but that's what someone on here told me.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom