When to feed grit?

[Rileyj34]

This is our first year raising our own chickens, they are all around 4 months old. We fed grit when they were chicks, but haven't since we've moved the chickens outside. They are in pens and don't have acess to grass, do they need grit still? We are feeding one group of them layer feed and another (meat chickens) we are feeding 24% protein feed. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[chickened]

Technically if you feed pelleted feed you do not need grit but I give it to them when they are off chick starter. If they eat anything else they need grit, it does to food what our teeth do.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I offer chick grit to my youngsters in the brooder once they start eating anything other then their chick feed. Once they move to the coop/run I always have a dish of grit available since my soil here is fine and sandy, not much for them to pick up grit wise.

Even if your birds don't have access to grass they are still going to find various bugs and so forth to eat. They'll need grit if they eat any scratch or other grains etc. etc. If your soil is naturally rocky or pebbly they may find what they need, otherwise you can just offer it in a bowl to make sure they can get what they need.