when to start feeding grit to pullets

[daddy_roo]

I have 14 young pullets of about 14 weeks of age. I was watching them eat today and started wondering... How old should they be to start feeding some sort of grit to them? Im sure it has been answered before but I have not loged on in a while and still figuring this new look out.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Chickens, regardless of age, that only eat prepared rations(starter/grower/layer) mash, crumbles or pellets need no grit. Those feed ingredients are already ground.
If they eat other things like scratch grains, they need grit regardless of age.

 

[daddy_roo]

The feed we are currently feeding them is from the amish and has some cracked corn in it is this still ok to not feed the grit?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Sounds like you are feeding mash? Mash often has bigger chunks of grains and corn that don't get ground as fine as the rest. If your birds have access to outside dirt, rocks, pebbles, gravel, etc, they are likely picking up plenty of small pebbles and grit. If your birds are confined with no access to gravel or outside grit of any consequence, then providing some grit would never hurt. If they need it, they'll pick at it.

 

[LovinChicknFarmn]

If they have access to the ground at all…which most do, you don't have to worry too much about grit. They get rocks and pebbles off the ground, especially if they have any free range time. It doesn't hurt to throw a handful in their feeder and mix it in with what you normally feed them. So, the quick answer is, yes. It is okay. It's not going to hurt them. But, don't over do it or you'll fly through the grit and be wasting money. They don't generally need much of that supplemented. I have some that I throw in every now and then, but not on a regular basis and they're fine. My girls get time out of the run most days and when they don't they are scratching all over in the run anyway and are definitely coming across pebbles and rocks.