When to start grit?

[bibliophile birds]

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AHAHAHAHAAH!!!!! chicken sand bags!!!!

oh and

 

[bibliophile birds]

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yes, it keeps me busy. luckily it's a family farm, so i'm not responsible for EVERYONE all the time (just most of the time).

and, in case my mental stability wasn't being questioned already, i'm about to add 30 more chickens, 15 ducks, and 15 turkeys... i must really hate myself.

 

[Jenifer72]

Quote:
AHAHAHAHAAH!!!!! chicken sand bags!!!!

oh and

thanks!

 

[hen-at-home]

Ok, glad I found this thread. So I've got my chicks on grit as their litter in the brooder and now I'm glad to read that it won't hurt them, just my wallet.

I had posted another thread looking for an answer to that question. Thanks for posting!

 

[catdaddy66]

Just bought some parakeet grit and have 2 dispensers (sour cream pints) prepared. Do I hook these up at beak level on the wall or what? I really do not want my bad birds tipping over the containers as they did w/ the feeders/waterers in the brooders!! What method works best for you guys?

They are on chick starter crumbles exclusively at the moment at 6 weeks of age, BTW.

 

[bibliophile birds]

if you aren't supplementing with treats, they don't need the grit. just a thought to save you some money.

i actually used the lids off of tubs (like sour cream or butter). they were flat except for the lip, so no tripping over them and spilling them. and that's about all the grit my 22 chicks needed. i offered that much to them 3 or 4 times a week. after a few weeks they will learn to regulate their grit intake and you can offer it free-choice. by then, i could use a regular feed type dish (i got the natural rubber kind from the feed-store, it's about dog bowl size).

 

[Organics North]

Hi all,
We have a 20 yard pile of rotten Granite we use to patch the drive way when it needs it. I just use a 1/4" hardware cloth to screen a couple of scoops and save what comes through for the chickens. They have it free choice from young on. If I want more fine stuff, just pass it through a 1/8" screen or better yet let the chickens pick the sizes they want.

Sure Granite is best, but other rock will work. Find a gravel pit or a place that sells road gravel, grab your screens you can make enough grit to last a very long time for pennies. Heck you could even use the course material in builders sand. (Not the fine smooth tumbled play or beach sand.)

Honestly,
Why spend money on exotic rocks shipped from across the country? Find something local. Rock is cheaper than dirt!!!! Chickens have been domesticated for many thousands of years! I am pretty confident those chickens used indigenous rock as grit.

(I have a PVC pipe feeder I learned how to make here on BYC, which is filled with grit, so they can have it free choice in the coop in winter.)

on