When to start grit?

[ktornadoes]

My chicks turned one week old yesterday. I have read many different opinions of when to start grit? The only thing I've given my chicks to eat so far is chick starter feed. Any suggestions would be helpful...Thanks!

 

[newmarch2014]

I personally like to wait for 2 weeks to make sure they are eating and drinking well, it helps me gauge their interest in food etc. If they are eating and gaining and doing well, I then start grit and do things like, fodder (a good subject to look up) and trips outside to forage and yogurt and watermelon if it is warm out or cooked and cooled oatmeal or ground up meal worms or mashed up boiled egg yolks. all are great treats.

 

[newmarch2014]

I sprinkle the grit on the food like salt as well as a small pile in a corner. I do use the Braggs vinegar. A tblsp per gallon but not really sure how much of an impact it makes since I am pretty "all natural organic" so I don't know what is the most effective. My hens are happy, healthy, lice/mite free, fat and shiny. I feed them a big scoop of yogurts a few times a week for gut health and calcium. I feed a mixture of ground up pumpkin seeds a couple times a year for natural worm maintenance. Etc.

 

[lazy gardener]

IMO, just b/c "they say" grit is not needed if the chicks are only on chick starter... that doesn't mean that grit is not a healthy part of the diet for a chick. I give my chicks a clump of sod as soon as they are eating and drinking well, and demonstrating that their crops are filling. At that time, I'm comfortable putting them on shavings. I've found that the minute they get on shavings, they are scratching through the shavings and eating little bits of it. Therefore, I want them to have some grit before or around that time. The sod accomplishes multiple purposes: It contains bacteria that help them to populate their guts with a healthy flora. It contains grit. It satisfies their urge to scratch and dust bathe. There may be some little bugs lurking in there! And it contains green growing things that they can eat. I used to put it in a container in the brooder. I now toss it right into the shavings. A bit of soil in the shavings is a good thing IMO.

 

[lazy gardener]

That's an individual decision, with no right or wrong answer. I can tell you my preference: I use non medicated. Coccidiosis is in all environments, and sooner or later your birds will be exposed to it. My preference is to get them exposed to the bugs they will encounter in my yard during the first 2 weeks when their immunity from their mom is the strongest. I do this by putting a plug of soil from my yard into their brooder. It gives them: a healthy dose of microbes to kick start their guts, their first exposure to coccidiosis so they can start building immunity, some insects, worms, seeds, greens, minerals, and grit. As well as their first dust bath and an infinite amount of entertainment.

 

[FlyWheel]

I sprinkle it into their bedding where they usually scratch and peck at it. As this is how they will normally obtain their grit as adults, it seemed the best way.

 

[Gembeag]

Would like to see your responses to this. My chicks are 2 weeks old, only on chick feed also.x

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

My chicks turned one week old yesterday. I have read many different opinions of when to start grit? The only thing I've given my chicks to eat so far is chick starter feed. Any suggestions would be helpful...Thanks!

Grit is only needed if/when your birds will begin eating anything in other than water soluble poultry ration.

 

[ktornadoes]

When can my chicks begin eating anything other than water soluble poultry ration? Sorry for the lack of knowledge...first time raising chicks.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

When can my chicks begin eating anything other than water soluble poultry ration? Sorry for the lack of knowledge...first time raising chicks.

No need to apologize - everyone has to start from the same place when doing something new

You'll get a lot of answers to this question, but the way *I* look at it is that chicks being raised by a broody would be learning about, sampling and quite enjoying a variety of food stuffs from the first time their mother took them off the nest and out into the big bad world where she would begin teaching them about all the tasty treasures there are to eat. With this in mind, there is no real reason not to feed treats, etc. from the very beginning as long as you a) provide girt as appropriate and b) don't overindulge them to the point that their overall diet becomes imbalanced as poultry ration really is the best thing for supporting their growth and development. Generally speaking, you want "treats" (anything other than their starter/grower) to be no more than 10% of their total intake, and I aim for far less than that.