Your Chickens NEED Grit [DIY Dispenser]
Some people don't, but I am of the belief that you should always provide your poultry with the option of Grit and Oyster Shells - it is better to be safe than sorry! If they don't need it, they won't eat it!
Check out the video by Diego Footer for a real good explanation at what grit is, why your chicken needs it and for another person to say it reduces their feed costs. He references some really useful resources for us chicken raisers also!
Chickens and poultry of all ages need grit. You can give grit to day old chicks!* Chicks need chick grit also (smaller bits), but as soon as they're around 8 weeks old they can graduate to hen grit. Please remember there is a big difference between Grit and Oyster Shell, they are not to be confused! I will make a post on Oyster Shell tomorrow!
I have two sizes available for my hens right now, they have some larger pieces, which they don't seem to be liking (but the ducks do!), and then some that are much smaller, yet bigger than the chick sized grit, they like the smaller bits better.
Grit is made out of granite which is a very hard rock that will allow the poultry to properly grind and digest their food to the best of their ability. You know how it's better for us to chew our food properly? It's the same for the chickens, the better they grind up their food, the more nutrients they get from it, therefore needing less food.
If a chicken doesn't have access to any grit some major problems can occur.
- Sour Crop, is something that happens when maybe a piece of food is not able to be digested and begins to rot or starts growing yeast within the chicken's crop, this can also happen along any part of the chicken's digestive tract.
- Impacted crop or bound crop, is something that happens when an object, straw or dry grass, usually, gets caught up in the crop and blocks any other food from going through the digestive tract.
Great, you're convinced! Now I bet you'd like an idea on how to provide grit!
Some people sprinkle grit on the chicken's food supply. This is not the best idea because it may not be providing ENOUGH. Chickens generally know what and how much they need of grit. So it really is best to provide a dish of grit separate from their feed as a free choice option. That way if they need more, they can easily access it.
I made my own dishes from a couple of my almond milk bottles (those things really have come in handy! I knew I saved them for a reason!). It was very easy, I traced out the shape that I wanted directly onto the plastic bottle, making sure it had a back so that I could screw it directly to the wall, and cut it out! Very simple! Then I just screwed them at chicken level to the wall in the coop. Chickens went right to it and were happy to have this fresh grit container!
* There have been some instances where the chick is not the brightest and gorges themselves on grit rather than food and dies, however, I have not personally had this issue and I have done it with all sets of my chicks. Also, I have heard, that it is not necessary to feed grit to chicks if they are on chick starter crumbles. I do not feed my chicks this, so I cannot attest - I would give them grit anyway.
Did you know that your hens also need a good source of supplemental calcium? Check out my post about how and why Your Chickens Need Oyster Shells.
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That's a really neat idea with the dispensers I like that! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! I didn't know what I was saving those bottles for, but they've sure come in handy!!
Very cool recycling the almond milk containers!
Oyster shell and grit are super important for the chickens. I generally just pour scoops of each on top of the feed, or do 2 or 3 scoops of feed, then scoop of each grit and shell, then more feed. My birds know when they need more and eat it, when they are good there is left over shell when I fill feed again. I have a highly sandy/small pebbley soil so they do get a good amount in the yard when scratching, but I still supplement.
You might think about supplementing outside of your feed in free choice dishes. I say this because maybe you're giving too much (wasting money - not that it is expensive), or giving too little. At least with the dishes you can really gauge what your chickens are using.
I think it's very important to supplement! I'd definitely rather have it there for them and they don't eat it, than them needing it and not having it, that's for sure! I hope to never deal with sour or impacted crop, even though it can still happen. Less likely with grit (I hope!).
My biggest issue is the oyster shell. I have lots of rocks in my chicken pen so old eggs that don't get used get broken on the rocks. Many people seem to have trouble with their chickens eating the eggs once they get a taste for egg shell, but that is not my experience. The turkeys, now they will eat anything, but my chickens won't proactively eat their eggs.
Between the egg shell, oyster shell, supplemental grit and grit in the soil in their yard, they do pretty well. I have yet to have an issue with the crop. They always have some form available.
Knock on wood... I have had very few problems with my poultry overall. Hopefully yours treat you as well. Mine are just getting to be escape artists...
Mine have nothing to escape. Hehe I free range and they get closed up in the coop at night. I guess they could try to escape that... but doubt they want to! Haha
Hey girl, your post reminded me to pick up some more granite for the girls. 🐓
You're welcome! Hahah. :D
We feed our chooks grit every day with their pellets. We cannot decide if it is a mild winter or we have super chickens. Still getting 5 eggs a day out of 6 chooks in min winter. We suspect it is the amount of salad they also get every day. Just like us. Chooks arr what they eat!
You may want to consider a separate dish. This way you can actually see how much their using. It could be that they're not having enough or that maybe you're giving too much and wasting money.
What kind of chickens do you have? Their winter heartiness hasn't to do with breed. But then again it varies by each chicken.
Yes, they get pellets and grit into different dishes. The main problem we have always had concerning their food is flocks of sparrows turning up to destroy it. We tried a scarecrow and building a feeding house meant to be hard to access for sparrows. Neither worked. Now we just stand guard for 10 minutes while the chooks eat their fill. They are Hyline bantams. The standard industry chook who produces a lot of eggs but we got ours direct from a breeder at 16 weeks so they have never been near a factory. Lucky for them. Still, the last flock we had always shut down for winter. But these guys seem to be on a mission.
Ah birds! Sorry if you said it do you free range?
I feed mine in the coop, right before bed. Haven't had a problem with wild birds trying to get inside in their feed (yet).
Ooooh very cool!! I think Faverolles are good winter layers also. I hope! I have 4 but they're only 16 weeks. They're so small??? Haha I hope I didn't get bantams on accident! Haha
Unfortunately, we live on a rental property in the middle of a town so cannot free range. But the chooks still have a few hundred square meters to be content with. We would rather they have a few acres. I think we used the word bantam in the wrong context. We meant it as just another word for chicken and not the actual meaning; a tiny breed of poultry. Ours are a normal size of small. Although the two pictured are from our last flock on a different property to the one we are on now.
Here's a nickle! My VP has finally recharged back to where I can toss nickles out again. :-) I'm like my grandpa! "Here you go, a nice shiny nickle!". Okay... that's enough... $0.05 - Ka-ching!
I like those containers! Sure beats the old veggie can we've been using... Hmmm... :) Thanks for the reminder on grit, we're probably getting low.
I won't spend it all in one place 'pa!
Great reminder! I usually just mix the grit and oyster shell with their feed...but I am thinking of putting it in separate containers now. Thanks!
Awesome! I think it sounds best. :) you can tell how much they're using this way! Thanks for coming by!
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Thanks!
We had free ranging chickens that had access to a small-fine gravel pile. Ever so often you would see them pecking the pile. We never added any other grit and they thrived!!!
DE in their food occassionally, but thats a different thing.
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Mine use a surprising amount of grit. I still think it doesn't hurt to provide spare, just in case! Haha I know I don't have small rocks around my soil tho for sure! Thanks for the follow!!
Sadly we are inside the city now and have no chickens. We may try to do quail incognito later, but too much changing still right now!!
Oh yeah! Definitely possible! I have three bobwhites! I didn't know and they whistle just like humans!! People would never know! lol freaks me and my dog out thinking there's someone on the property! Lol
This sure was interesting. Once again I have learned a lot from you. And that was a great idea that you had for the chicken dishes and they even look nice as well.
Thank you!! One of these days the next thing I know you're gonna be toting a chicken around and picking your own eggs! :D Woooo. Do it. whisper whisper You know you want to! ;)
LOL! I don't think that my 'ole body could handle it. But I am learning a lot about them from you. My next post is about my first experience with seeing chickens and roosters for the first time in person. It made me feel closer to you...LOL...HaHa! :) :) :) Oh and guess what? I went to the grocery store and bought eggs. When I picked up the egg carton, I smiled and then laughed because I thought of you. And I thought, here I am stuck with store bought eggs and you get to outside your door and have fresh eggs. I am so jealous! :)
Hahah Awe, you think of me a lot! Hehehe I think of you, too! I bet there are people in your area who sell their backyard eggs!
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