Gave my chickens free choice grit. One of them got very sick, because the chicken was eating mostly grit instead of food, her digestive tract was full of grit and she became weak, couldn't walk well and didn't eat. The vet checked everything on the chicken and that was the only issue. Stopped the free choice and gave only small amounts each morning and then removed. Two days later after big poops and rest she was eating and drinking well, walking, very healthy. For young chickens, 2-3 months old, free choice can be lethal.
Loved the video. I use gravel, ground up sea shells from the beach, and reuse crushed eggshells. My chickens are in my garden now. I havent bought feed in 2 months. I feed them scrap food, weeds, herbs and more.
Its pretty serendipitous that I found this video today... I just started feeding my chickens grit this morning simply based on a feeling that they were needing it. You helped me justify it to myself mentally.
I still use chipped oyster shell for calcium that hardens the egg shell, but as well add a lot of granite grit and the chickens are now not wasting food as before. It works!
Diego, excellent video, great information! We live in Northern Arkansas in the Ozarks and I have 50 chickens and 12 ducks on our homestead. I thought because we lived in such a rocky area that I didn't need to offer them oyster shell or grit. Just recently I decided to offer them oyster shell and they blew through it like it was feed. Now, thanks to you, I will be picking up Grit on my trip to town this weekend. Your the man! Keep up the amazing work. God bless.
Diego, Thanks for putting this out for people to understand how chickens process feed, Great information for anyone who raises chickens/Turkeys. Have you covered fermenting feed? it also has had tremendous savings for cutting costs. My father taught me about this back in the 70's and it has had very good results. Thanks again.
I don't often comment on videos but I had to come let you know how much this video helped me. I am the exact person you describe....I started out giving my chickens grit, but as they started having pasture access and free -ranging, I stopped, thinking they could get it in the pasture. All last summer I had problems with my chickens and I wasn't sure why. Often eggshells would be fragile and sound like porceline... I had multiple batches of broody mamas who had zero eggs hatch...I had a few clutches of chicks where many would die after hatching....I knew something nutritionally was up with my chickens but I wasn't sure why. When I saw your video it was like someone hit me over the head with a bat and I have to thank you so much for that! We went right out and got grit and gave it to my chickens and they gobbled it up! I'm curious to see how this translates into better fertility in the months to come. Thanks for what you are doing, I appreciate your videos and watch daily and learn so much!
@@AdriN2001 Mr. Irwin....daaaang, thank you Sir....is there anymore tips.....or ...even better, videos... maybe even one's you've made that can further my education of chicken keeping??? I really want to pursue this... anyways... thanks for answering....you didn't have to do that...you don't owe me anything.... anyways, thank you Sir 👏👏👏👏💯💝💕👍👏💯💝💝💰🎁🍻
Very good video that provided scientific reasons through the use of visuals for the need of grit to enable better health for the chickens as well as cutting feed costs. Thank you.
also the grit has a lot of nutrients in it that the chicken get as they break down the grit ..which then goes into eggs or into soil when they poop .. interesting system nature came up with to mineralize soils
I went in to get a bag of grit and the feed store only had a 5lb bag in stock. I was told by the associate that free range chicks don’t need grit. This is what I always thought too until your video. I took the 5lb bag just to test before ordering a bigger bag. (80 chickens) They immediately ate the grit. 3 days later it was gone. I bought the 25lb bag and they have slowed down but still eat some. Time will tell if they eat less food. 🤞
I live in rural Wyoming and the guy at the feed store laughed his ass off when I told him I was looking for grit for my layers. Acted like it was the strangest thing he'd ever heard. Glad I found this video, I don't feel as stupid now.
I am able to stop once a week and pick up sea weed from the sand spit that the highway is on. It is mixed by the waves with barnacle shell and grit. so I get a multiple supplement for free.
So, the shell oyster i buy from the store is not the gear! I have a gorge with running water nearby where is swim is this grit good? There is some really fine stuff which may be good for the babies i now have. Will look for the book we are in France - i have never seen grit in the shops - just shell; it is quite sparse here!
I bought chickens from a feed store. The lady that answered all my questions and helped me select birds, the self proclaimed "chicken lady" and chicken expert, said nothing about grit. I didn't know to ask. I learned about grit from reading a pack of mealworms that I got the chicks for a snack as they got a bit older. I wish more information on this subject was more accessible. Oh and the cataloge/instruction book for the beginner kit said nothing about grit anywhere. They could have gotten an extra 10 bucks off me and my chicks would have been healthier.
Key question would be should we mix grit into the feedsacks or bins and ensure there is an appropriate ratio of grit to grain for meat and eggs conversion?
True Grit... Really??? I've always done grit. Just got started right. I'm wondering now though, about feeding oyster shell to cornish crosses. Wondering if it will help with skeleton development...
Other questions: is it possible to generate grit on farm vs. buying retail? What is the particle size for the best grit? What stones make the best grit (harder ones like granite)?
Is granite really all grit is? Been thinking about using it to mix into my cactus soil to improve drainage, but I'm afraid if I buy something like this then it will have some sort of chemical additive mixed in that would be bad for my plants.
Very interesting. Have you tried fermenting your feed? I was able to cut feed costs between 25%-50% (seasonally dependent results) by fermenting feed. Adding sprouts to their feed also cut costs and improved egg quality, even though they were pastured.
It's very, very simple. You are aiming at making a warm mash, with a beneficial bacterial seasoning, and let it sit long enough in a warm spot for the bacteria to grow. This works with crumbles, pellets, whole or cracked grain, whatever you are currently feeding your birds. 8-12 hours before normal feeding time, measure your dry feed into feed dishes (or a bucket) as usual. Add a lacto-fermentation starter like apple cider vinegar (ACV) or kefir - a good dollop will do, no need to measure - but you are aiming for about 2 TBS to 1/4 cup of starter per quart\scoop of feed. Cover the feed with about an inch of water above the level of the mixture - as if you were making a pot of beans. The feed will absorb all the water, and will expand in volume - be forewarned. I cover the dishes with cheesecloth to keep out insects, but to allow gas exchange, and let it sit overnight. Treat it like yeast bread; that is, keep it warm - but not hot - to encourage the bacteria to grow. Feed on your normal schedule. I experimented with fermentation intervals - my chickens seemed to prefer a shorter interval - overnight - as opposed to two or more days. They kept leaving more and more feed every day until I was feeding much less than I had been. They will eat more in the winter, but still less than unfermented feed. I usually use ACV as a starter, but have used various kinds of kefir. My birds seemed to like plain and honey-flavored kefir, but they didn't much like the fruit-flavored ones. Could have just been my birds' particular preferences, though. Yogurt will work, but it does not contain as much bacterial diversity as kefir. I never tried kombucha, but it should work, too. I advise experimentation to see what your birds like. I don't do this with my current flock (ducks and geese) - I moved to the PNW, and am worried about mold. Everything I've tried to ferment or sprout up here has gotten moldy in a very short period of time. I still soak the duck\goose feed in water immediately before feeding, though, which they seem to vastly prefer to dry.
But if turkeys get grit naturally why cant my chickens on the mountainside? I am going to start offering free choice grit but Im a little confused by that. My chickens are pretty wild and will fly into trees to roost at night if I dont make them go into coop. They are all over the mountainside plenty of rocks. They are extremely healthy as well. Never the less I will put some grit out free choice just in case.
Diego, what size was advertized on the granite grit you showed? I'm putting down grit for some large duck ponds and looking at pea gravel sizes. Smallest my local landscaping company goes is 3/8s and I can't tell if that is small enough. Thanks!
Interesting. Looks so big! But I'm giving my chicks the little stuff. I, too thought they get their grit from the ground. Hmmmm....need to look into this.
You are talking about how professional chicken growers do things, but some of the things they do, we don’t need to do. Their chickens have far less access to natural grit than my free range chickens do. Perhaps my chickens get more grit than the average chicken, but I doubt it. I do have very rocky soil. I recently butchered 5 of my chickens. I cut open every gizzard and every one of them was full of rocks, pebbles - well grit. I don’’t add grit to their diets, they find it. You say if you can’t find the rocks in the soil, the chickens can’t either. I beg to differ with you. When I dig in the garden, my chickens snap up worms that I haven’t spotted. I think they can do the same with grit. For the person who doesn’t let your chickens out to free range, it is necessary to provide grit, but for the rest of us - soil is made up of tiny rocks. I’ll let my chickens eat the rocks that are naturally in my soil rather than buying rocks from someone else.
Fair point. But all rocks aren’t the same hardness, so they all aren’t equal. In terms of buying it it’s pretty darn cheap, so I look at it as why not supply it. If they don’t need it then they don’t need it, but it’s not draining the bank account.
Nick Gamble that sounds good. Crushed granite sounds too... idk exotic to me. We have limestone around here that’s about it. I figure crushed sedimentary rock should work. What about grog? The stuff in ceramics? Have some of that available. It’s food safe right?
Matthew Niedbala I mean a bag of 4 way chips is mostly limestone which is way harder than any chicken food. That or decorative kinda gravel from lows should in theory be just as good. I gave my chickens some gravel sand this morning. Didn’t think they would eat all of it but they did. So make sure to only dump a bit for them cause they are stupid and eat every bit.
I have it hanging in a little cup from the side of their run, so they can help themselves as needed. I refill it periodically just based on site. I have that leaving it on the ground in a bowl creates waste - they either dump it over or get on top, scratch and scatter it everywhere.
All domestic poultry need grit. Even chicks, poults, ducklings and goslings need grit - but more finely ground. They sell chick grit in feed stores. I imagine quail would always need chick grit.
Oh yeah. Think of the forage as their vitamins. They still need their bulk calories which come from most likely grain. I have heard a lot of estimates in terms of how much of their nutrition comes from the pasture and that number varies from about 10 to 20%. So not much. They are a grain dependent animal. Turkeys and other poultry could do better in a true free range system.
Gave my chickens free choice grit. One of them got very sick, because the chicken was eating mostly grit instead of food, her digestive tract was full of grit and she became weak, couldn't walk well and didn't eat. The vet checked everything on the chicken and that was the only issue. Stopped the free choice and gave only small amounts each morning and then removed. Two days later after big poops and rest she was eating and drinking well, walking, very healthy. For young chickens, 2-3 months old, free choice can be lethal.
Loved the video. I use gravel, ground up sea shells from the beach, and reuse crushed eggshells. My chickens are in my garden now. I havent bought feed in 2 months. I feed them scrap food, weeds, herbs and more.
Feed conversion isn't the only reason to give them insoluble grit. It also prevents egg binding which can be fatal..
Its pretty serendipitous that I found this video today... I just started feeding my chickens grit this morning simply based on a feeling that they were needing it. You helped me justify it to myself mentally.
The only real way to find out. Butcher the chicken and clean out the gisert.
I still use chipped oyster shell for calcium that hardens the egg shell, but as well add a lot of granite grit and the chickens are now not wasting food as before. It works!
Diego, excellent video, great information! We live in Northern Arkansas in the Ozarks and I have 50 chickens and 12 ducks on our homestead. I thought because we lived in such a rocky area that I didn't need to offer them oyster shell or grit. Just recently I decided to offer them oyster shell and they blew through it like it was feed. Now, thanks to you, I will be picking up Grit on my trip to town this weekend. Your the man! Keep up the amazing work. God bless.
Diego, Thanks for putting this out for people to understand how chickens process feed, Great information for anyone who raises chickens/Turkeys. Have you covered fermenting feed? it also has had tremendous savings for cutting costs. My father taught me about this back in the 70's and it has had very good results. Thanks again.
I don't often comment on videos but I had to come let you know how much this video helped me. I am the exact person you describe....I started out giving my chickens grit, but as they started having pasture access and free -ranging, I stopped, thinking they could get it in the pasture.
All last summer I had problems with my chickens and I wasn't sure why. Often eggshells would be fragile and sound like porceline... I had multiple batches of broody mamas who had zero eggs hatch...I had a few clutches of chicks where many would die after hatching....I knew something nutritionally was up with my chickens but I wasn't sure why.
When I saw your video it was like someone hit me over the head with a bat and I have to thank you so much for that! We went right out and got grit and gave it to my chickens and they gobbled it up! I'm curious to see how this translates into better fertility in the months to come.
Thanks for what you are doing, I appreciate your videos and watch daily and learn so much!
Mr. Irwin I'm sorry I know it's been 3 years but I was wondering if the grit worked or any other advice you could give🤔🤔
@@davidschmidt270 yes the grit is still helping them! I would definitely recommend!
@@AdriN2001 Mr. Irwin....daaaang, thank you Sir....is there anymore tips.....or ...even better, videos... maybe even one's you've made that can further my education of chicken keeping???
I really want to pursue this... anyways... thanks for answering....you didn't have to do that...you don't owe me anything.... anyways, thank you Sir 👏👏👏👏💯💝💕👍👏💯💝💝💰🎁🍻
@@davidschmidt270 check out Justin Rhodes on UA-cam he has a ton of content
Very good video that provided scientific reasons through the use of visuals for the need of grit to enable better health for the chickens as well as cutting feed costs. Thank you.
I use gravel,oyster shells and reuse. Eggshells awesome results since. Nice video man. Loved it.
True Grit was a great film.
Very good presentation. Truly wish other youtubers could do it the way you do. Clear concise learnable.
Wow. I've been raising chickens for four years and only used oyster shells as grit. Found a small screw inside a gizzard. Really great info!!! TYSM
also the grit has a lot of nutrients in it that the chicken get as they break down the grit ..which then goes into eggs or into soil when they poop .. interesting system nature came up with to mineralize soils
I went in to get a bag of grit and the feed store only had a 5lb bag in stock. I was told by the associate that free range chicks don’t need grit. This is what I always thought too until your video. I took the 5lb bag just to test before ordering a bigger bag. (80 chickens) They immediately ate the grit. 3 days later it was gone. I bought the 25lb bag and they have slowed down but still eat some. Time will tell if they eat less food. 🤞
can u use this too on broiler chicks or just free range chicks
theresio leefland all chickens except babies need the smaller grind.
Hey Art and Bri sent me over, looking forward to checking out more of your videos. Great content. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Karla.
Very good explanation, I've done pastured poultry for years and never realy thought about it. I'm going to start right away.
I live in rural Wyoming and the guy at the feed store laughed his ass off when I told him I was looking for grit for my layers. Acted like it was the strangest thing he'd ever heard. Glad I found this video, I don't feel as stupid now.
I am able to stop once a week and pick up sea weed from the sand spit that the highway is on. It is mixed by the waves with barnacle shell and grit. so I get a multiple supplement for free.
That's a great resource to have at hand.
Great info for someone like me. I have five day old chicks and ducklings and looking up all ways for healthier birds yet reduce costcof feed!
Wow. Thanks for the insights. I was following the advice of random people on forums. Nice to know some hard-won facts.
This video helped me understand the purpose of grit a lot thanks!
So, the shell oyster i buy from the store is not the gear! I have a gorge with running water nearby where is swim is this grit good? There is some really fine stuff which may be good for the babies i now have. Will look for the book we are in France - i have never seen grit in the shops - just shell; it is quite sparse here!
I've used sand as grit. Not play sand and not beach sand. The type used to mix cement.
I bought chickens from a feed store. The lady that answered all my questions and helped me select birds, the self proclaimed "chicken lady" and chicken expert, said nothing about grit. I didn't know to ask. I learned about grit from reading a pack of mealworms that I got the chicks for a snack as they got a bit older. I wish more information on this subject was more accessible.
Oh and the cataloge/instruction book for the beginner kit said nothing about grit anywhere. They could have gotten an extra 10 bucks off me and my chicks would have been healthier.
What's up with the Chicken at 1:11 ?
I think a guy in the UK was trying to teach his dog something like that
Key question would be should we mix grit into the feedsacks or bins and ensure there is an appropriate ratio of grit to grain for meat and eggs conversion?
You could. I think free choice is fine.
I learned something new. Chicken farmer here. Thanks!!
True Grit... Really??? I've always done grit. Just got started right. I'm wondering now though, about feeding oyster shell to cornish crosses. Wondering if it will help with skeleton development...
informative and educational podcast's now videos. Thanks for the continuing education.
Sure thing, thanks for watching.
Other questions: is it possible to generate grit on farm vs. buying retail? What is the particle size for the best grit? What stones make the best grit (harder ones like granite)?
Harder rocks. It's pretty cheap and they don't go through much of it. I would just buy it.
so, do the birds poop grit? in essence, is the grit returned to soil and after composting, available for reuse by the chickens?
Very interesting, One other point is if the chickens are absorbing more nutrients froml the food it might help with poop smell ie less poop
Is granite really all grit is? Been thinking about using it to mix into my cactus soil to improve drainage, but I'm afraid if I buy something like this then it will have some sort of chemical additive mixed in that would be bad for my plants.
Very interesting.
Have you tried fermenting your feed? I was able to cut feed costs between 25%-50% (seasonally dependent results) by fermenting feed.
Adding sprouts to their feed also cut costs and improved egg quality, even though they were pastured.
Kirsten Whitworth, What is your fermentation technique?
It's very, very simple. You are aiming at making a warm mash, with a beneficial bacterial seasoning, and let it sit long enough in a warm spot for the bacteria to grow.
This works with crumbles, pellets, whole or cracked grain, whatever you are currently feeding your birds.
8-12 hours before normal feeding time, measure your dry feed into feed dishes (or a bucket) as usual. Add a lacto-fermentation starter like apple cider vinegar (ACV) or kefir - a good dollop will do, no need to measure - but you are aiming for about 2 TBS to 1/4 cup of starter per quart\scoop of feed.
Cover the feed with about an inch of water above the level of the mixture - as if you were making a pot of beans. The feed will absorb all the water, and will expand in volume - be forewarned.
I cover the dishes with cheesecloth to keep out insects, but to allow gas exchange, and let it sit overnight. Treat it like yeast bread; that is, keep it warm - but not hot - to encourage the bacteria to grow.
Feed on your normal schedule.
I experimented with fermentation intervals - my chickens seemed to prefer a shorter interval - overnight - as opposed to two or more days.
They kept leaving more and more feed every day until I was feeding much less than I had been. They will eat more in the winter, but still less than unfermented feed.
I usually use ACV as a starter, but have used various kinds of kefir. My birds seemed to like plain and honey-flavored kefir, but they didn't much like the fruit-flavored ones. Could have just been my birds' particular preferences, though. Yogurt will work, but it does not contain as much bacterial diversity as kefir. I never tried kombucha, but it should work, too. I advise experimentation to see what your birds like.
I don't do this with my current flock (ducks and geese) - I moved to the PNW, and am worried about mold. Everything I've tried to ferment or sprout up here has gotten moldy in a very short period of time. I still soak the duck\goose feed in water immediately before feeding, though, which they seem to vastly prefer to dry.
Never tried. Good idea, I will have to try it.
But if turkeys get grit naturally why cant my chickens on the mountainside? I am going to start offering free choice grit but Im a little confused by that. My chickens are pretty wild and will fly into trees to roost at night if I dont make them go into coop. They are all over the mountainside plenty of rocks. They are extremely healthy as well. Never the less I will put some grit out free choice just in case.
Very helpful and insightful thankyou
Diego, what size was advertized on the granite grit you showed? I'm putting down grit for some large duck ponds and looking at pea gravel sizes. Smallest my local landscaping company goes is 3/8s and I can't tell if that is small enough. Thanks!
Small. Probably around 1/8”.
Like popcorn kernels or slightly smaller.
Do they defecate the grit and can it be reused?
Awesome information!! Thanks so much
Interesting. Looks so big! But I'm giving my chicks the little stuff. I, too thought they get their grit from the ground. Hmmmm....need to look into this.
Rooster Cogburn in the background?
A 5 lb bag of this stuff now costs 8 bucks at tractor supply
What % of your feed do you replace with grit? I'm considering subbing in 20% with grit /oyster shell but maybe that's too high.
I put it out free choice. I don’t mix it in.
So how do wild birds get their grit? Fly to Tractor Supply and purchase a bag of grit and divvy it up among themselves?
The goal of a wild bird isn't to cut feed costs.
@@DiegoFooter True and I agree with this cutting feed cost method but seriously...how are wild turkeys and ducks getting their grit?
@@Seal6Sniper They are not confined and wander over a large area.
@@jrob8764 Isn't that called "free range"?
You are talking about how professional chicken growers do things, but some of the things they do, we don’t need to do. Their chickens have far less access to natural grit than my free range chickens do. Perhaps my chickens get more grit than the average chicken, but I doubt it. I do have very rocky soil. I recently butchered 5 of my chickens. I cut open every gizzard and every one of them was full of rocks, pebbles - well grit. I don’’t add grit to their diets, they find it. You say if you can’t find the rocks in the soil, the chickens can’t either. I beg to differ with you. When I dig in the garden, my chickens snap up worms that I haven’t spotted. I think they can do the same with grit. For the person who doesn’t let your chickens out to free range, it is necessary to provide grit, but for the rest of us - soil is made up of tiny rocks. I’ll let my chickens eat the rocks that are naturally in my soil rather than buying rocks from someone else.
Fair point. But all rocks aren’t the same hardness, so they all aren’t equal. In terms of buying it it’s pretty darn cheap, so I look at it as why not supply it. If they don’t need it then they don’t need it, but it’s not draining the bank account.
100% look at the Gizzard when butchering and you will find out!
Thanks!
Rooster cogburn approves this message
What age can you give them grit like if you got them in spring then now it’s October
You would supply it on Day 1. Obviously, they need smaller pieces when they are smaller.
art & Bri sent Me here. Like This information. Thank You
Thank you.
Could grit be made from crushed brick or concrete. Lots of that around here and it’s good for the environment.
Possibly, the additives would make me want to do more research.
I’d think a bag of 4 way chips would be the best wa my honistly. That’s what ima try
Nick Gamble that sounds good. Crushed granite sounds too... idk exotic to me. We have limestone around here that’s about it. I figure crushed sedimentary rock should work. What about grog? The stuff in ceramics? Have some of that available. It’s food safe right?
Matthew Niedbala I mean a bag of 4 way chips is mostly limestone which is way harder than any chicken food. That or decorative kinda gravel from lows should in theory be just as good. I gave my chickens some gravel sand this morning. Didn’t think they would eat all of it but they did. So make sure to only dump a bit for them cause they are stupid and eat every bit.
Thanks, very helpful video
do you just put it out in a bowl ? just let them wonder by and graphics some ?
Yes, a pie tin works great. Chickens (birds) will only eat what they need to depending on how much feed they eat.
Walt Lars I just dump it on top of the feed tube. You can judge how much to give them by how much is remaining in the feed bowl the next day.
I have it hanging in a little cup from the side of their run, so they can help themselves as needed. I refill it periodically just based on site. I have that leaving it on the ground in a bowl creates waste - they either dump it over or get on top, scratch and scatter it everywhere.
That's how I have my oyster shell, but I screwed it to a piece of plywood so they couldn't tip it over.
I sprinkle crushed eggs shells on the ground when I sprinkle the food
We use gravel its cheap and u can get it anywhere for free
From breaking bad to raising chickens. We proud of u walter. Props to u my man. 😂😂😂 jk jk Thank u for the grit video helped out a lot.
Are there any birds that don't need grit?
All domestic poultry need grit. Even chicks, poults, ducklings and goslings need grit - but more finely ground. They sell chick grit in feed stores.
I imagine quail would always need chick grit.
Thank you for your help
Great video, thanks!!
i use stone grit
came from Art and Bri...
Thanks Debbie.
Bet it's not 9$ now
Now I need 🐥 s. Great incite. Your still needing to buy feed even with your chicken runs?
Oh yeah. Think of the forage as their vitamins. They still need their bulk calories which come from most likely grain. I have heard a lot of estimates in terms of how much of their nutrition comes from the pasture and that number varies from about 10 to 20%. So not much. They are a grain dependent animal. Turkeys and other poultry could do better in a true free range system.