We do very similar things for our quail broods, sand mixed with a bit of very small grit. We offer it via a shallow heavy dish to prevent them tipping it over and the quail will often use it as a dust bath as well as consume what they need. It really seems to add value and keep the birds healthy and growing on FAST as they can make the most of their feed and they're super clean and happy as well. Awesome advice! 👍
That is what I've been wondering. I have 5 week old chicks. I've been feeding them a handful of dried mealworms and scrap veggies for about a week. So hopefully I have not messed their bellies
I didn't know about grit with my first flock, thirty years ago. Now I make sure they have it. (There was a 20+ year hiatus from being able to have a flock. Suburban living, ya know.) Grit makes a big difference. My broilers are growing so fast that it's almost scary. Last time I raised broilers, they grew half as fast. Same breed (Cornish Cross), but no grit. The Granite grit at tractor supply is way over priced. Builder's sand is a much better deal.
When I kept chickens before, they had granite available, but they selected mostly sand and tree bark. My ground is mostly pretty fine sand mixed with tiny pebbles. They pretty well ignored the granite grits, unless it rained, then they'd eat the moss that grew on it
In England u can buy mixed grit which is grit of different size so the birds an pick out what they want, I dont know if you have that in America/canada and you mix it in with their layer pellets
playground sand is bad...too fine. Chickens have delicate respiratory systems...Get construction sand for dust baths and add diatemacous earth for mites and bug prevention.
How long should I feed medicated starter feed to my chicks before introducing regular feed? When do you introduce diatomaceous earth? I have mostly sand soil here in Florida but wondered if I should give them oyster shell as well.
Good questions. Also here in Florida. I have a 4 week old chick that was abandoned by mama hen. I have no clue what to feed this little one! How do you feed grit to a baby chick? Do I just put in a bowl, or do I mix it in commercial chick food? I have no idea how to even offer grit. Thanks!
@@FlourishingLove I have 3 week old chicks. My first time. I feed them in one dish start and grow crumbles poultry feed. In another dish (saucer) chick grit , insoluble crushed granite from tractor supply. I did this from day one. My chicks are fully vaccinated so I bought non medicated feed(important) I assume yours is not vaccinated so buy the medicated. I cooked carrots and diced up small, the loved it. I also diced up hard boiled egg, they loved it. I also gave them diced up watermelon. Grit is needed for food digestion. Treats are mealworms, which I crush up slightly in my hand. Don’t over due treats, they get all their nutrition from the start and grow. Hope you got this in time to help ❤ Best wishes.
@@TearDrop455 Thank you, Diane. We had her here for 9 days. Today, we took her to a local farm after making arrangements with the farm owner. We simply don't have the facilities to take care of a hen. We did buy the starter/grower crumbles, and she loved them. Also, set her up in a dog crate out in the yard with the bottom of the crate removed so she could forage. She also loved that. She had grit in a bowl, but I don't think she ever ate any of them. I would sprinkle them into her pellet crumbles, but who knows if she got any. But by going outside to dig in the dirt and eat bugs in the dirt, I have to assume that she got some grit, naturally. She seemed to do well on them. Our story with her is that a wild neighborhood hen got stressed out when 5 roosters surrounded her and the solitary chick. The roosters chased the chick away from mom. Hours later, mom was still out there with the roosters, and ultimately simply left, leaving the chick whistling for her mama. So, we brought her in. I was panicked that night, and watched as many videos as I could trying to figure out what to feed her. I think we did alright! I hope so. She grew a bit in the 9 days. I'm hoping she'll fare well in her home with other chickens and plenty of room to dig and eat bugs, as well as the homemade feed the farmer makes. It was already difficult to let her go. We got attached quickly. She was very cute!
@@FlourishingLove what a great story, thanks for caring for her. Glad she made it and has a home 🥰 Good job. I never thought I’d love a chicken, but here I am with 4 buff Orpingtons (the friendliest!) they have stolen my heart ❤️ They’re so affectionate.🐥
Playground sand causes respiratory issues no? It’s better to get construction sand. Stay away from store bought playground sand and no beach sand! FYI through the grapevine 😊 means the same for dust bath no playground sand. For dust bath use your best dirt from the ground mix with you’re fire pit natural wood burned ash, and construction sand. 😊
What is best age to introduce babies to the older hens? Can I feed my young ones, crushed corn and grain? Older ones are open range.. Oyster shell, good for older ones? I put in food Thank you 👍🏻👊🏻
I subscribed, gave you a thumbs up, but I didn't get my answer... unless I missed it... I have newly hatched chicks that arrived by mail yesterday... When do I give them grit, how fine to start? Like sand? Finer? Thank you very much
What should I look for if my baby chicks (@ 3 weeks old) were given mango pieces before they have had grit? (No I did not do this, but someone in my house did) I started them on grit same day, bit are there any symptoms I should look for if this causes something to go wrong? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
I have my 6 week old chicks out in their run now. In the run is regular grass and soil. I also put some construction sand in the coop and a couple of shovels full of construction sand in their run. Is all that enough grit? Or do I need to pick up poultry grit from somewhere like tractor supply?
I got Chick grit I 18wks chickens and 7 weeks chickens I keep them into different coops How much do they get also Oyster shells how much do they get and how often
Nope, they do not. Especially if you have ever run over that ground with chickens before. They will pick out all the correct size rocks, and if you’re not sprinkling it on your lawn every year, then you probably don’t have enough. There’s no substitute for supplementing them with the correct size grit.
We had six chickens for about a year. A dog killed one. Our mailman ran over another and then one day we came home and the other four were gone. Never found out what happened. We haven't tried again. But I'd like to. Thanks for sharing.
This is an assumption that chickens are dumb and cannot find little stones. I have never used grit ( they will find it if allowed to free range) the only thing i do is ferment their food and leave the rest to them. They have survived for thousands of years without mans intervention just like the feed manufacturers say on their packages to always have food available for them to eat “ not good” you get fat obese chickens, just another way to sell products( by the way pellets and processed feed is not good either only whole grains and seeds have the most nutrients.
Either you have never had chicks in a brooder box, stock tank, or tote in the house, garage, or barn, or you have a very dirty brooder, or house. I live in Wyoming where it's also very rocky, and spring storms kill chicks, and I knew since when I was a little kid, more than 60 years ago. That if your chicks can't access the ground, you have to give them sand or they'll likely die. And that once they move out with the flock, they find their own. I never heard of chicken grit for many more years, but by then I had butchered so many domestic and wild game birds that I knew exactly why and where it goes. Come to think of it there are a lot of wild birds in Wyoming, even Prairie Chickens, but domestic chickens don't survive here without human intervention and know how. That's not saying chickens are dumb, just that most, cough, people are smarter.
We do very similar things for our quail broods, sand mixed with a bit of very small grit. We offer it via a shallow heavy dish to prevent them tipping it over and the quail will often use it as a dust bath as well as consume what they need. It really seems to add value and keep the birds healthy and growing on FAST as they can make the most of their feed and they're super clean and happy as well. Awesome advice! 👍
I'm by a creek and I'll scoop up some creek dirt for em. Very sandy/rocky
"Rocks are some of our best crop" LOL
That is what I've been wondering. I have 5 week old chicks. I've been feeding them a handful of dried mealworms and scrap veggies for about a week. So hopefully I have not messed their bellies
I didn't know about grit with my first flock, thirty years ago. Now I make sure they have it. (There was a 20+ year hiatus from being able to have a flock. Suburban living, ya know.) Grit makes a big difference. My broilers are growing so fast that it's almost scary. Last time I raised broilers, they grew half as fast. Same breed (Cornish Cross), but no grit. The Granite grit at tractor supply is way over priced. Builder's sand is a much better deal.
When I kept chickens before, they had granite available, but they selected mostly sand and tree bark. My ground is mostly pretty fine sand mixed with tiny pebbles. They pretty well ignored the granite grits, unless it rained, then they'd eat the moss that grew on it
In England u can buy mixed grit which is grit of different size so the birds an pick out what they want, I dont know if you have that in America/canada and you mix it in with their layer pellets
I bought play sand for my chicks for a birth bath. Great to know this extra info for them. They are happy.
playground sand is bad...too fine. Chickens have delicate respiratory systems...Get construction sand for dust baths and add diatemacous earth for mites and bug prevention.
Hmmmm, I thought only Southern chickens ate grits! Is there a Yankee grit too?
😂👏👍
Yankees eat ass😉
oatmeal
Lol
Cute
How long should I feed medicated starter feed to my chicks before introducing regular feed? When do you introduce diatomaceous earth? I have mostly sand soil here in Florida but wondered if I should give them oyster shell as well.
Good questions. Also here in Florida. I have a 4 week old chick that was abandoned by mama hen. I have no clue what to feed this little one! How do you feed grit to a baby chick? Do I just put in a bowl, or do I mix it in commercial chick food? I have no idea how to even offer grit. Thanks!
@@FlourishingLove I have 3 week old chicks. My first time.
I feed them in one dish start and grow crumbles poultry feed.
In another dish (saucer) chick grit , insoluble crushed granite from tractor supply.
I did this from day one.
My chicks are fully vaccinated so I bought non medicated feed(important)
I assume yours is not vaccinated so buy the medicated.
I cooked carrots and diced up small, the loved it.
I also diced up hard boiled egg, they loved it.
I also gave them diced up watermelon. Grit is needed for food digestion.
Treats are mealworms, which I crush up slightly in my hand.
Don’t over due treats, they get all their nutrition from the start and grow.
Hope you got this in time to help ❤
Best wishes.
@@TearDrop455 Thank you, Diane. We had her here for 9 days. Today, we took her to a local farm after making arrangements with the farm owner. We simply don't have the facilities to take care of a hen. We did buy the starter/grower crumbles, and she loved them. Also, set her up in a dog crate out in the yard with the bottom of the crate removed so she could forage. She also loved that. She had grit in a bowl, but I don't think she ever ate any of them. I would sprinkle them into her pellet crumbles, but who knows if she got any. But by going outside to dig in the dirt and eat bugs in the dirt, I have to assume that she got some grit, naturally. She seemed to do well on them. Our story with her is that a wild neighborhood hen got stressed out when 5 roosters surrounded her and the solitary chick. The roosters chased the chick away from mom. Hours later, mom was still out there with the roosters, and ultimately simply left, leaving the chick whistling for her mama. So, we brought her in. I was panicked that night, and watched as many videos as I could trying to figure out what to feed her. I think we did alright! I hope so. She grew a bit in the 9 days. I'm hoping she'll fare well in her home with other chickens and plenty of room to dig and eat bugs, as well as the homemade feed the farmer makes. It was already difficult to let her go. We got attached quickly. She was very cute!
@@FlourishingLove what a great story, thanks for caring for her. Glad she made it and has a home 🥰
Good job. I never thought I’d love a chicken, but here I am with 4 buff Orpingtons (the friendliest!) they have stolen my heart ❤️
They’re so affectionate.🐥
When do you start baby chicks on oyster shell and regular corn feed? Thanks
I haven’t seen a place in your tractors for the grit. Where/how do you give grit once in the tractors?
Playground sand causes respiratory issues no? It’s better to get construction sand. Stay away from store bought playground sand and no beach sand! FYI through the grapevine 😊 means the same for dust bath no playground sand. For dust bath use your best dirt from the ground mix with you’re fire pit natural wood burned ash, and construction sand. 😊
What is best age to introduce babies to the older hens? Can I feed my young ones, crushed corn and grain? Older ones are open range.. Oyster shell, good for older ones? I put in food
Thank you 👍🏻👊🏻
I’m about to order a newborn chicks this week. Do I start having some sort of rocks or sand with them right away?
I subscribed, gave you a thumbs up, but I didn't get my answer... unless I missed it...
I have newly hatched chicks that arrived by mail yesterday...
When do I give them grit, how fine to start? Like sand? Finer?
Thank you very much
What should I look for if my baby chicks (@ 3 weeks old) were given mango pieces before they have had grit? (No I did not do this, but someone in my house did) I started them on grit same day, bit are there any symptoms I should look for if this causes something to go wrong? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
ROFL - "Rocks is one of our best crop."
I have my 6 week old chicks out in their run now. In the run is regular grass and soil. I also put some construction sand in the coop and a couple of shovels full of construction sand in their run. Is all that enough grit? Or do I need to pick up poultry grit from somewhere like tractor supply?
Can i give them also grinded shells instead of grit?
I dont mean the birdcage shellsand
Which brand of grit?
Don't see one reply to any of the questions below....I guess you only take questions on your website, so heading over there.
Can you convert this to quail?
I got Chick grit I 18wks chickens and 7 weeks chickens I keep them into different coops How much do they get also Oyster shells how much do they get and how often
Do chickens get the right amount of gritt in their diet if they free-range?
Nope, they do not. Especially if you have ever run over that ground with chickens before. They will pick out all the correct size rocks, and if you’re not sprinkling it on your lawn every year, then you probably don’t have enough. There’s no substitute for supplementing them with the correct size grit.
But what if thy ar only three days old
What do you give them in there water to help get energy, I heard people using apple cider
Raw apple cider for a natural antibiotics
RAW UNFILTERED apple cider vinegar...1/3 cup to 1 quart water for chicks. very good probiotics!
Sugar in the first 3 days for energy, then in their lifetime every 15 days give 3 days of ACV for natural antibiotics.
Thank you
Why are my hens eating grit is it ok
it's ok.Chivkens Have to eat rocks to help them digust the food they eat or els the food might rott in there crop wich isnt good
This is awesome - thank you
Lmao, that roster at the end
Glad you do this awwwwsome
What a bout oysters shells
Very informative 🥳
We had six chickens for about a year. A dog killed one. Our mailman ran over another and then one day we came home and the other four were gone. Never found out what happened. We haven't tried again. But I'd like to. Thanks for sharing.
This is an assumption that chickens are dumb and cannot find little stones. I have never used grit ( they will find it if allowed to free range) the only thing i do is ferment their food and leave the rest to them. They have survived for thousands of years without mans intervention just like the feed manufacturers say on their packages to always have food available for them to eat “ not good” you get fat obese chickens, just another way to sell products( by the way pellets and processed feed is not good either only whole grains and seeds have the most nutrients.
Either you have never had chicks in a brooder box, stock tank, or tote in the house, garage, or barn, or you have a very dirty brooder, or house. I live in Wyoming where it's also very rocky, and spring storms kill chicks, and I knew since when I was a little kid, more than 60 years ago. That if your chicks can't access the ground, you have to give them sand or they'll likely die. And that once they move out with the flock, they find their own. I never heard of chicken grit for many more years, but by then I had butchered so many domestic and wild game birds that I knew exactly why and where it goes. Come to think of it there are a lot of wild birds in Wyoming, even Prairie Chickens, but domestic chickens don't survive here without human intervention and know how. That's not saying chickens are dumb, just that most, cough, people are smarter.
I put sand in the pen from day one.
What about ducks
Hi. I would like to know how much to give my chicks. I have 1 week old and 3 week old.
Early... week one?? Day one?
“ I keep my video short and straight to the point“
What he actually does is rambles on and doesn’t even answer the question.
If you listen to the video you would realize he said in the first couple of days at the start of the video.
Oyster shell good
Hello
Thanks for wasting my time and not actually answering the question. “Early on” means absolutely nothing.
"So I start feeding grit to my chickens really early on, like the first few days." Direct quote. So a few days old.....
Thank you