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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- Nature on the Farmstead - These posts will be educational and informative about the nature that happens on my farmstead. Look forward to posts about wild animals, birds, wildflowers and plants, insects, and more!
As always 
Photos by me using my iPhone 6s, unless stated otherwise!
