Grit or not to Grit

[audioguy]

Our chicks arrive next week. The brooder is ready (except for the water bowl which I broke). I have the food, the brooder has the pine chips in, the heat lamp is ready, but I have one question.

I have read that grit is important to aid in digestion, so I picked up a bag. After reading the instructions it states on the bag to start the grit at 8 weeks. Is this true to do they need grit right away?

Thanks

 

[Chickeninthemeadow]

I'm still a newb myself, but most of the reading here seems to say only do starter at least for the first week or two. When you start adding in treats (egg yolks, yogurt, etc) then you'll need the grit. Make sure you got chick grit (small/fine coarse sand/gravel stuff). My girls just turn a week old on Wednesday and I have started introducing them to grit, I give it for about an hour then I pull it out. The concern is for some reason, they decide they enjoy the grit and may fall off their feed a little.

Grats on your new chicks! I'd probably get a thermometer and make sure the brooder lamp is positioned for best heat arrangement before they arrive.

 

[elmo]

Grit is used in a chicken's gizzard (their muscular, second stomach) to grind fibrous food into smaller bits for digestion. Chicken feed isn't fibrous so they don't need grit to be able to digest it. Hardboiled egg or yogurt is readily digestable without grit, too.

When they're out on grass or eating bugs, then they need the grit.

It's a good idea to set up your brooder and run it for a while to watch the temperature so you don't have to be making major adjustments (like rushing out to the store to buy a different bulb) after the chicks arrive. And many people (myself included) put paper towels down on top of the pine shavings at first so the chicks can't gorge themselves on the pine shavings before they figure out just what's food and what isn't. They will still eat a pine shaving or two, and that's not a problem, but you don't want them to stuff their little crops with it.

 

[audioguy]

Thanks for the info! This is with out a doubt, the best source for raising chickens! Someone always has the answers!

Our brooder is ready, has been tested for the right temps. Our heat lamp is not clamped, but chained to our workbench. I have two extra bulbs, just in case.

I will use the paper towels over the shavings for the first day or so.

Thought I had a good idea and decided to make a hole in the top of the plastic water jug to aid in filling it. Mistake #1. Did not do my math first! Once I cut the hole, the water simply poured out and emptied the bottle. Duh! Back to TSC to pick up another jug!