Why are my 7 week old ducklings suddenly eating A LOT of grit?

[crazy chicken ladies]

Grit is little rocks.

The grit (rocks) mostly stay in the gizzard, to grind up the food the duck eats (or chicken, or pigeon, or whatever.) Birds do not chew their food with teeth, but grit in the gizzard is their way of breaking up food into little bits so it is easier to digest.


If the duck food is made of things that were ground up and then stuck back together into pellets or crumbles, then no your ducks do not need grit. That food is already ground up. Grit will not cause any problems, but is not needed either.

If your ducks eat whole grains, or grass, or other things, then yes they need grit to grind that up in their gizzard. Ducks who free range will often find enough grit for themselves (rocks of the right size), but ducks who are kept in a pen will need to have grit provided to them if they are eating foods with whole grains or other chunks.

Thank you! That's very helpful.