Chick grit and Coop time

[mother_hen9]

New chicken mom here! We have a little bit of a range of age between our 4 chicks with the oldest being somewhere between 5-6 weeks and the youngest being around 3 weeks. We’ve never had an issue with plucking or jumping on each other or pecking order between the ages either. The older one actually has been the comfort zone for the youngest naturally while my middle two run around. It’s hot where I live and I want to start giving them some time to explore their coop and run, but do I need to be worried about putting grit down? They’ve never had it before and I’m worried they might eat something off the ground in their run. Any kind advice is appreciated!

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC!

Can you please post pictures of your setup?
How hot?
If they will have access to the ground, they won't need grit as they will scratch it up themselves.

 

[mother_hen9]

Welcome to BYC!

Can you please post pictures of your setup?
How hot?
If they will have access to the ground, they won't need grit as they will scratch it up themselves.

It’s been sunny and between the low to mid 80’s. I plan to just take them out for a few hours and bring them back in.
Here’s a picture of our set up. We are going to get them a bigger run but this is what we have for now. They will also have free range of the yard and we plan to only put them up at night and when we aren’t home.

 

[Brooks_]

Welcome to BYC!

Can you please post pictures of your setup?
How hot?
If they will have access to the ground, they won't need grit as they will scratch it up themselves.

I disagree with this as not all soils have the appropriate type of rock.

Grit is cheap and doesn't go bad. I would offer it regardless of soil type.

 

[KimbosKluckers]

I would also offer chick grit just in case…they may catch bugs etc. it can’t hurt. I’d also advise to make the coop/run a bit more predator proof with hardware cloth around the perimeter (sorry, I know that wasn’t a question just an fyi)

 

[SourRoses]

It's a good time to offer chick grit. Just make sure the bag you buy says it's sized for chicks and not the adult version.
The bagged grit is crushed granite, which holds up better than some other kinds of rock in the gizzard.
I've tried not offering grit or only offering it sometimes on the idea that my foraging chickens could find what they need, but it lends itself to crop issues that are easier to prevent than to solve.
Chicks crops will budge right out when they slow down.
There's also evidence to suggest that grit helps develop the muscles of the crop and can improve their growth (a little) even on a crumbled feed.
Be aware that they often play around and waste some of it, so a little dish that hangs on a fence is a good way to offer it so they can't get their toes in it. Some people sprinkle it on their food but I just put it out separate so they can choose for themselves.

 

[DobieLover]

It’s been sunny and between the low to mid 80’s. I plan to just take them out for a few hours and bring them back in.
Here’s a picture of our set up. We are going to get them a bigger run but this is what we have for now. They will also have free range of the yard and we plan to only put them up at night and when we aren’t home.

That's a very small coop for the number of birds you have. There are threads that show his to turn the whole thing into a coop with better ventilation. I would do that as soon as you've constructed the much larger run.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'll address grit first - yes to grit, it's cheap insurance and a single bag will last you until eternity (I'm still using up the single scoop of chick grit I first bought 8 years ago) so no reason not to supply it even if you have a decent amount of rocks in the soil.

That's a very small coop for the number of birds you have. There are threads that show his to turn the whole thing into a coop with better ventilation. I would do that as soon as you've constructed the much larger run.

I'll just be preemptive, though to add to what's below, you'd ideally want to build up a matching roof over the run area if going with the instructions below:

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/