Chick Grit?

[Chelle1908]

Hey there everyone! I have 10 two and a half week old chicks. I am wondering, at what age I can start giving them chick grit and other foods; i.e., black soldier fly larvae?
What other foods do you introduce to your chicks first?

Thanks!

 

[Bernie Bones]

Hey there everyone! I have 10 two and half week old chicks. I am wondering at what age I can start giving them chick grit and other foods; i.e., black soldier fly larvae.
What other foods do you introduce to your chicks first?

Thanks!

They are ready for all that you can give them. Grit is very important to the development of the chicken gizzard, for crushing food.

 

[AGeese]

I brood with sand so they have it from the start.

 

[nuthatched]

Sprinkle a little in their brooder so they find it naturally instead if gorging on it. I wait until a month for treats, and their first treats are boiled egg or steam broccoli

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

I am wondering at what age I can start giving them chick grit

As long as they are on starter feed (6-8 weeks), grit is not necessary.

 

[Bernie Bones]

I brood with sand so they have it from the start.

Sand is ok but also can get compacted in my opinion. My personal preference is limerock, one being it's plentiful in my area, and second it has many protein for your chicks. Drain's well and it even reduces worms because Iit has everything to kill parasite by penetration of their exoskeleton.

 

[Bernie Bones]

As long as they are on starter feed (6-8 weeks), grit is not necessary.

Grit is always necessary, why would you think other wise. From day one in Free range environment that is the first thing chicks eat. Best thing for them is to grow natural, watch your chicks in Free range and see how much dirt they eat. Ask any real chicken breeder if I'm wrong. There will be plenty to argue my point but most will agree.

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

Grit is always necessary, why would you think other wise. From day one in Free range environment that is the first thing chicks eat. Best thing for them is to grow natural, watch your chicks in Free range and see how much dirt they eat. Ask any real chicken breeder if I'm wrong. There will be plenty to argue my point but most will agree.

I'll let @Eggcessive chime in if she has a chance. Not going to argue...

 

[Bernie Bones]

I'll let @Eggcessive chime in if she has a chance. Not going to argue...

No arguments just my life experience

 

[Eggcessive]

Grit is only necessary when they are eating food other than chicken crumbles or pellets. If they are outdoors free ranging, they will be eating grasses, bugs, seeds, and those require grit. If you give scraps, seeds, scratch, they need grit according to age. I don’t feed them anything but cricken crumbles until they are 6-7 weeks old and go outside to the grass. Now, if I have chicks raised by broody hens, they are out on day 3, so they have access to chick grit. I use granite poultry or chick grit, and they also find tiny rocks in the soil.