Feeding/Free Range Grit Questions

[bman12]

All,

We have 30 Freedom Rangers that are about 4 weeks old. We have been opening the coop up in the morning and putting them back in at night. Our goal was to free range them and have them eat bugs and a natural diet as much as possible. So far we have not had predator issues yet but know we may have to make adjustments if we do. If they aren't huge chickens that is OK with us but we don't want them too thin. We have been removing the food during the day to encourage foraging instead of just staying by the feeder. This also helps get them in the coop at night and having them out makes it easier to move the chicken tractor/coop. I leave the feeder full at night and part of the morning. My wife and I really enjoy having them out, but we have noticed around 4pm they become much more active which we think is when they are starting to get hungry.

I was reading and it seemed they should have grit at all times, so I got some Dumor chick grit. When I put the grit in there they just attack it like they go after food in the evening. To see if they wanted grit or food, I put the food back in the coop and they lose all interest in the grit and go after the food. The food I am giving them is crumble but we do give some cracked corn and table scraps as a treat so I assume with that they need some grit. My problem is that when I give them grit they just go after it unless they have food out. I would assume eating a large amount of grit isn't good for them either. So I think my choices are either no grit and they have to find it on their own or leave the food out all day and hope they forage with a full belly (based on what I see in the morning I don't see that happening).

Last night I tried putting the grit out after the feed and they ate all the grit with feed available. I was wondering if this could be a compromise. I am also worried unlimited food 24/7 will create some other issues. I live on the east coast and the soil is a mix of clay and sand.

Any advice would be appreciated as this is my first time with chickens.

 

[Love Donkeys]

All,

We have 30 Freedom Rangers that are about 4 weeks old. We have been opening the coop up in the morning and putting them back in at night. Our goal was to free range them and have them eat bugs and a natural diet as much as possible. So far we have not had predator issues yet but know we may have to make adjustments if we do. If they aren't huge chickens that is OK with us but we don't want them too thin. We have been removing the food during the day to encourage foraging instead of just staying by the feeder. This also helps get them in the coop at night and having them out makes it easier to move the chicken tractor/coop. I leave the feeder full at night and part of the morning. My wife and I really enjoy having them out, but we have noticed around 4pm they become much more active which we think is when they are starting to get hungry.

I was reading and it seemed they should have grit at all times, so I got some Dumor chick grit. When I put the grit in there they just attack it like they go after food in the evening. To see if they wanted grit or food, I put the food back in the coop and they lose all interest in the grit and go after the food. The food I am giving them is crumble but we do give some cracked corn and table scraps as a treat so I assume with that they need some grit. My problem is that when I give them grit they just go after it unless they have food out. I would assume eating a large amount of grit isn't good for them either. So I think my choices are either no grit and they have to find it on their own or leave the food out all day and hope they forage with a full belly (based on what I see in the morning I don't see that happening).

Last night I tried putting the grit out after the feed and they ate all the grit with feed available. I was wondering if this could be a compromise. I am also worried unlimited food 24/7 will create some other issues. I live on the east coast and the soil is a mix of clay and sand.

Any advice would be appreciated as this is my first time with chickens.

We have 35 (29 adults, 7 eight week olds) free-range chickens. They get their layer crumbles in the mornings before I let them out of their walk-in coop. They go in and out of the coop and do their free-range chicken thing all day. Around 4pm I scatter mixed grain Scratch-feed which they love. They start returning to the coop around dusk. When it's almost dark I pick up the eggs and close the coop.

I give them Oyster Shells or crushed egg shells that have been heated to destroy bacteria. I have never given out Grit and maybe I'm wrong not to offer it. I believe the birds will find what they need when they are out wandering around.

 

[Molpet]

If they eat anything than crumble or pellet feed they should have grit. They have no teeth and the grit helps grind up food. They may or may not find enough suitable size stones on pasture. Mine used hardly any except in bad weather for a few years. Now they go through 100 lbs in a year.
There's been studies on broilers that show grit improved performance, even with crumbles.
https://www.researchgate.net/public...~:text=Grit feeding improved the final,3764 g).

 

[Ridgerunner]

I was reading and it seemed they should have grit at all times, so I got some Dumor chick grit.

Chicks need grit to grind up what they eat that needs to be ground up. Chicken feed, whether crumbles, pellets, or mash does not need to be ground up. It already has been ground. To form pellets or crumbles they wet the mash and dry it. It falls apart when it gets wet with their digestive juices. Their gizzard can easily handle it without grit. When they are out foraging they are going to eat grass and other vegetative matter, bugs and other creepy crawlies, and other stuff that needs to be ground up.

For thousands of years, long before they were domesticated, chickens found grit in the ground from bits of rock. Some rocks are harder than others. Some bits bigger than others. Some soft small rocks only last a very short time on the gizzard. A hard rock like granite that starts out the size of a green pea may last 3 weeks or more. The grit you buy is granite, sifted from the debris of a granite quarry. Chick grit is fairly small. At about 8 weeks you could switch to regular grit if you wish. They can then handle the larger sizes.

I do not know what rocks you have in your soil. The odds are very high they can get all the grit they need but I can't say that 100%. There is nothing wrong with furnishing grit for them. You can continue putting it in a bowl or just scatter it in the ground and let them find it. The stuff you buy should be granite so they do not need a lot of it. It will last in their gizzards.

I cannot tell you how much to give them, too many variables if they even need it. I do not provide grit for mine. When I butcher them and open the gizzard (I use the gizzards) I always find plenty of grit in there so mine are getting plenty naturally.

Good luck and enjoy those Rangers.

 

[Love Donkeys]

We have 35 (29 adults, 7 eight week olds) free-range chickens. They get their layer crumbles in the mornings before I let them out of their walk-in coop. They go in and out of the coop and do their free-range chicken thing all day. Around 4pm I scatter mixed grain Scratch-feed which they love. They start returning to the coop around dusk. When it's almost dark I pick up the eggs and close the coop.

I give them Oyster Shells or crushed egg shells that have been heated to destroy bacteria. I have never given out Grit and maybe I'm wrong not to offer it. I believe the birds will find what they need when they are out wandering around.

The reason I do not offer grit to our free-rangers is that our driveways and large barnyard is River Rock and Chert. The livestock paths between our rotational pastures are also River Rock. I know my situation is different from other BYC people, I just want to let everyone know why I do not offer grit.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

If your yard doesn't naturally have a lot of small pebbles (most people's doesn't), they need grit. They will eat a lot of grit if there's no food out. Last time I just threw a handful or two on the ground where my meat birds were ranging every day or so. Their instincts tell them that they need to pick up and eat the grit, and since they have to find it they don't eat it too quickly. They'll find it. That was with 7 birds. Since you have 30 birds, I'd give them a bit more. There's no set dose for grit, but just ask long as they are building up grit in their gizzard, they are good. Keep a steady flow of grit coming and they'll be good. Don't stress about it too much.

Also, if you want the grit to be in a dish, just put it out for a few hours a day and then take it away. They will eat what they need and I believe the grit remains in the gizzard for over 24 hours, so they will still have what they need to digest until the next day.