[looe-looe-belle]

when i picked up my first ever hens on saturday the farmer told me not to feed grit until they started to lay is this correct ? I thought that all birds needed grit to break down their food ?

[joyfull]

yes they do - are you sure he said grit and not oyster shell? the grit is for breaking down their feed as you said and the oyster shell is for calcium to make strong shells - in which case they don't need the oyster shell until they get to that age.

[looe-looe-belle]

well he sold me oyster shell grit and said that was the only grit i would need i have put some in the run and they are eating it - so should i purchase some other grit then ? As he said this was all he ever used

[joyfull]

so that is a mixed bag, they may be just picking out the grit. They should be ok with this stuff  .
what age are the hens?

[looe-looe-belle]

they are 18 wk old lohmann brown hybrids snare you telling me that this oyster shell is sufficient as this is not mixed with grit

[joyfull]

check the packet - some is mixed stuff and if that is all he gives his it sounds like that is mixed. Mine free range so they get their grit from the ground.

[looe-looe-belle]

i cant check the packet the farmer sold me a 4ltr ice cream tub full for £2

[jinty1911]

My local farmers supply shop said that oyster shell and grit were the same thing.  I wasn't convinced so got some bird grit from the supermarket for 50p.  I sprinkle it round the garden and chicks seem to like it.
Jinty

[GrannieAnnie]

Oh I do worry sometimes about these shops giving people the wrong info!  Jinty, Joyfull is right, there is oyster shell and there is grit.  They serve 2 different purposes, but perhaps that shop have only ever sold the mixed one, so they would think its the same thing wouldn't they? perhaps? maybe?  

My girls never get grit, as hopefully they get what they need from the ground, and I don't give them oyster shell which is in effect calcium very often, only if I get lots of soft shelled eggs.

I hardly get any of these problems, my biggest one at the moment is that they seem to have stopped laying again!!!  

[joyfull]

mine too Annie, only getting 4 a day at the moment 

[GrannieAnnie]

There's lots of it going on at the moment, or not going on as the case may be!

[jinty1911]

Have put a tub of Oyster Shell and grit in run and they seem to help themselves to both so I suppose they maybe know what they are doing/eating? 

[GrannieAnnie]

Oh they will Jinty!  They'll just take what they need!