[JohnVW]

What is the best way to serve the poultry grit.  Would it be best mixed in with their corn or with their food to try and get them to use it or is it best in a separate container?  Any advice would be appreciated. JohnVW

[Kate and her Ducks]

I just have mine out in a seperate dish and they take what they want.

[Lindeggs]

Yes, just in another dish so they eat what they need, when they need it.

Actually in my case I have crushed egg shells right through the garden (as a result of them going through the worm farm and becoming part of the compost) and crushed sea shells in a heap on a concrete slab in the garden.  As long as the chooks know where to find it, they will just help themselves.

[terri]

i have it in a seperate dish but i think they pick it up as they go when free ranging too but they just help themselves as and when

[VickyW]

I had it in a separate foil dish which they've upended, scattering grit everywhere and keep pecking the dish!

[ANHBUC]

You can use something like this www.petsathome.com/shop/coop-cup-hook-by-rosewood-36726 

I just use two small square glass vases from Ikea which have heavy bases so they do not get knocked over.  One for grit and one for oyster shell. 

[terri]

iv got the little cups that hook on to the side of the mesh on the run

[MellowYellow]

Do they just automatically know if they need grit?

My chicks are nearly six weeks old and like JohnVW I wasn't sure whether to mix it with their feed or not.  I asked at the farm yesterday about the price and they sell it by the kilo (I was expecting a sack) which made me realise that it is only needed in small quantities 

I think I'll just leave some in a small dish and see what happens.

Also, can someone explain what is it actually for as I keep reading different things when I google it. 

Thanks everyone. 

[Lindeggs]

Hello Mellow Yellow.  There are two kinds of grit, and this often seems to lead to confusion!

Firstly there is hard grit.  This is bits of stone that the chickens swallow and use to grind up their food.  This is how chickens can swallow some quite hard whole grains, then break them up and digest them.  Clever little animals!

The other kind is shell grit.  It is usually broken oyster shells, but any other kind of shell will do.  Shells are made of calcium, so the chicken swallows the shell grit, grinds it up and extracts the calcium.  A laying hen needs quite a lot because they recycle the calcium to build their own egg-shells.

Chickens of all ages need hard grit, but only hens close to point of lay need shell grit.

And yes, they know how much they need of both kinds of grit, so they will just take what they need if you put both kinds in containers in their run.

[3FatHens]

When i first got my chickens i put it in a seperate dish but they didnt seem to eat it, now i mix it with their corn and they do not really notice the grit but they do eat it. Hope i helped 

[MellowYellow]

Yes, just in another dish so they eat what they need, when they need it.

Actually in my case I have crushed egg shells right through the garden (as a result of them going through the worm farm and becoming part of the compost) and crushed sea shells in a heap on a concrete slab in the garden.  As long as the chooks know where to find it, they will just help themselves.

I actually have a bin full of crushed cockle shells that I collected myself down by the cockle sheds at Leigh-onSea (I sound like Barbara from"The Good Life"  )   I use on my veggies to keep the slugs away.  Will they be any good for the chickens?

[Lindeggs]

Yes, crushed cockle shells are perfect. 

[hillfooter]

Yes, just in another dish so they eat what they need, when they need it.

Actually in my case I have crushed egg shells right through the garden (as a result of them going through the worm farm and becoming part of the compost) and crushed sea shells in a heap on a concrete slab in the garden.  As long as the chooks know where to find it, they will just help themselves.

I actually have a bin full of crushed cockle shells that I collected myself down by the cockle sheds at Leigh-onSea (I sound like Barbara from"The Good Life"  )   I use on my veggies to keep the slugs away.  Will they be any good for the chickens?

Crush it up so its between 2mm and 7mm size.

The terminology is insoluable grit (crushed gravel or granite usually) or soluable grit (oystershell usually).  Oyster shell serves both purposes and is a better form of soluable calcium than limestone flour which is often suggested for improving shell quality.  Modern compound feeds provide 3.5% calcium which is plenty for even the most productive hybrid layers so there's only real need to supplement calcium to older birds.

Insoluable grit is retained in the gizzard an acts as a chicken's "teeth".  Oyster shell is also retained in this way and produces a long slow release of calcium rather than the rapid flush produced by limestone flour.  It is much prefered to use oyster shell for older (2yo or greater) birds.

You should not mix it with other foods.  They will take what they need.  An excess of calcium is only removed by the kidneys and can cause kidney stones in less healthy individuals.  Never "force feed calcium by mixing with other food.

Incidentally only give corn as a scratch feed one small handful each in an evening for each bird not in a bowl ad lib.

HF

[Lindeggs]

Here's an article about Avian Urolithiasis (visceral gout) which can be caused by too much calcium in the diet of young birds.

WARNING: contains photos of the internal organs of chickens affected by this condition.
http://www.hy-line.com/userdocs/library/0_Avian%20Urolithiasis%20Eng.pdf

[Lindeggs]

... Modern compound feeds provide 3.5% calcium which is plenty for even the most productive hybrid layers so there's only real need to supplement calcium to older birds...

This would be true if all backyard chicken keepers took your fine advice  and only fed their chickens on commercially produced mash or pellets.

For people like me who encourage their chickens to eat plenty of weeds, grass, bugs and worms each day, or people who regularly feed kitchen scraps, they also need to have shell grit available so the chickens can regulate their own calcium intake.