Need chicken help!

[susan]

Aren't chickens supposed to have grit? I'm trying to figure this out and Mike got them scratch that isn't grit, it's grains.

Susan

[Granny Smith]

Yes, they need grit if they can't get to dirt. If they can get to dirt, they'll get enough from that.

I like to give mine some kind of shells to make their eggshells harder. Sometimes I give them oyster shells, but right now I'm giving them their own eggshells back. I microwave them, crush them with a rolling pin (in a ziplock, small enough so they won't recognize them as eggshells and start eating eggs), then feed them to the chickens.

[susan]

Thanks. They've done in just about all the grass that was in both runs. Our dirt is fine, not gravel or sand in it. Mike looked it up and TSC has it, 5# bag for $5.99. So we'll get them the grit.

Susan

[Granny Smith]

I didn't explain the oyster shells very well. They make the shells harder, but they also act as grit, so they're double duty.

Also, you can put some in a pan of water and they will purify it. Weird, eh?

[joanfromzone6]

Jun 17, 2013 19:39:15 GMT -5 Granny Smith said:

Yes, they need grit if they can't get to dirt. If they can get to dirt, they'll get enough from that.

I like to give mine some kind of shells to make their eggshells harder. Sometimes I give them oyster shells, but right now I'm giving them their own eggshells back. I microwave them, crush them with a rolling pin (in a ziplock, small enough so they won't recognize them as eggshells and start eating eggs), then feed them to the chickens.

learn something new each day - i've always recycled shells for the calcium content but never knew they served as grit - now i don't have to panic if the oyster shell runs out -

heard an old story once, don't know how true - that builder's sand works well for grit but seashore sand does not ?

[Cyngbaeld]

If you feed them a chick starter or layer pellet then they do not need grit. They also do not need scratch as it lowers their over all protein level. The starter or layer is all they need.

[Valerie]

But I give mine some scratch in the winter and some sunflower seeds in the summer, just for a treat. They don't get to run the yard, so they don't get many treats.

[Cyngbaeld]

Sunflower seeds are high protein, but feeding scratch can drop you egg production.

[Valerie]

I didn't know that. Maybe that's partly why ours drops in the winter. It doesn't get all that cold here, so maybe I'll switch to sunflower seeds year round.

[joanfromzone6]

Jun 18, 2013 18:31:07 GMT -5 Valerie said:

But I give mine some scratch in the winter and some sunflower seeds in the summer, just for a treat. They don't get to run the yard, so they don't get many treats.

if you really loved them, you'd collect bugs for them -

when the japanese beetles are decimating my grapes, i collect them in a coffee can with an inch or so of water so they can't fly out and then plunk them into a water basin in the pen - they can't fly out before the chickens do their "bobbing for apples" routine - usually by the end of july the birds are all a bit soggy-headed -

i have no idea whether sunflower seeds or beetles have the better protein quality -

[Valerie]

LOL, I'd say the bugs probably beat out the sunflower seeds in protein. I don't get Japanese beetles here, but I do collect caterpillars and worms off the tomatoes for the chickens. I like that water pan idea.

[weg]

I feed scratch year round,egg production stays good,most of my chickens lay every day,even my old hens.I don't feed sunflower much though.Do you use the striped or black?

[susan]

Well, we've got a 50# bag of scratch unopened. Half of a 50# bag of chick starter and most of a 50# bag of, I think, layer. These girls are full size, around 3 months old, not laying yet. We got them around March 15 and they were maybe 1 to 1 1/2 weeks old. Mike's supposed to go up to TSC and get the grit. We give them worms and they will get plenty of bugs before long from the garden.

Susan

[Valerie]

Susan, you might want to find a good way to store that stuff. I don't know about in your climate, but here it will go bad after some months.

Willa, I use the black oil sunflower seeds. Just a scoop here and there for a treat, definitely not free choice. Those feathered piglets would be round as pumpkins if I did that!

[susan]

The scratch bag isn't open yet. The others are. Any suggestions on storage? On bugs, I saw my first Japanese beetle this morning, so they are starting. They love my black berries and grapes and some things in the garden.

Susan