Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

We picked up a Black English Orpington rooster, hen, and 5 (now 4 - boo :sad: ) chicks last Saturday, and it's just occurred to me that I have no idea if I should be offering grit to mama hen or not. The chicks are maybe a month old. The rooster has already moved in with the rest of the flock, and the hen and chicks are in our mobile coop in the garage....probably for the rest of the winter.

This is a first for me. Do I give her grit in a high hanging feeder and hope the chicks don't get it? Do I need to worry about it? What should I be feeding her overall?

Thanks....

if your feeding a pelleted feed then no... all grit required is in the feed already.

If your hen is getting feed other than pellets or mash (like whole oats or cracked corn, BOSS etc) then yes she should should get grit. If she is eating chick starter or layer crumbles mash or pellets/commercial food other than scratch grains she shouldnt need any. They use grit to grind up tough foods like bugs, whole grains etc. You should have starter out for the chicks in any event. The chicks dont need grit-and hen grit will be too big for them to eat anyways.

Thanks. I just remembered why chickens eat grit....and it's been a long day.

With young chicks around the hen, I go out with the shovel and dig up a piece of sod. Put it in the pen with them, upside down. The mother then helps them pick trough it for bugs and bits of sand that they start eating to get the crop and gut working right. I hear about plugged up chicks on chick starter, never seems to happen since I have been doing this.