The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: countrygirlatheart on July 13, 2008, 10:32:53 pm
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Hi
A couple of months ago we bought 4 pols who have since started laying one egg each a day (mostly). They are fed layers pellets and are in a mobile coup/run which is moved every day onto a new patch of grass and in the afternoons they get some corn thrown in. Yesterday I put in some poultry grit for the first time and was a bit taken aback to find that they ate the whole lot that same afternoon ! (about a small cereal bowl full ). Is it normal for them to eat so much of it at one go or is it just because they haven't been given it before. They seem ok so far tho I'm a bit worried that they will do this every time I put grit in and do themselves some sort of harm?
On a separate note I put in a dirt tray on a previous occasion (large cat litter tray filled with 'play sand') and they just looked at it disdainfully and walked over it a couple of times. Should I just put ordinary dirt in it instead ?
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Ours always have access to grit, so I've not experienced this but I expect that they are just fillling up the crop and will just top up from now on. I'm always surprised at how much our use, considering they are out and about.
I give our chicks (8 weeks and 12 weeks and confined to runs) seed trays with soil and they go nuts for it. Maybe sand is a bit dull? No beasties?
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Thanks for the advice Rosemary. They are all fine and perky today so all is well but will leave grit in for them from now on. Will also try good old dirt in the tray and see how that goes.
Forgot to mention - we've had two double yokers so far We think its the Silver Sussex (aka 'Magnificent Millicent' !)
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Our birds have grit all the time too and we have never had a problem.
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we sometimes cut a piece of turf around 3 or 4 inches thick and sprinkle grit on it if we are worried some of the birds aren't picking enough grit. the hens often get a bit extra with all the grub they scratch out