When do you start giving a chick gravel/grit?

[Iloveourbabychick]

Our chick is a month old and she has started picking on the paper towels in her cage.We took them out.We are just wondering when you can give baby chicks gravel?Does she have to be older?When do you start giving them gravel? I have heard that they should have dirt to dig in,is that true?Theres only clay where we live.Thanks

 

[Chirpy]

Chicks don't need grit or gravel (same thing) until they are being fed food other than their chick starter/grower feed. Once you start to give them treats you will want to sprinkle the grit onto their food and they'll be fine.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Chirpy is right on the grit. Clay soil is fine. Take your chick out to play in it on nice days. Betcha she has a blast.

 

[TeddiT]

I thought something was wrong with our chick the first time we took it outside to play in the grass! It kept scratching at the grass to get its belly into the cool stuff! I'd never seen that dance before!

 

[CatWhisperer]

I bought grit for pet birds in the pet store. It is tiny, like sand. They gobbled it up at 6 days of age. Is this big enough to do the job? When or do they need bigger stuff?

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

I bought grit for pet birds in the pet store. It is tiny, like sand. They gobbled it up at 6 days of age. Is this big enough to do the job? When or do they need bigger stuff?

Make sure it doesn't have calcium, chicks can not have grit with calcium. I picked up a box of parakeet grit at Walmart and then realized it had calcium

 

[CatWhisperer]

The parakeet grit I bought has maximum 0.1% calcium. Surely this isn't enought to cause problems?

 

[mithious]

calcium builds up, If it were me? I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I would not use calcium fortified parakeet grit either. Just buy them a bag of chick grit at the feed store. It's appropriately sized for their age and no added calcium.

 

[CatWhisperer]

Is there NO calcium in chick starter. Surely they need Calcium to grow their teeny tiny little bones..