Grit is essential for baby chicks because chickens don’t have teeth. They use small pieces of grit to help grind food in their gizzard, which is a muscular part of their digestive system.
- The grit stays in the gizzard and acts like tiny grinding stones that help break down grains, seeds, and other solid foods.
- Chicks eating only commercial chick starter generally need less supplemental grit because the feed is already finely processed.
- It is recommended to introduce chick grit from about 2–3 weeks old, or earlier if your chicks are eating anything besides their commercial chick starter.
Put a small amount of grit in a separate little feeder/container, rather than mixing it into their feed. They will generally take what they need.