If feed is the fuel, grit is the spark plug. Chickens don’t have teeth; they’ve got a gizzard—a tough, muscular grinder that uses tiny insoluble stones to crush feed so nutrients actually get used. No grind, less gain. Or as Clancy likes to yell from the roost bar: “Chew with your chest.”
Do Your Birds Really Need Grit?
Short answer: yes, unless they reliably find the right pebbles outside—and most lawns and soft soils don’t cut it. Pen-kept birds absolutely need it; free-rangers still benefit, especially in winter or wet seasons when the ground is frozen or muddy. Any time you’re feeding whole grains, scratch, greens, kitchen scraps, or letting them work pasture, grit goes from “nice to have” to “mandatory.” Even pellet- or crumble-only flocks digest more efficiently when the gizzard has something solid to work with.
Size Matters (And Changes With Age)
The gizzard is picky for a reason. Start chicks on a tiny grit once they eat anything besides starter feed—treats, greens, bugs—and move them up to a medium grade around six to twelve weeks. Adult birds want a coarser size from twelve weeks onward. If it looks like aquarium gravel, it’s probably too small for grown hens; they’ll pass it right through instead of putting it to work.
How to Offer Grit (Simple, Set-and-Forget)
Keep grit available free-choice in its own small cup or feeder and let the flock self-regulate. One station per ten to twelve birds prevents bullies from gatekeeping, and placing it near water or the dust bath puts it in their daily traffic pattern. Keep it dry and top it off on chore day. You don’t need to mix it into the feed—in fact, separate is better because they take what they need when they need it.
Real-World Payoffs You’ll Actually Notice
Once the gizzard has the right tools, you tend to see steadier energy, more consistent droppings, and fewer whole kernels in the manure if you’re feeding grains. Ground feed means better nutrient uptake, which usually translates to less overall waste and smoother transitions when you change feeds or add more forage. The gut stays happier because the gizzard can do its job without guessing.
Quick Fixes for Common Misfires
If you’ve been winging it, you can course-correct in a single afternoon. Don’t assume free-range birds find enough rock on a manicured lawn; put out grit. Stop burying it in the ration where intake gets unpredictable; offer it separately. Give chicks grit as soon as they’re eating more than starter. And skip soft sands that roll through without grinding anything—hard, angular granite or flint in the right size is cheap insurance for a strong gizzard and a sturdier bird.
The Easy Setup
One small grit feeder in every pen, refilled on your regular schedule. Strong gizzard, strong bird. As Clancy—our mouthy Ölandsk Dwarf—likes to put it, “Don’t skip the rocks.”
