Do All Chickens Need Grit?
Yes, chickens need grit anytime they eat foods other than regular chicken feed.
Chickens do not have teeth, so they cannot chew their food the way people do. Instead, grit helps grind food inside the gizzard, which acts like a chicken’s natural “food grinder.”
Without grit, chickens may have trouble digesting foods such as:
- Bugs
- Grass
- Scratch grains
- Kitchen scraps
- Garden treats
- Other special treats
What Is Chicken Grit?
Chicken grit is made up of small crushed stones or natural materials that help chickens grind and digest their food inside the gizzard.
Because chickens do not have teeth, they rely on grit to help break down foods such as grains, bugs, grass, scratch, and other treats they eat throughout the day.
There Are 2 Types of Chicken Grit
Insoluble Grit
Insoluble grit is made from tiny crushed stones such as:
- Flint
- Granite
- Sand (quartz)
This type of grit does not contain nutrients. Instead, it stays inside the gizzard and helps grind food into smaller pieces for digestion until it eventually passes naturally through the digestive system.
Soluble Grit
Soluble grit is made from calcium-rich materials such as:
- Crushed oyster shell
- Limestone granules
- Egg shells
- Scallop shell
- Mussel shell
Unlike insoluble grit, soluble grit contains important nutrients such as calcium. These minerals are absorbed into the bloodstream and help support strong eggshells and overall hen health.
- Do All Chickens Need Grit?
- What Is Chicken Grit?
- 1. What Happens if Chickens Don’t Get Grit?
- Chicken Sour Crop Due to Lack of Grit
- 2. Do Baby Chicks Need Grit?
- Why Baby Chicks Need Grit for Treats
- 3. Do Free-Ranging Chickens Need Grit?
- 4. Do Chickens Confined to a Coop and Run Need Grit?
- 5. What Kind of Grit Is Best for Chickens?
- CONCLUSION: Do All Chickens Need Grit? 5 Important Facts
- Meet Jenny from Backyard Chickens Mama 🐓
1. What Happens if Chickens Don’t Get Grit?
Not all chickens need supplemental grit. Whether your chickens need grit depends largely on how they are housed and what they eat.
Chickens that free-range or eat foods beyond their regular feed usually need access to grit to properly digest those foods.
Chickens Without Grit Can Develop Serious Problems
A chicken that does not have access to grit when it needs it may develop:
- Sour crop
- Crop impaction
- Poor digestion
- Weight loss
- Nutritional deficiencies
In severe cases, these digestive problems can become life-threatening.
Chickens Fed Only Regular Feed May Not Need Grit
Chickens that only eat commercial layer feed such as:
- Layer mash
- Crumbles
- Pellets
can usually digest these feeds without additional grit because the feed is already processed into small, digestible pieces.
Do My Chickens Need Oyster Shell?
Laying hens should be offered oyster shell separately from their feed. Oyster shell is a soluble form of grit that provides calcium to help support:
- Strong eggshells
- Healthy egg production
- Bone strength
- Overall hen health
Read more here: Do My Chickens Need Oyster Shell? 5 Important Tips
Chicken Sour Crop Due to Lack of Grit
Chicken Sour Crop Due to Lack of Grit
When a chicken swallows food, it first enters the crop — a temporary storage pouch located in the digestive tract. From there, the food slowly moves into the gizzard, where it is ground up using grit.
How the Crop and Gizzard Work Together
- Food is swallowed whole and stored in the crop
- The crop slowly releases food into the gizzard
- The gizzard uses grit to grind and break down food
- Digested food then moves through the rest of the digestive system
If a chicken does not have access to grit when it needs it, the food cannot be properly ground up in the gizzard.
As a result, food may stop moving normally through the digestive tract. Since food from the crop only passes into the gizzard when space becomes available, the crop can begin to back up and remain full for too long.
What Is Sour Crop?
Food that sits too long inside the crop can begin to ferment and turn sour. This condition is commonly called sour crop.
Without grit, chickens may struggle to properly digest food, absorb nutrients, and maintain a healthy digestive system.
“A chicken crop is a temporary storage pouch for its food. Because chickens are prey animals and at risk of predators, they swallow food whole to spend less time exposed while foraging. The food is then stored in the crop until it can safely move through the digestive system.”
2. Do Baby Chicks Need Grit?
Baby chicks that are confined to a brooder box and only eating chick starter feed do not usually need supplemental grit.
Chick starter feed is specially formulated to be easy for chicks to digest without the need for additional grit.
When Should Chicks Start Getting Grit?
As soon as you begin offering your chicks anything besides chick starter feed, they should also have access to grit.
This includes foods such as:
- Treats
- Grass
- Scratch grains
- Bugs
- Kitchen scraps
An Easy Natural Grit Option
One simple way to introduce grit is by placing a small bowl of dirt from your chicks’ future chicken run inside the brooder.
Natural soil contains tiny rocks, pebbles, and coarse particles that chicks can use as grit to help grind food inside the gizzard.
Exposure to small amounts of natural soil may also help chicks gradually build resistance to common environmental organisms, including coccidia.
Important Chick Feeding Tip
It is important to let chicks become familiar with their regular chick starter feed before introducing treats or supplemental grit.
If grit is introduced too early, some chicks may mistake it for feed and consume too much, which can increase the risk of crop impaction and digestive issues.
Why Baby Chicks Need Grit for Treats
Treats such as mealworms, crickets, ants, and other insects contain hard outer shells called exoskeletons.
Chickens are not able to properly break down these tougher foods without grit inside the gizzard to help grind and digest them.
Treats That Usually Require Grit
- Mealworms
- Crickets
- Ants
- Grass
- Scratch grains
- Kitchen scraps
- Seeds and bugs
Outdoor Time Naturally Provides Grit
Another simple way to provide baby chicks with grit is by allowing short periods of supervised outdoor free-ranging time.
While exploring outdoors, chicks naturally peck at:
- Tiny pebbles
- Coarse dirt particles
- Sand
- Natural grit materials
This helps support healthy digestion while also encouraging natural chicken behaviors like scratching and foraging.
3. Do Free-Ranging Chickens Need Grit?
Chickens that free-range are usually able to get grit naturally and often do not need supplemental grit provided separately.
Free-ranging chickens have access to natural materials such as:
- Crushed rocks
- Tiny pebbles
- Flint
- Sand (quartz)
- Coarse soil particles
Chickens Naturally Search for Grit
Chickens instinctively peck and scratch at the ground while foraging in order to find the tiny rocks and coarse particles needed to help grind food inside the gizzard.
This natural behavior helps support healthy digestion while also encouraging exercise, mental stimulation, and natural foraging habits.
Chickens kept in confined runs, tractors, or bare areas with limited natural ground access may still benefit from supplemental grit.
4. Do Chickens Confined to a Coop and Run Need Grit?
Chickens kept inside a coop and enclosed run may still need supplemental grit, especially over time.
In the beginning, the natural dirt inside the run may contain enough small rocks, coarse sand, and grit particles to help support digestion.
Why Run Dirt Eventually Loses Good Grit
As chickens constantly peck, scratch, and forage through the same ground, the best natural grit particles gradually become less available.
This can make it harder for confined chickens to naturally find the coarse particles needed to help grind food inside the gizzard.
A Simple Natural Way to Add More Grit
One easy way to refresh your chickens’ access to natural grit is by occasionally tossing fresh dirt into the run.
Chickens love scratching through fresh soil searching for:
- Tiny pebbles
- Sand particles
- Small rocks
- Bugs and insects
- Interesting scents and textures
There is no need to spread the dirt around yourself. Simply dump a pile into the run and let the chickens naturally spread it out as they peck and scratch through it.
Adding fresh dirt to the run also helps encourage natural foraging behaviors and gives chickens extra enrichment throughout the day.
5. What Kind of Grit Is Best for Chickens?
If your chickens eat anything besides their regular feed, they should have access to grit to help properly digest those foods.
Chickens only need a relatively small amount of insoluble grit each year. As long as they have access to appropriate grit sources, the exact type you choose is often a matter of personal preference and flock setup.
Insoluble Grit for Digestion
Insoluble grit helps grind food inside the gizzard and is not absorbed into the body.
Common forms of insoluble grit include:
- Granite grit
- Small pebbles
- Flint
- Sand (quartz)
- Natural coarse soil particles
Chickens that free-range often find much of their insoluble grit naturally while scratching and foraging outdoors.
Soluble Grit for Calcium Support
I also like to provide my flock with access to soluble grit by offering a separate dish of:
- Crushed oyster shell
- Crushed egg shells
Soluble grit helps provide additional calcium, which laying hens need for:
- Strong eggshells
- Large healthy eggs
- Bone support
- Overall hen health
Can Egg Shells Be Used as Grit?
Yes. Crushed egg shells can be offered as a source of soluble grit and calcium for chickens.
Many chicken keepers save, dry, and crush egg shells before feeding them back to their flock as an easy natural calcium supplement.
Offering oyster shell or crushed egg shells in a separate dish allows hens to consume extra calcium only when they need it.
