Grit

[Peckedhen]

I have been giving my birds an unlimited amount of grit but have just read that this can result in loose droppings.  How much grit should each pigeon have each day please? :-/

[Guest Hjaltland]

I have about 30 pigeons and give them two small potfulls of fresh grit every other day or so.

[Guest]

Don't know what you use as a measure, Peckedhen.     I don't think you can give the birds too much as they'll usually only take what they need...and maybe waste the rest!!!

 

I usually put two heaped dessert spoonfuls in a gallipot. The bother is that it seems to 'go off' / get dirty / get damp pretty easily and quickly, and I usually have to throw the remainder out and put fresh stuff in at least every other day...especially so in damp weather.

 

Maybe give 'little and often' so that it is fresh, and doesn't get soiled or wasted?  

 

 

[Guest speckled]

As  per normal.Bruno,i agree with you,thay will only eat it when,thay need it.Waste not,wont not. .At this time of year,winter thay are all seperated,(The birds,) thay will only eat, :-/ lot of grit, if thay are not getting the right amount of food. as grit will fill them up. Act as a supplement for food,Breeding times,when ya really need to, have freash Grt,& Minerals,down daily. Speckled

[Guest]

I only put a small amount of grit it the pot every day, and throw the left overs out each night. Its when you give em minerals that the droppings go a bit loose, too salty I think.

[westy]

i give a bit evrey otherday any left overs gets thrown away and i top it up

[Peckedhen]

I've never noticed it getting damp but I have just kept the pot it is in topped up - I'll throw and fill in future.  It smells of aniseed and they throw it all over the  floor so I'm not sure how much they eat.

[Guest Silverwings]

we used to use oystershell grit ,but it seemed to iritate the birds  ,they threw it up to often for my liking ? switched to redstone grit, have never seen them bring this back ? does the same job, and the birds are more contented on it

[jimmy white]

PECKED HEN, AT LEAST THAT PROOVES YOUR LOFT IS NOT DAMP, IF THE GRIT IS DRY, BUT AS THE OTHER POSTS SUGGEST ONLY A LITTLE IS NEEDED AT THIS TIME OF YEAR,  , WHEN THEIR FEEDING BABIES, THEY WILL EAT MUCH MORE GRIT THEN, PLUS MINERALS PICKSTONES ETC, REALLY THEY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT AND WHEN THEY WANT IT THEM SELVES, BUT THERES NO POINT IN PUTTING TOO MUCH IN ,JUST TO GET SOILED AND WASTED,,,,JUST NOTICED IM STILL ON CAPITALS, AH WELL, YOU MUST BE CAPITAL, CANT FIND SMILIES

[Guest]

Should have mentioned that I have two types of grit - and crushed pick stone - and minerals - available to the birds at all times.  

 

Seems to be two types of grit - soft which has a variety of stuff in it like oystershell, which dissolves and provides the birds with minerals like calcium, and hard which is 'uniform' and grinds the grain down in the gizzard...the type I use is Kilpatrick's (which has a little bag of black minerals in it too). It is the hard type that I see brought up from time to time - they go in as pointy little rocks and come back out as tiny white polished rounded stones.

 

On the subject of dampness, which Jimmy picked up on. Discovered that it is not a damp loft which causes it, but mainly the birds drooling all over it. First picked up on it with my plastic mineral pots - the minerals stick to the painted wooden wall. And, especially on a muggy day (high humidity) they always appeared damp in that they 'clump' together. First thought the salts were drawing moisture out of the air, but it is actually the bird's saliva that's causing it - they relish it, all year round, but as Jimmy points out, I'm especially busy 'filling' during breeding.

 

[Guest]

Bruno and all

 

One way to stop the grit going damp is to put a small bag made out of muslin or something similar containing silica gell in the bottom of the grit container.  The silica gell will attract the moisture and keep the grit dry

[Chatrace]

If you use a Granite type git it doesn't draw dampness. The grit with salt added is the one that will draw dampness fast and the salt if taken in excess will cause the loose droppings I have found

[jimmy white]

pecked hen ,never mentioned dampness, in her post, her grit is bone dry, must have a better circulation of air than the other lofts   :) :) :) so there  ;D ;D ;D

good on you pecked hen   :) ill tellem   :)

[Guest speckled]

;D ;D Good one jimmy, ;D see ya found ya smileys again. See peckedhen ,how these men suddenly stray of the question. ;D ;D ;D. Lucky for jimmy ah.Speckled

[MsPigeon]

My grit draws moisture this time of year as well. I try to only give them a little at a time as I found they waste it too. But I noticed something this year that I had not noticed in the past. I have my cocks and hens seperated and I thought it odd to find that the cocks are eating twice what the hens are. I just thought that since hens are the egg layers they would need more like women need more calcium. Anyone else notice that cocks or hens use more grit?