6 Best Insoluble Grit For Optimal Digestion That Old Farmers Swear By
Insoluble grit is crucial for poultry digestion. Discover 6 top choices, trusted by generations of farmers, to help grind feed in the gizzard.
You’ve seen your chickens pecking at the ground, picking up tiny stones and bits of sand with surprising focus. This isn’t just idle behavior; they’re instinctively seeking out the tools they need to digest their food properly. Providing the right kind of insoluble grit is one of the simplest, most effective things you can do to ensure a healthy, productive flock.
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Why Insoluble Grit is a Gizzard’s Best Friend
Chickens don’t have teeth. Instead, they have a powerful muscular organ called the gizzard, which acts as their mechanical stomach. To break down tough grains, seeds, and forage, they swallow small, hard particles—insoluble grit—that get stored in the gizzard.
As the gizzard contracts, it churns the food and grit together, grinding everything into a digestible paste. Without grit, a chicken can’t efficiently extract nutrients from its food, leading to poor health, weight loss, and reduced egg production. This is non-negotiable for any bird that isn’t exclusively eating a finely milled commercial feed.
It’s crucial to understand the difference between insoluble grit and soluble grit. Soluble grit, like oyster shell or crushed eggshells, dissolves in the digestive system to provide calcium for strong eggshells. Insoluble grit, made of granite, flint, or quartzite, does not dissolve. Its entire purpose is to remain in the gizzard as a grinding agent. Your flock needs both, but they serve completely different functions.
Manna Pro Poultry Grit: The All-Purpose Standard
When you walk into a feed store, Manna Pro is often the first bag of grit you’ll see, and for good reason. It’s a reliable, no-frills choice made from crushed granite that gets the job done. This is the dependable workhorse of the grit world.
The primary advantage of Manna Pro is its consistency and availability. It comes in different sizes—chick, grower, and layer—so you can match the grit to the age of your flock. This takes the guesswork out of the equation, which is a huge help when you’re managing birds of different ages.
There’s nothing fancy here, but that’s the point. It’s an inexpensive, widely trusted product that provides the necessary grinding action without any additives or complications. For the average hobby farmer who wants a straightforward solution that works, Manna Pro is the go-to standard.
Scratch and Peck Grit for Organic Flocks
If you run an organic operation, every input matters. Scratch and Peck Feeds caters specifically to this mindset. Their grit is typically made from insoluble crushed quartzite and is sourced to meet the standards for organic and non-GMO production.
Choosing an organic grit is about maintaining the integrity of your entire system. While the grit itself isn’t "eaten" for nutrition, it is ingested, and for certified organic farmers or those who simply adhere to those principles, ensuring it’s free from potential contaminants is paramount. This is peace of mind in a bag.
The tradeoff is usually cost and availability. You’ll likely pay a bit more for a specialty product like this, and you might have to order it online or seek out a specific retailer. But for those committed to a fully organic flock, the extra effort is well worth it.
Cherry Stone Grit: A Hard, Long-Lasting Option
Cherry Stone is a brand name, but it has become synonymous with a specific type of extremely hard grit. Made from 100% quartzite, it’s known for being incredibly durable. Its sharp, angular edges are excellent for grinding, and it breaks down much more slowly in the gizzard than softer granite.
The main benefit here is longevity. Because Cherry Stone lasts longer, your birds may consume less of it over time compared to other types of grit. A single serving in the gizzard can do its job for an extended period before needing to be passed and replaced.
This makes it a very economical choice in the long run, even if the upfront cost per bag is slightly higher. It’s an excellent option for farmers who want a low-maintenance, high-performance grit, especially for mature birds that are foraging heavily on tough materials.
Purina Poultry Grit for Consistent Sizing
Like Manna Pro, Purina is a giant in the animal feed world, and their poultry grit reflects their focus on precision and quality control. The standout feature of Purina’s grit is its exceptionally consistent sizing. Each particle in the bag seems to be almost exactly the same size as the next.
This consistency is more important than it sounds. It ensures that smaller, younger birds aren’t trying to swallow grit that’s too large, and that larger, mature birds aren’t just passing tiny particles that are too small to be effective grinders. If you have a mixed-age flock sharing a single grit hopper, this uniformity can be a real asset.
Purina offers a reliable product that helps prevent digestive issues related to improper grit size. It’s another excellent all-around choice, particularly for hobbyists who value the predictability that comes with a major, research-backed brand.
Mount St. Helens Grit: A Natural Volcanic Choice
For those looking for something a bit different, Mount St. Helens Grit offers a unique source material: crushed volcanic rock, or dacite pumice. Sourced from the famous volcano, this grit is naturally sharp and porous, providing an excellent grinding surface.
Proponents of this grit claim its jagged edges are more effective at breaking down fibrous plant matter than the more rounded edges of some water-worn granite grits. It’s a choice that feels more connected to a raw, natural process, which appeals to many small-scale farmers.
While it might be harder to find in some regions, it’s a fantastic option for flocks that do a lot of free-ranging and consume a wide variety of tough greens and insects. It’s a testament to the idea that sometimes, nature provides the best tools for the job.
Small Pet Select Grit for Small Backyard Coops
Not everyone needs a 50-pound sack of grit. Small Pet Select has built its brand around catering to the needs of people with just a handful of animals, and their poultry grit is no exception. They offer high-quality grit in smaller, more manageable bag sizes.
This is a purely practical consideration. Storing a giant bag of grit that will take you five years to use is inconvenient and can lead to moisture or contamination issues. Buying a smaller bag ensures your supply is always fresh and saves space in your feed shed.
They focus on quality sourcing, often using clean granite, and their product is aimed squarely at the backyard chicken keeper who prioritizes quality over bulk quantity. If you have a flock of six hens, this is likely a much smarter purchase than the giant bags from the major feed mills.
How to Properly Offer Grit to Your Flock
How you offer grit is just as important as which kind you buy. Get this part wrong, and even the best grit won’t do its job effectively. The cardinal rule is simple: always offer grit free-choice in a separate container.
Never mix grit into your flock’s feed. Chickens are remarkably good at regulating their own intake; they know when they need more and will seek it out. If it’s mixed in with their food, they may consume too much, which can cause crop impaction, or too little, leading to poor digestion.
Here are the key steps for success:
- Use a dedicated container. A simple ceramic dish, a small gravity feeder, or a purpose-built grit hopper all work well. Just make sure it’s stable and won’t get knocked over easily.
- Keep it clean and dry. Place the container in a sheltered spot where it won’t get filled with rain, droppings, or bedding. A wet, dirty grit station will be ignored by your birds.
- Introduce it early. Chicks that are eating anything besides starter crumble—like grass, treats, or whole grains—need access to appropriately sized chick grit from day one.
- Don’t worry about consumption. You might not see them eat it often, but trust that they are taking what they need. Just keep the hopper topped up and let them handle the rest.
Ultimately, providing insoluble grit is a fundamental aspect of good chicken husbandry that costs little and pays huge dividends in flock health. Observe your birds, provide them with the simple tools they need, and they will thrive. It’s one of those old farming truths that has never changed.
