I totally agree. If they are eating greens they need grit to grind the greens up in the gizzard. Oyster shell does not work partly because it is kind of soft but mainly because the chickens generate acid in their digestive system just like you do and that acid will dissolve the oyster shell.
I also agree of they can get to the ground they will find their own.
If all they eat is the Layer pellets they do not need grit. It has alread been ground up fine enough. When they make pellets, they just add water to form a paste and extrude that wet paste through a die and dry it. Their system can easily dissolve that pellet.
If you were feeling better, I'd say just go to a gravel road or driveway and scrape some smaller rock and coarse sand up. They can use pebbles the size of a pea for grit. Or go to a sandbar or gravel bar in a stream. Or dump a bag of pea gravel in their run. A lot of that pea gravel will be small enough for them to use. Even a bag of coarse construction sand will work. Play sand is too fine and will go right through their system.
The stuff you buy as grit is granite, screened from the refuse at a granite quarry. It's real hard and might last a month in their gizzard. The other rocks around they might pick up from the ground might be softer and not last as long, but they will still do the job.
Hey, Mary, get better and enjoy your good weather while it lasts.
