Chicken Feed to the Rescue: A Smart Swap for Sidewalk Salt

Winter in Minnesota brings snow and ice, but it also brings a problem: too much salt. This salt ends up in our water and hurts wildlife. So, what's the fix? Chicken grit. Chicken grit is small, hard bits fed to chickens to help them digest food. It turns out, it's also great for traction on icy sidewalks. The best part? It doesn't pollute water like salt does. Plus, you can reuse it. Local watershed districts are teaming up with hardware stores to give away free bags of chicken grit. They want people to try this eco-friendly option. The grit is available at 10 stores until mid-January. Why switch to grit? Salt doesn't work well in very cold temperatures. It also harms fish, birds, and even pets. Grit, on the other hand, provides traction without these downsides. The districts aren't suggesting grit for big roads. Instead, they recommend it for homes and small businesses. You can shovel snow, chip ice, and then sprinkle grit. At the end of winter, just sweep it up and use it again. Many people are already trying this alternative. The districts plan to expand the program in the future. To find out more, visit getgrittymn. org.