Homemade Treats for Chickens – Make your own Flock Block Substitute

Making some homemade treats for chickens are a surefire way to make you their favorite owner ever.  Okay, that’s not true, my chickens still don’t run to me when I have treats for them.  But regardless, deep down they will be happy if you give them some treats.  However deep down a chicken can go at least.  That’s why today I want to share with you a flock block substitute recipe.

Guys, I think my chickens were suffering boredom.

Now, I can’t say for sure because I asked them and they didn’t really reply.  And since I’m not a chicken I’m not really sure how their chicken brains work, but behaviors were leading me to believe they were.

I’ve heard chickens can get bored, and they were showing some signs.  It is winter after all and they spend most of their time indoors.  They’ve forgotten that they are Canadian chickens and should like winter.  Or at least tolerate it.

But it doesn’t seem to be their favorite thing in the world.  So they hide in their coop.

This wasn’t a huge problem until this year.  You see, we only had hens, no rooster.   They got through winters just fine.  Sure, they didn’t love it, but there were no problems.

And then we got a rooster.

You know what bored roosters do?  They tire out their ladies.

I was feeling bad for those girls, so I decided I needed to do something.  Chickens love to peck, right?  Why not make them something to peck at to occupy them while spending so much time in the coop?

And that’s when I decided I need to make a flock block substitute.  If you don’t know what a Flock Block is, it’s a treat block you can buy for your chickens to keep them busy on those long winter days.

But, you know we like to make things ourselves over here, so that’s exactly what I did!

It’s actually really quite easy, it doesn’t take long, and you don’t need to really be that handy in the kitchen to make this.  As long as you can pour and mix things you got this!

I made my flock block substitute in a round 8 inch cake pan but you really could make it in whatever pans you want.  If you want smaller blocks you can go that route as well.  Just remember that you’ll have to adjust the time in the oven if you do.

Also, there are eggs in this recipe.  Some people get a little weirded out about that but it’s totally normal for people to scramble up some eggs and give them to their chickens.

Okay, let’s get cooking for some chickens!

HOMEMADE TREATS FOR CHICKENS – DIY FLOCK BLOCK RECIPE

Ingredients:

5 eggs

1/2 cup crushed egg shells

2 cups chicken scratch

1 cup chicken feed

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (in the shells)

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

3/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

Take all your dry ingredients, so your crushed eggshells, chicken scratch, chicken feed, cornmeal, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds and mix them all together in a big bowl.

In a separate bowl crack your eggs and whip them.

Add the molasses and coconut oil (make sure the coconut oil is  melted).  Stir together.

 

Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Mix well.

Line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and add in the Flock Block substitute batter.  If you don’t have parchment paper I recommend greasing your pan.

Stick in the oven for 30 minutes or until it starts getting brown around the edges.  You want it to be solid in the middle when it’s done.

Let it cool for 30 minutes or so and then give it to your chickens!

This homemade treat went over super well with my chickens.  It definitely seemed to distract them (especially the rooster) from their usual antics.