Homemade chicken treats can be fun projects and provide your flock with an easy way to stay happy and content. High protein treats also work wonders during molting season when extra support may be needed in rebuilding feathers.
Make these recipes your own by choosing ingredients your flock loves, such as fresh fruits with seeds and pits as well as any culinary herbs they enjoy. Iceberg lettuce does not provide much nutritional value and nightshades contain high levels of solanine; to create tasty recipes use fresh fruit with seeds and pits in addition to any culinary herbs they enjoy.
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Eggshells
Many people dispose of millions of cracked eggshell shards every year that could potentially serve as homemade chicken treats, and these millions can actually come in handy during winter when their feed rations decrease significantly and they also provide essential calcium sources essential for good hen health and egg production.
To create the treat, begin by washing, drying and sterilizing eggshells. Next, crush them up using a mortar and pestle before mixing the powder with baking soda to form a paste – this will both clean out your shells while neutralizing their odor.
Mix this mix with wheat seeds or dried, low-sugar fruits, veggies and/or nuts for an irresistibly delicious high-protein treat to encourage pecking and hunting in your coop. Freeze this in an ice cube tray for extra protein during cold weather – providing your flock with extra vitamins to keep active and happy!
Flock Block
Flock blocks are an attractive and tasty treat for chickens, ideal for hanging from their coop to provide enrichment and avoid boredom which often leads to bullying, picking or injuries. Plus they’re easy and affordable to make yourself with this simple recipe!
Blend together wet and dry ingredients in a large bowl before pressing into parchment-lined pans (see above) as directed. Bake until firm to the touch and a knife passes cleanly through it; allow to cool before cutting into individual bars to feed to your flock of happy chickens!
Add an extra kick with some cayenne pepper for an added spicy kick, without altering the taste for humans! Not only will it keep pests like foxes and weasels from taking your flock blocks (they can’t taste spicy foods! Crazy) at bay (just like with our fox-proof feeders!), but this will also prevent predatory chickens from taking advantage of our fox-proof coop’s feeders! Recipe adapted with permission from Welcome to Chickenlandia — visit their site for videos, recipes and information regarding backyard chickens!
Suet Cakes
Suet cakes are an easy, tasty protein treat that will provide your flock with an energy boost. Simply combine ingredients such as corn kernels during winter or oatmeal during molting for optimal results.
These treats can be created from household staples such as eggshells, vegetable peels, crushed nuts and seeds, culinary herbs or even dried fruit. Treats like these help reduce boredom and pecking issues within the flock as part of an overall care routine to promote health, happiness and nutrition.
To create a suet cake, warm some animal fat (lard is ideal) until it begins to melt, before mixing in your ingredients and pouring it into muffin tins or other molds to cool and solidify in the freezer. After they have hardened sufficiently, remove from their molds and feed to your flock!
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil offers your flock a delicious treat that is both healthy and tasty, providing antifungal, antioxidant, circulation-enhancing benefits while strengthening immune systems. Plus it’s simple enough for any cook in any kitchen to make.
Add variety to your flock’s diet by offering fresh vegetables and fruit as snacks. These food sources contain many essential nutrients which will support their health and egg production.
These treats are an ideal winter solution to prevent dehydration in molting flocks. Packed with protein and offering plenty of essential minerals and other essential vitamins, these treats make an excellent alternative to extra scratch grains which may lead to dehydration.
