DIY Treat Blocks for Chickens

Treat your flock to a fun and nutritious snack with this easy DIY chicken treat block recipe packed with wholesome ingredients your hens will love! For those times when your hens can’t free range or in the wintertime when the ground is snow-covered, treat blocks make great boredom busters and can help reduce cannibalism in the coop. Here’s how to make it:

You Will Need:

• 1lb loaf pan or baking dish
• Parchment paper
• Medium mixing bowl
• Large mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Long-handled spoon
• Knife

If you have a larger flock, you should split this recipe between 2 or more appropriately sized pans.

Ingredients:
This recipe is packed full of ingredients that offer incredible health benefits for your flock! Dried mealworms/grubs and black oil sunflower seeds are excellent sources of protein, while cinnamon and cayenne support immune system and gut health, as well as general growth in poultry!
Here is the list of ingredients you’ll need:

• 1 cup chicken feed
• 2 cups scratch grains
• ½ cup old-fashioned oats
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup blackstrap molasses
• ½ cup melted coconut oil
• 4 eggs, whisked, include crushed shells for calcium
• ¾ cup black oil sunflower seeds
• ½ cup dried mealworms or grubs
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

How to Make it:
Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Step 2 – In a large mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients and mix.
Step 3 – Add your wet ingredients in a separate medium mixing bowl, including the blackstrap molasses and whisked eggs. Don’t forget to crush the eggshells and add them to your mixture.
Step 4 – Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly until no dry pockets are left. The mixture will be thick and clumpy.
Step 5 – Transfer your mixture into your lined loaf pan and pat down to compact it. Your treat block should be roughly 2” thick.
Step 6 (Optional) – If you plan on hanging your treat block with a string, poke a hole near the top of the block to feed a string through once it’s done baking.
Step 7 – Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the sides of your block turn dark and the middle is firm. If you made your block thicker than 2”, it will take longer to fully bake.
Step 8 – Once out of the oven, allow the treat block to fully cool before removing it from the pan to prevent crumbling. To remove from the pan, run a knife along the edges of the pan and invert to loosen the block.
Step 9 – Serve to your chickens and watch them enjoy!

How to Serve to Your Flock:
To serve your DIY treat block to your chickens, you can put the block on a plate, hang by a string in the coop (if you opted to follow step 6), or place it in a hanging treat net for your flock to peck away at. If your chickens have never had a treat block before and aren’t quite sure what to do with it, try crumbling the edges of the block to help them figure it out.

Your chickens will love you forever after you make them this DIY treat block! Find some of the ingredients like chicken feed, scratch grain, black oil sunflower seeds and dried mealworms at your local Feeds’n Needs, and while you’re there, ask one of our experts about what other healthy treats you can offer to your flock!

Find more fun DIY’s, recipes and expert advice on our blogs!
feedsnneeds.ca/experts-advice/

Sources:
Best DIY Flock Block Recipe: How to Make a Chicken Treat Block ~ Homestead and Chill
Flock Block Knock Off | Homemade Chicken Treat – Fresh Eggs Daily® with Lisa Steele
DIY Flock Block Substitute | The Prairie Homestead
How to Make a Snack Block for Your Flock – a DIY Flock Block® Copycat Recipe Knockoff | Eco-Friendly Home & Garden – Creative Green Living