Flock Block...was it a mistake?

My eight pullets are 24 weeks old and are giving me five eggs a day. They have 24/7 access to layer food and oyster shell. I sprinkle about a cup of BOSS in the coop in the evening. They range the back acre for a few hours a day. Also on chilly mornings, I give them oatmeal cooked in milk. (1 c of oatmeal, 2 c of milk) On Tuesday I put a flockblock in their run. Yesterday morning I topped off their feeders. This morning it looked as though it hadn't been touched, so I didn't give them any oatmeal or BOSS.

I am wondering if they're filling up on the flockblock? Do you think I should take it out so they can get back to their feed? It's about 1/3 gone. They don't look like they are getting fat or anything, but I am wondering whether they are getting the right amounts of protein from what they're eating.

Also saw that a squirrel got in the run and was making himself at home at the buffet. I think he entered at the top of the door and I corrected that problem.

All advice is welcome! Thanks!

Marcy

I'm glad you posted! I got one for my flock, but haven't put it in yet....

Maybe that squirrel had friends?

Chickens love corn. It's like candy to them, and about as nutritious. Flock blocks are like big treat balls.Your hens are young and laying and need a balanced diet. They need to get most of their bulk from the laying hen pellets. Even feeding too much oatmeal will set them off their mineral and protein balance. If your hens are happily free-ranging for some of the day, scratching up bugs and weeds and greens, they have no need of any treats. Sure, we all give them some - it's fun - but restrain yourself!
For those with older hens, it's even more important to feed a balanced diet! Old hens will lay thin-shelled, misshapen eggs if their diet is off. And if your hens are fat they'll have laying and respiratory problems. I've written a bit about that here:
http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/07/thin-shelled-eggs-old-hens-and-the-miracle-diet-cure/

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Thanks, Terry and others who replied. I'm gonna take that flock block out when I go back up there.

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No doubt!! I'm fattening them up. Told my son we were having squirrel for Thanksgiving.

Who was it that said that a squirrel is merely a rat with a better press agent?

It was my impression that Flock Blocks were chicken feed etc. pressed blocks, not just corn?


Whole Grain Enrichment Supplement

For free-ranging poultry and game birds
Encourages natural pecking instincts to help reduce cannibalism
Contains oyster shell and grit
Available in a 25# block

Guaranteed Analysis
Protein, not less than 8.0%
Lysine, not less than 0.30%
Methionine, not less than 0.25%
Crude Fat, not less than 2.5%
Crude Fiber, not more than 4.0%
Calcium (Ca), not less than 2.3%
Calcium (Ca), not more than 2.7%
Phosphorus (P), not less than 0.65%
Salt (Nacl), not less than 0.70%
Salt (Nacl), not more than 1.2%
Sodium (Na), not less than .35%


Ingredients:
Cracked Corn, Whole Wheat, Whole Milo, Whole Barley, Whole Sunflower Seed, Molasses, Oyster Shell, Calcium Lignin Sulfonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Granite Grit, Salt, Propionic Acit (A Preservative), Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Nicotinic Acid, Riboflavin, DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Cholecalciferol, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (source of Vitamin K), Folic Acid, Cyanocobalamin, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

chickenzoo - note that the first ingredient is corn and that the block is only half the protein content of laying hen pellets. Also, it's bound together with molasses, which makes it irresistible! And, as people noted, it attracts squirrels, and I'm sure mice, too. The flock block is useful for some feeding situations, but for the average backyard flock it isn't a good idea.