What can I make for the chickens with my 'buggy' flour and rice?

[schmije]

I recently discovered that my large containers of flour and rice had gotten bugs in them. As I was about to throw them out, it occurred to me that my girls love bugs. They also happen to love things made with flour and rice, so I'd like to make treats for them.

The rice is easy - I'll just cook it plain. But the flour has lots of possibilities. They love leftover biscuits, so I could do some using crisco (instead of butter) and no salt. I'd like to stick with cheap recipes, since it's only going to the chickens. I also have some excess garden produce like squash, green beans, cukes and tomatoes that I could mix in.

What are your suggestions?

 

[Jeanette56]

Make some cornbread and mix in the rice and some chopped veggies. They would love it!
Or a basic muffin - again with rice & veggies mixed in. Probably a basic blueberry type muffin would work and just sub for the blueberries.

Jeanette
Montell, TX

 

[Jeanette56]

If it's too much flour to use in one go then freeze it. Just make sure you label that it's Buggy!

Jeanette
Montell, TX

 

[Kikiriki]

The bugs were those little borers? They come in with the groceries then spread to stuff you already have. I put beans, rice, flour, sugar in the freezer when I buy them, then store in plastic tubs that seal really well, or saved pickle jars...the large ones.

I made a mistake and didnt do the freezer part one time: sure enough 8 bags of dried beans and peas all got infested, then rotted...EW did they stink!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have given raw flour and rice- just serve it up as a mash (add water to the flour). They will love it. Only serve as much as they will eat in 24 hours so it doesn't go moldy. Make sure they have grit available, or free range for their grit, for grinding the rice in their gizzards.

If it is white rice and white flour, consider it a treat only (it has no real nutrition for them).

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

The bugs were those little borers? They come in with the groceries then spread to stuff you already have. I put beans, rice, flour, sugar in the freezer when I buy them, then store in plastic tubs that seal really well, or saved pickle jars...the large ones.

I made a mistake and didnt do the freezer part one time: sure enough 8 bags of dried beans and peas all got infested, then rotted...EW did they stink!

I didn't know they would get into peas and beans...thanks for telling us - I too like to freeze things first sometimes.

 

[schmije]

Thanks for the heads-up on the bugs spreading to everything. I'll have to check the other flour, cornmeal, beans, etc in my cabinet. I'll probably cook a big batch of something tomorrow and then feed it to them over the next couple of weeks.

 

[Kikiriki]

I like your feed recipe in your signature...thanks for putting it there! Do you get roasted peanuts or raw? My girls don't seem to like them...they were in a mix I got. And can should they have them raw? And can they raw peas? Are they not both legumes that need cooking?

I see them in feed recipes alot, but always wondered because, like soy I guess they have something that is not good until they cooked?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I like your feed recipe in your signature...thanks for putting it there! Do you get roasted peanuts or raw? My girls don't seem to like them...they were in a mix I got. And can should they have them raw? And can they raw peas? Are they not both legumes that need cooking?

I see them in feed recipes alot, but always wondered because, like soy I guess they have something that is not good until they cooked?

They are from the grocery store bulk bins and I can't remember if they are roasted...I don't taste them LOL and don't remember- threw away the box. But they are human-grade and so they must be ok, LOL.

Raw peas are ok:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/poultry/bba01s21.html

"Low levels of trypsin inhibitors in spring-seeded peas allow feeding without roasting. Grinding is the preferred processing method for peas in all poultry diets, but fines should be avoided. "
from:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/livestoc/as1224w.htm#Poultry

Soy MUST be cooked otherwise it is toxic.

 

[Kikiriki]

I will try out peas and see if they will eat them... Fussy girls...