Chicken Feed Recipes, Articles and Systems

[AGeese]

I have a lot of catch up on this thread, can I cheat and just ask if any of these recipes would be good for making hanging treats?

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

I don’t see why not, though you might have to adjust them a bit.. mainly you need a way to form them, so you need a fat that will set, such as coconut oil or lard or tallow. Some folks make a more cookie one with peanut butter and flour.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/feed-health/how-to-make-suet-cakes-for-chickens/

Homemade Suet Cakes for Chickens: a Simple Suet Recipe​

Ingredients

• 2 cups coconut oil, or suet of choice
• ½ cup black oil sunflower seeds
• 2 cups whole grains
• ¼ cup raisins
• 5 tablespoons dried grubs

Equipment

• silicon mold
• mixing bowl
• spatula
• suet holder, or rope

Instructions

1. Melt the coconut oil or suet until it is liquid.
2. Add the ingredients.
3. Place all ingredients into a silicone mold.
4. Cover with a dishtowel and allow to harden.
5. Remove from the silicone mold and place it into the suet holder.

Make suet for chickens together as a family. Your children will enjoy making treats for the flock, as a matter of fact, this makes an excellent learning experience for little ones. Also, a suet recipe can be modified according to what is in season. Create multiple cakes and see which your birds enjoy the most. It might become your chickens’ favorite food!

• Summer — utilize peanut butter, herbs, whole grains, seeds;
• Fall, for molting — suet, dried bugs, dried herbs, whole grains, seeds, black oil sunflower seeds;
• Winter, for warmth — suet, dried corn, whole grains, black oil sunflower seeds, herbs;
• Spring, empty the pantry — suet, dried fruits and herbs, oats, seeds,

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2016/01/homemade-suet-cakes.html

• 1 ½ cups melted tallow, lard, or meat drippings
• 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (in the shell)
• 1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, chopped apples, etc)
• 1 cup whole grains (scratch mix, whole wheat, or millet are ideal)

Instructions

1. Line a nine-by-five inch loaf pan (or any similar sized pan) with parchment paper or foil. Mix the seeds, fruit, and grains together, and place in the pan.
2. Cover the dry ingredients completely with the liquid fat. You may need to mash everything around with a fork to make sure there are no air bubbles.
3. Allow the suet cake to harden completely. You can speed up this process by sticking it in the refrigerator for a while.
4. Remove it from the pan by lifting up on the liner to pop it out. You can cut it into several pieces, or feed the whole thing at once by either tossing it in a feed pan, or pinning it to the wall like I did with a scrap of chicken wire.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

https://www.theplayfulscholar.com/how-to-make-hanging-suet-ornaments/

These are more like Cookies for Birds

Ingredients​

• 1 cup lard (We used Manteca brand from Target, but you can also find it on Amazon.)
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup honey
• 2 eggs

Supplies​

• mixing bowl and spoon
• cookie cutters (We used these stainless steel Christmas cookie cutters, which also included a heart.)
• non-stick spray
• parchment paper
• baking sheet
• pencil or toothpick
• yarn
• scissors

Step 1​

Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir until uniform.

Step 2​

Spray oven safe cooker cutters with non-stick spray and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

Step 3​

Spray your hands with non-stick spray and press the mixture into cookie cutters.

Use a pencil or toothpick to create holes for hanging.

Hint: The dough will expand, so do not overfill the cookie cutters or they will be hard to remove after baking. Make the holes large and away from the edge. If the cutters are filled more than 1/2 to 3/4 full they may be too thick and break easily once removed.

Step 4​

If desired use a muffin tin with non-stick spray to create simpler ornaments from any remaining dough.

Step 5​

Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes.

Hint: Insert a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean to confirm they’re done.

Step 6​

Remove the ornaments from the cutters and muffin tin.

Hang with thread.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

This site uses pie plates in a nice way… to put up the treats

https://movitabeaucoup.com/2011/01/17/how-to-make-suet-treats-for-the-birds/

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

There are so many ways to create treat mixes…

Pumpkin seed, sesame seed, cayenne pepper, flax seed, seaweed flakes, shelled or unshelled sunflower seed, herbs, bugs, worms, shredded vegetables, corn (fresh or seed), berries, chopped dried fruit, grains, and more.

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

My chickens go nuts for noodles… any kind, rice, wheat, buckwheat, zeggie, zoodles… as long as it is long and worm looking! They go crazy, chase each other. Great fun giving them those table leftovers

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

Easy Frozen Treats… get some ice trays, put canned corn or peas in them with liquid and freeze. Then when gets hot put the frozen ice cube veggies out for cool treat.

 

[AGeese]

Awesome thank you!!! I have my to do list now heh