I make my own flock blocks. I consider them healthier because I don't use preservatives. There's a long thread in this category about making your own.
Flock Block chicken treat.
- Thread starter cmom
- Start date
- Nov 5, 2009
- 105
- 2
- 134
How do you make them big enough where they don't eat it all in one day?
Quote:
I tried to split one in half using a hammer and a chisel 3 inch head on it to split landscape pavers and all I got was crumbs. If somebody finds a way let us know. I put one out when it gets colder and they love it. My bantams will sit on top of it and eat it.
I tried to split one in half using a hammer and a chisel 3 inch head on it to split landscape pavers and all I got was crumbs. If somebody finds a way let us know. I put one out when it gets colder and they love it. My bantams will sit on top of it and eat it.
Quote:
I've started using an old bundt cake pan to make mine. Sometimes I even fill the hole in the center with some fresh fruit, cheese, etc. They peck at it awhile before moving onto something else. Then again, my birds free range, so they have other things to do.
ETA: This link on how to make homemade ones:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=111647
I've started using an old bundt cake pan to make mine. Sometimes I even fill the hole in the center with some fresh fruit, cheese, etc. They peck at it awhile before moving onto something else. Then again, my birds free range, so they have other things to do.
ETA: This link on how to make homemade ones:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=111647
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #15
Quote:
I've started using an old bundt cake pan to make mine. Sometimes I even fill the hole in the center with some fresh fruit, cheese, etc. They peck at it awhile before moving onto something else. Then again, my birds free range, so they have other things to do.
ETA: This link on how to make homemade ones:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=111647
This is a great thread. I'm going to try to make some Flock Blocks. I have 15 birds in one coop with a block and 25 birds in another coop with a block. I put the blocks in trays with 2" sides and when they peck the seeds and stuff just fall into the botton of the tray. The tray is just a little larger than the block. I haven't seen any diffferance in their egg production. I have 27 that haven't started to lay yet so I thought I'd wait until they start laying before I put one in their coop. They are still on Grower feed.
I've started using an old bundt cake pan to make mine. Sometimes I even fill the hole in the center with some fresh fruit, cheese, etc. They peck at it awhile before moving onto something else. Then again, my birds free range, so they have other things to do.
ETA: This link on how to make homemade ones:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=111647
This is a great thread. I'm going to try to make some Flock Blocks. I have 15 birds in one coop with a block and 25 birds in another coop with a block. I put the blocks in trays with 2" sides and when they peck the seeds and stuff just fall into the botton of the tray. The tray is just a little larger than the block. I haven't seen any diffferance in their egg production. I have 27 that haven't started to lay yet so I thought I'd wait until they start laying before I put one in their coop. They are still on Grower feed.
I put one in for my 5 girls and they just stand on it! I've showed them by pecking off some pieces for them to get them started and they ate that but they don't seem to want to work for it themselves....???? So it is just sitting there as a perch?!!??
Flock blocks are messy. They disintegrate in ambient moisture and the hens end up scratching crumbs that fall from it all over the ground-mixing with fecal material. They mold readily. There is nothing particularly nutritious in them and the birds eat them or disintegrate them into the bedding too fast.
http://foragecakes.com/
ForageCakes were the first product of this kind on the market and are the best bang for your buck. They last a dozen hens from two to five weeks. The material in the foragecake is very dense and very hard. They condition their beaks on them. Foragecakes are loaded with healthy nutrients including dried cranberries, nuts, spices and a special kibble formulated for birds that require lots of insects in their diet. Egg production generally improves for my hens, especially through the winter. Egg shells are glossier, harder and more richly coloured. The yolks are dramatically darker and richer tasting. The best thing about forageCakes is the way that they manage the droppings. Ingredients in the foragecake draw ammonia out of the droppings. I cut them up into small fudge sized pieces and and can make a single foragecake last for more than a month. I prefer the optinal formula because it has a lot more kibble in it. I feed BabyCake ( foragecakes for chicks and breeders) to my hens during the winter when it gets cold.
http://foragecakes.com/
ForageCakes were the first product of this kind on the market and are the best bang for your buck. They last a dozen hens from two to five weeks. The material in the foragecake is very dense and very hard. They condition their beaks on them. Foragecakes are loaded with healthy nutrients including dried cranberries, nuts, spices and a special kibble formulated for birds that require lots of insects in their diet. Egg production generally improves for my hens, especially through the winter. Egg shells are glossier, harder and more richly coloured. The yolks are dramatically darker and richer tasting. The best thing about forageCakes is the way that they manage the droppings. Ingredients in the foragecake draw ammonia out of the droppings. I cut them up into small fudge sized pieces and and can make a single foragecake last for more than a month. I prefer the optinal formula because it has a lot more kibble in it. I feed BabyCake ( foragecakes for chicks and breeders) to my hens during the winter when it gets cold.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #18
The Flock Blocks I have are very dense and have berries, seeds, grain and grit in them and last for a long time. I usually keep them out in their runs but if the weather calls for rain I put them in their coops. I put the blocks in plastic trays and the crumbles fall into the bottom of the trays and some of the birds peck the crumbles from the tray while other peck at the block. I don't have any waste. The crumbles stay in the trays.
Quote:
Are these FlockBlocks you make yourself?
Are these FlockBlocks you make yourself?
My chooks love their Flock Blocks. We have 20 hens and keep the block in the coop for them. The last time we tried to leave it outside it disengrated into a mess. The block is in one of those round rubber tubs. So far the second one had been in their coop for two weeks and this one is lasting much longer! Probably because they are interested in the pumpkins!
BTW, my egg production has not been affected at all and they are still treating it as a snack and not a meal so the Flock Raiser is being consumed at their normal rate.
BTW, my egg production has not been affected at all and they are still treating it as a snack and not a meal so the Flock Raiser is being consumed at their normal rate.
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Latest threads
-
-
-
Will I Ever Be Done With The Urge To Buy More Chicken stuff!
- Started by Vickie9304
- Replies: 3
-
-
Bad molt and fowl pox at the same time- Started by EmmaDonovan
- Replies: 1
-
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
