Homemade flock block recipes

[Miss Lydia]

how much longer did you have to cook it 20123001?

 

[Nebe]

After reading thru the entire thread, I decided to give it a shot and make my own.

I had to coax them to it, but once they realized there were raisins in it there was no stopping them.

2 slices whole grain bread torn apart and soaked in 1/4 cup milk for 5 minutes.
1/2 cup each: cornmeal, BOSS, raisins, chopped peanuts, oatmeal, Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal
2 eggs (raw, no shells) lightly beaten with 1/4 cup water.
2 Tablespoons molasses


I mixed it thoroughly (used my hands) and pressed it into about two-thirds of a 6.5" x 10.5" aluminum pan. Made a hole in the middle and placed a wadded up piece of aluminum foil in the middle.
Baked it for 1 hour at 285 degrees....then took it out, flipped it over onto a piece of parchment paper and popped it back into the oven that I lowered to 260 degrees for another 30 to 40 minutes.
Let it cool on the counter for about 15 minutes then put it in the fridge for an hour.
It was very hard (not like concrete) but with a little force I was able to break off an edge of it which I crumbled in my hand and used as lure to the cake.

Next time I think I'll reduce the cornmeal, add more raisins and other dried fruit, and toss in some ground up eggshell. And I'll mess around with the oven temp and baking time a bit cos I don't want it to be as dark.

Thanks to all of you for the inspiration!

 

[Miss Lydia]

whats so neat about this is we can take parts of each one and use what we have on hand, now I am off to the kitchen to do some baking.

 

[LindsayB]

Well here is my homemade "flock block". It feels more like a hard cake than a seed block though

I'm sure they will love it anyway! It has alittle bit of everything in it...Chicken scratch with mixed grains, wheat germ, oatmeal, eggs, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, bacon grease, strawberries and apples. I'll probably end up slicing it into hunks and then freezing them. I'm afraid if I hang that whole thing out there they will stuff their faces and eat everything bit! lol...oh they are so spoiled......

 

[LindsayB]

...and heres another one I just made. This time I used oatmeal, scratch w/ grains and added dried mealworms. I used alittle water to make things stick and put it in the microwave for 7 minutes. It smelled kinda bad cooking in the microwave, guess it was the mealworms...This one is hard and will be perfect to hang though. I'm sure they'll love the mealworms hidden inside!

 

[Maryallison]

wow, baking for the chickens! This is adorable. I am ok with baking, but not loving it enough to bake up anything for the flocks. They gets plents of our leftovers!

It is cute that ya'll do it though

 

[Miss Lydia]

Lindsay did you bake it in a pie plate, how long did you put it in the microwave for? and you only put water in it to hold it together?

 

[LindsayB]

I made the last one in a round rubbermaid bowl with a shot glass in the middle. I had to press all the seeds and worms down so they would stick. Then microwaved it for 7 minutes, flipped it over on a plate and let it cool. I just picked it up a sec ago and its as hard as a rock. Its just like the seed blocks you buy at the store...but alot cheaper....

 

[sunflowerenvy]

Quote:
pretty plz share your recipes amount of each

watch my hubby just might try to eat it too

 

[LindsayB]

I didn't really measure anything! just a big scoop of scratch, maybe a handfull of oatmeal, handfull of dried mealworms and probably about half a cup of water. Then I got a spoon and folded it together until everything was moistened. I didn't even grease the plastic bowl, it will shrink when you cook it and pull away from the sides on its own. These things are really easy to make... you can put whatever you want in them and create your own. My daughter and I had fun making them!