Homemade flock block recipes

[cmom]

Here are the two flock blocks I made yesterday. I put some water in the one in the top picture and it got pretty hard. The other picture I put hardly any water and it's more crumbly. I also put a little more of their feed in the second block (top picture). I thought it might bind better and it did, although the first block I made (second picture) looks better but it's not as hard.

 

[Cluckingitup]

Here are the two flock blocks I made yesterday. I put some water in the one in the top picture and it got pretty hard. The other picture I put hardly any water and it's more crumbly. I also put a little more of their feed in the second block (top picture). I thought it might bind better and it did, although the first block I made (second picture) looks better but it's not as hard.
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Mine would probably like that they are a little softer. They are not pecking at the purchased flock block like I thought they would. I am sure that both will be devoured by your flock. I am going to give it a shot this weekend.

 

[cmom]

When I buy the Purina flock blocks they last the birds for quite awhile and it gives them something to peck at. I don't want them gobbling them up, just a treat. I put one in every pen under their shade/rain tables so they won't get wet if we should get rain.

 

[harmonyp]

You guys have way more motivation than I. I just paid $16 for a 25 lb purina flock block that'll last me months as I just put it in their pen for a few hours, a couple times a week. But your blocks look fabulous!!!

 

[cmom]

I have a dozen coops. I put one flock block in the pens for each coop. Each coop averages around 20 birds more or less. I made two. Yestersay I put them in the oven on low temperature for a couple of hours and left them in the oven over night. My oven will turn itself off after what ever time I program it for so after the oven went off I just left them in overnight and took them out this morning they were harder like the Purina flock blocks. I want them to last for awhile. They are a treat only so I don't want them just eat on the flock blocks so I want them kind of hard. Here is my mixture this morning. I mixed it in a 5 gal bucket and after I mixed it well I put it in the baking pans and into the oven for a couple of hours at low temperature. In this mornings mix, I added some oyster shells and some granite grit since the birds don't have teeth and the seeds and grains get broken up in their gizzards. This is my third try so hopefully they will be better than the other two blocks. The birds were going to get them for Christmas but now it looks like for the new year.

 

[cmom]

Flock Blocks
Ingredients

1. Scratch (amounts used of the ingredients depends on how large you want your flock blocks)
2. Sunflower seeds
3. Grower feed (any feed on hand, Layer, Grower, pellets or crumples, whatever is on hand)
4. Oats (rolled)
5. Worms (optional)
6. Eggs (usually 3 to 6 eggs depending on the amount being made)
7. Molasses (1/4 to 1 cup, depending on the amount being made)
8. Flour (1 cup to around 4 cups, depending on the amount being made)
9. Coconut shortening (melted) (1/4 to 1 cup, depending on the amount being made)
10. Water (as needed, I start out with a cup and add as needed, until mixture is mixed thoroughly and quite damp, not soupy)10

Originally I did not put enough water in so the block turned out a bit crumbly.

Mix ingredients thoroughly (I use a 5 gallon bucket). Hands work well for mixing.
I mix the eggs and egg shells in a food processor.
back into greased pans and put into a 225 ºF oven for 2 hours.
If you want to make a hole in the flock block so it can be hung, either put a hole in with a dowel where you want the hole or put a glass in it where you want the hole before you put it in the oven. I didn't put a hole in mine because I'm leaving them in the pans I inverted the blocks into.

Remove from pans and put inverted flock blocks on cookie sheet(s) and put back into a
160 ºF oven for an additional 2 hours.
My oven turns off automatically at whatever time I set it for. I leave the blocks in the oven over night when the oven turns off

I substituted what I had on hand
Corn syrup for Molasses
Any flour I have on hand
Any oil or shortening
I did not measure anything but put in a good amount of each and mixed well. Lesser amounts for smaller batches and more for larger batches.
The potsI used to initially bake the blocks in.

The pans I put the blocks in for the second bake. When I take the blocks out of the pots the bottoms are a little soft so that is why I inverted them and put them in the oven for the second time. Lately the humidity is too high to leave them out and they don't get very hard unless I put them in the oven for the second time.
And here is the finished product.

 

[cmom]

Please excuse my typos in the previous post. I have a couple of more blocks to make but still have some in the oven. It is time consuming but hopefully the birds will like them.