Suet Feeder Blocks

[iwiw60]

Question: I bought an Audubon "Peanut Delight Suet" block this morning. Ingredients: corn, roasted peanuts, rendered beef suet, oats, soy oil. Is this okay to give to the girls??????

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sounds pretty high in fat.

 

[iwiw60]

Sounds pretty high in fat.

It states: protein, min. 10%; fat, min. 20%; fiber, min. 4%

I have a feeling they'll go beserk over it!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I'm sure they'll love it.
Chicken feed is about 5% fat so keep that in mind and offset that treat with non fat treats like fruits and veggies.

 

[sunflour]

I introduced my girls to the Happy Hen Treats suet for chickens this week - it is mealy worms + shelled sunflower seeds. They avoided the new item for 24 hours and the next day stood and pounded it until it was completely gone. Not sure that's a good thing to devour it so quickly….but fear if I don't, they may go on strike - lol.

But mine flock demands a treat time daily, will come in handy in the winter when it is too cold to stand and hand feed treats.
Thinking about trying to make these, likely will be a lot cheaper and fresher?

 

[iwiw60]

I introduced my girls to the Happy Hen Treats suet for chickens this week - it is mealy worms + shelled sunflower seeds. They avoided the new item for 24 hours and the next day stood and pounded it until it was completely gone. Not sure that's a good thing to devour it so quickly….but fear if I don't, they may go on strike - lol.

But mine flock demands a treat time daily, will come in handy in the winter when it is too cold to stand and hand feed treats.
Thinking about trying to make these, likely will be a lot cheaper and fresher?

Yes, my girls go beserk for them, too! Fresher..yes. Cheaper? Not likely. I have to add here something that I observed several weeks back regarding those suet feeders....

You know the large size ones? They're about 8" square? I started noticing these "white spots" on the top of their beaks after starting to use it (they're Black Australorps and have dark beaks)...it was from them pounding away at the suet block because the grid openings are much bigger!! Yikes!

So I took that one out of the run and now I'm using one of those smaller suet feeders, it's about 6" square and the 'holes' are much smaller...haven't noticed any problems since.

 

[evemfoster]

Question: I bought an Audubon "Peanut Delight Suet" block this morning. Ingredients: corn, roasted peanuts, rendered beef suet, oats, soy oil. Is this okay to give to the girls??????

I have read here on the forms that they give the suet blocks to rescue chickens that are very thin and need a fat boost. But they only give one block per 12 to 14 chickens and only a couple blocks in a week. Then stop giving blocks at the end of the second week. The fat in the block will become fat on the chicken so they have to stop giving it fairly quickly. Also there isn't much nutrition in the suit blocks so they need to keep the chickens on healthier diet.

Fat gives a chicken reserves to burn and keeps them warm in the winter. But, You have to be careful that a chicken doesn't get too fat.

In a chicken the fat accumulates ether under the skin or inside the chicken around the vent and a lot of fat there can prevent them from laying eggs. It takes up the room inside the chicken that an egg would be in if it was forming. Its the yellow fat you see on a roaster at the back opening. You don't want to see that kind of fat on a laying hen.

 

[iwiw60]

Thanks @evemfoster for the info. I bought another suet block the other day, 6" x 6", and cut the thing in half and put it in the suet feeder. They are 'rich' in fats so I don't want to overdo it and I only give them this as a treat about every 2 weeks. Thanks again!

 

[sunflour]

Yes, my girls go beserk for them, too! Fresher..yes. Cheaper? Not likely. I have to add here something that I observed several weeks back regarding those suet feeders....

You know the large size ones? They're about 8" square? I started noticing these "white spots" on the top of their beaks after starting to use it (they're Black Australorps and have dark beaks)...it was from them pounding away at the suet block because the grid openings are much bigger!! Yikes!

So I took that one out of the run and now I'm using one of those smaller suet feeders, it's about 6" square and the 'holes' are much smaller...haven't noticed any problems since.

Thanks for info. I have the large type you describe but had planned to try leafy treats, but never used it. Instead have one of those round wire ones with a bottom bell made for chickens, they love lettuce, basil, whatever green it it.

Used the small one for the chicken suet. But agree with evemfoster - won't be buying too many of those mealyworm/seed suets…they stood and consumed it all at one time.

Good idea to cut them up and offer only a small part when you want to give it to them.