Flock Block... First Attempt

So I finally did it. Finally got un-lazy and decided to attempt on making one of these things. Currently it's in the oven and despite not adding anything extravagant it looked rather mighty delish while I was mixing it together - didn't smell to shabby either! Depending on how this one comes out, I'll attempt another with a bit more additives/goodies right now it's just a mix of ; Layer Feed - Chicken Scratch - Bird Seed - BOSS - Oatmeal - Whole Eggs - Apple - and Dried Cranberries.

Come to think of it, I so should have snapped a picture!

But for now, I shall keep you updated on my success! (or non-success. lol)

I've made a few using BOSS, bird seed, dried fruit, oatmeal and peanut butter. I also made one using the seeds from my squash, BOSS, bird seed and oatmeal. I have a microwave angel food pan that I use. It works great!!

Ummm...at the risk of showing my ignorance...what the heck is BOSS?

BOSS = Black Oil Sunflower Seeds

Thanks for asking what BOSS was Farmer Bob....I didn't know either. I am really wanting to give these a try but....if I bake for the chickens before doing my Christmas baking for the family, I better move into the coop!

Oh good cause I didn't know either. I tried to check it out online last night but was getting my questions answered so....

What is the intent of the block?
Can you put anything in it, oatmeal, oyster shell...
How long do you cook it for?

Echo 1 wrote:Thanks for asking what BOSS was Farmer Bob....I didn't know either.  I am really wanting to give these a try but....if I bake for the chickens before doing my Christmas baking for the family, I better move into the coop!

I have been told I love the chickens more than the kids (this told to me by the kids   ). jokes about me sleeping out there with them with sleeping bag etc. I am unmoved   .

I am also going to make one of these. I have a book that is all about using herbs and essential oils in the chicken coop - not every farmers idea of good reading I don't doubt but I liked the idea of alternatives to orthodox meds and have yet to use anything but good to feed the mind. There is a recipe in there that has cranberries and other goodies. see if I can find it later. kids to the bus right now. It is uncooked. uses bunt tin.

The I tent if the block is to help occupy them during the long days of being cooped up.

I cook mine in the microwave for 5 min at a time until firm then dry overnight. You can put just about anything a chicken would eat in it, just cooking times may vary. Oyster shell, cat food for protein, grit, grains, ect.

Hi Kimberly K, hope you don't mind me putting this on here and feel hijacked.  I was really inspired by your post to give it a go and make a flock block.  Yesterday I made a suet block with left over fat from cooking and poured it over scratch with some extra alfalfa and corn.  Going to keep that for when it gets cold again but did give one coop some and they loved it  -  so involved that no one had any interest in territory or who was top chook or anything!  worth doing now and then I think.  

And I had some alfalfa pellets that had been soaking to break them down a bit  -  find the chickens don't like eating them whole and I think it is because they are quite big and danged hard?  I don't know but I will have my way by hook or crook, I know they love greens so planned to make porridge and soaked some.  Then I had some left over pancake mix that was just sitting in the fridge, some uncooked pastry, bit of fat from sausages tonight, few raisins, some scratch that had also been soaking to soften the whole corn . . . mixed all together to make a nice cake batter with little bit of baking powder and into the greased bunt tin, into the wood cook stove oven and voila!  probably left in to cook a little bit too long but it isn't as hard as a rock at all and smells really good!  almost want to try it myself   [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I also have this little book that has several treat things like this, others may have it also.  It's called Fresh Eggs Daily by Lisa Steele and full of ideas for keeping chickens healthy without using orthodox methods (a lot of reference to herbs and some essential oils, trying to be as natural as possible  -  has some interesting ideas).  There is a recipe and method for making a cranberry scratch wreath which uses gelatin so it isn't cooked.  Looks very pretty, she makes them to help with boredom in the winter.  Just quickly:

Cranberry Scratch Wreath:
cooking spray
bundt pan
1/2 C cool water
3 envelopes knox unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 C boiling water
1 C bacon, suet or hamburger grease, heated to liquify
8 C of mix of scratch, sunflower seeds, cracked corn, raisins, nuts or seeds
20 fresh or frozen cranberries

spray pan with cooking spray.  Dissolve gelatin in cool water and let sit for minute.  pour boiling water into med bowl and whisk in gelatin to combine.  

in lg bowl combine seeds and nuts.  stir in grease and pour in the liquid gelatin.  Mix well.  place cranberries in rows in the indentations in the pan, carefully spoon the seed mix into pan.  press down with spoon to pack well.  

put in fridge overnight to set.  next day let it come to room temp.  invert, tap gently on countertop to unmold.  tie to fencing for chickens.  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hey Magdelan where did you get your book from?
It looks like something I want on my shelf. Holy smokes I thought I spoilt my chooks you make me look like a big meanie    all that baking and stuff.

Those cranberry scratch wreaths would make a nice present for a bird watcher, or another chicken lover! They are very pretty.

the book is called Fresh Eggs Daily by Lisa Steele, pretty cheap for little hard covered book well made, think around the $14 mark? Amazon. My favorite shopping center :-).

yeah, really pretty wreath - can you imagine how quickly it would be a bunch of crumbs on the ground?? Would be a lovely present indeed. I want to make one one day. got some left over gelatin from making cheesecake a while ago so might do it soon. However, kids will feel cheated if I'm not careful. Will have to do some extra nice Christmas stuff for us :-). Got an apricot brandy cheesecake recipe I should put on here - uncooked. ding dong, it is the shizzle.   

Great job on that flock block, Magdelan. Looks like its full of all kinds of good healthy treats for your birds. After Christmas when things slow down a bit I think I might make a couple of those too. Its a nice idea to give the chickens something new to do. It must get a bit boring for them being stuck inside when there's too much snow and they can't go out. My girls and I make goat cookies sometimes and the whole herd just loves them. So does the horse, so a batch doesn't last too long!

Anyone have some recipees for these blocks that they wouldn't mind sharing?
I like the look of your Magdelan...how about others....?

KathyS wrote:Great job on that flock block, Magdelan.  Looks like its full of all kinds of good healthy treats for your birds.  After Christmas when things slow down a bit I think I might make a couple of those too.  Its a nice idea to give the chickens something new to do.  It must get a bit boring for them being stuck inside when there's too much snow and they can't go out.  My girls and I make goat cookies sometimes and the whole herd just loves them. So does the horse, so a batch doesn't last too long!

thanks KathyS. Goat cookies! what a cool sounding thing. I gave the chooks the cake this morning and didn't have time to study them before heading off to Penticton (noooooo snow down there! quite the contrast to north - thinking of Prince George and over to the East) - was even above zero and my windscreen wiper fluid managed to thaw out after a while, enough for the antifreeze stuff to kick in. lot of wind in that valley though. whoops, getting off track there   . So I don't know what they left over yet cause my husband had shut everyone in by the time I got home in the dark. I have to find a way to deal with the whole corn, it is not cracked and they aren't really into it. need something to smash it up with. I suspect they will have left some of that and they aren't overly keen on the alfalfa but because it was blended with all sorts of other goodness they were tucking in when I left them. I would have liked to put some BOSS in too but just got to use what I have right now - Christmas is a budget wrecker! I have nearly used up all the tins of cat food someone gave me, they really love that but think that would be good too, like smokeyriver does. I think KimberlyK's ingredients look pretty swell - really treaty.

Hey Bigrock, I reckon it can't be too tricky to make your own recipe up - hit and miss with what is on hand but a basic cake-ie type batter and not overcooking otherwise the whole grains might turn like twice baked rocks. I did use grain that had been soaked already. flax seeds might be good but I heard if the proportion is too much then it makes the eggs taste like fish. I guess it would be wise to find out what is not useful for chickens in their digestion. That little book mentions some things, like apple seeds which have small traces of cyanide. Think I'll put a new post up about those things so this doesn't become a total hijack - although it is related and useful to consider because I put all kinds of things in their "mash" and don't want to inadvertently make them unwell  .

So I got side tracked with other things... Mostly Christmas (OMG it's three days away and I am still not ready!!!)

Anyway, my first two blocks turned out great. If I wasn't so busy baking right now I'd load and attach pictures.

So that first block I made, after letting it sit over night to full harden, I took out to the coop the following morning to hang while I did my regular morning routine. When I went back out just as the sun was going down the thing was practically gone. Needless to say, it was a sure sign they loved it because I didn't find much evidence of it littering my floor mix.

My second block was a slightly different then the first. In the first I had actually cooked up the oatmeal to get that added sticky texture so the ingredients would come together and stick. For the second I didn't cook the oatmeal and instead added some molasses. Also took out the cubed apple and put in applesauce. The rest of the ingredients was the same. The following week I did the same thing, put it up in the coop in the morning and went back out in the evening and it was gone.

Since then I've been going flockblock crazy. Probably because it takes 15mins tops to toss whatever it is I am putting together only to let in sit in the oven for 40-60mins. Well, maybe not crazy but I have made a few more in various sizes then my bunt pan. I've been taking whatever leftovers we have, mixing them up with some or all of the ingredients I used in my first two blocks and baking them. Because they are in smaller portions I take two out about twice a week hang and my girls are not going through them as fast. Which is great, even better is they haven't been eating them over their regular feed.

Ruffledfeathers, if you pop back in here - needless to say you can pretty much put anything a chicken would eat in a block. As I've stated, I bake mine anywhere from 40mins to an hour depending on how they hardening in the oven at 400 F.

bigrock, here is my list of ingredients of my first flockblock.
Apple - 1 diced (makes about 1cup)
Dried Cranberries - 1/2 cup
Cooked Oatmeal - 2 1/2 cups
Chicken Scratch - 3/4 cup
Layer Feed - 1 cup
Bird Seed - 1 cup
BOSS - 1/2 cup
Whole Eggs - 4

Magdelan, I do not feel hijacked at all! Your block looks fabulous! And I am so going to have to see if I can hunt down that book. That cranberry wreath looks like something I am going to have to try!

Kimberly K wrote:

Magdelan, I do not feel hijacked at all! Your block looks fabulous! And I am so going to have to see if I can hunt down that book. That cranberry wreath looks like something I am going to have to try!

So glad to hear I didn't annoy you with that Kimberly K. Really cool to hear your exploits! I am now inspired to do some more myself. They lay so much better when they have some goodies happening in their day.  Here's a link to the book on amazon
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It also has a recipe for Molt Muffins, have tried to get good pictures but not so easy in my light, this is not too bad.
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That looks fabulous for the chickens, wow. I'm going to look for some ingredients, and a used Bundt cake pan. Have a go at one of these. Hopefully, will make something edible.   

You have very lucky chickens.