Giving chicken treats to your flock has so many benefits. It keeps your ladies from being bored, and a variation in their diet will boost your birds’ overall health and happiness.
Chickens are omnivorous, meaning that they eat plants and meat. Here, I’ll cover 15 DIY chicken treats for your flock that encompasses their natural diets. Please remember to always feed these in moderation. Feeding too many treats can have a negative impact on your chickens’ health.
Snack Piñata
The easy-to-make piñata is a great way to give a snack and combat boredom at the same time. Take corn, watermelon or really any vegetable and fruit that you can hang from a rope and hang it up in the coop! Your birds will be entertained all day by these chicken treats, and you’ll get a funny show watching them peck at whatever you have hanging.
In my coop, I normally use a mix of different gourds and sometimes I’ll even hang a head of broccoli. They always have a fun time with it!
Herb Garland
An herb garland can look beautiful in your coop, make it smell better and serve as an impromptu snack bar for your flock! I always have leftover lavender, oregano, chives, mint, parsley and thyme.
I sometimes hang it high above their roosts or low other times to give them a sense of change. I take simple twine, bunch up my herbs and tie them into the twine. I then hang it side to side in their coop.
If I’m going to be gone for a few days, I’ll incorporate some kale and spinach bunches into this as well.
Chicken Cake
I have only made this next treat twice in my entire time of chicken tending. I don’t bake very often, but if you are a baker, this treat will work out well for you and your flock!
A chicken cake can contain all sorts of goodies, and decorating can be a load of fun also! The recipe is as follows.
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup flour
- 1⁄2 cup applesauce
- 1⁄2 cup peanut butter
- 1⁄4 cup oregano
- 1⁄2 cup chopped apple
- 1⁄4 cup parsley
- 1⁄2 cup chopped strawberry
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Preparation
Mix your flour, baking powder, peanut butter and applesauce together. After they’re mixed, add the rest of the ingredients. Put it into a cupcake tray with a disposable cupcake tray for easy removal.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, and viola!—a chicken cake!
You can top your chicken treats cake with a multitude of different things. The first time that I made this recipe for my flock, I cooked the entire cake in a cake pan and topped the whole thing with corn and herb leaves. I used carrots to make a face (because what’s a cake without some decoration) and my flock loved it!
Read more: Make treat time fun with a modified gumball machine!