9 Homemade Treats for Chickens [Super Easy DIY Recipes!]
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There’s nothing more appreciative than a chicken at dinner time! One of our favorite games is calling the hens over for treats – the way they sprint to us across the meadow like wild beasts of the Serengeti is adorable!
But as much as they enjoy our leftover scraps and treats from the vegetable garden, sometimes we like to make them something a little bit different.
If we’re short of time, we buy healthy chicken treats from the store. But, it is much more fun to make something yourself.
Making homemade treats for chickens doesn’t have to be expensive either. Many chicken treat recipes only need regular store cupboard ingredients.
Plus, if you’re making them yourself, you know what is going into them – no nasty additives here!
Let’s take a look at the top 9 homemade treats for chickens!
1. Suet Cakes By Community Chickens
Worried about how well your ladies are coping during the cold winter weather? This suet cake recipe by Shannon Cole at Community Chickens is the perfect treat for when your hens need a calorie boost!
You can fill this suet cake with whatever seeds you have in the cupboard and add in other delicacies so your hens can feast and munch.
I think this would be a great way to use peas and beans – especially if they’ve gone past their best in the vegetable garden.
Read More – Our 5-Gallon Bucket Chicken Feeder Guide!
2. Stuffed Apple Treats By Fresh Eggs Daily
If you’ve got a glut of windfall apples, don’t let them go to waste! These stuffed apple treats by Lisa Steele at Fresh Eggs Daily are quick and easy to make, using just three ingredients – apple, peanut butter, and sunflower seeds.
We find that our hens prefer softer apples, so this recipe is perfect for the windfalls, which are slightly past their best.
Just remember that hens are not the best at sharing, so make sure you have enough stuffed apple treats to go around!
Your chickens will love these premium treats! If you want your entire brood eagerly chomping at the bit - then let them stuff their beaks with some of these soldier fly worms!
These treats are also healthy for your flock. This bag of soldier fly treats comes stuffed with natural protein, omega 3, and calcium - perfect if your hens are working overtime on egg production.
3. Poultry Protein Platter By Raising Happy Chickens
Are your hens starting to look a bit bedraggled and tired? Perhaps they are still laying eggs in the winter, or they are molting?
At times like these – give your lovely ladies an extra protein boost! Now, the Poultry Protein Platter isn’t a treat you would feed every day – it is a delicacy for special occasions only!
A batch of this delicious feast by Cath Andrews at Raising Happy Chickens will store in the freezer for up to 2 months, so you can have some on hand for whenever you need it.
Plus, this recipe is the perfect way of making use of your eggshells too!
Read More – Here’s How to Prevent Chickens From Leaving Your Yard!
4. Chicken Birthday Cake By Ellie and Her Chickens
Yes, chickens can have birthdays too!
Why not celebrate the day they hatched each year with a batch of these cute little Chicken Birthday Cakes by Ellie And Her Chickens?
This cake would be a great recipe to whip up with the kids – perfect for introducing them to the delights of home baking without having to worry too much about the results.
After all, if your chickens are anything like ours, they will eat pretty much everything you throw down for them!
Packed with tasty ingredients, we’re sure that your hens would enjoy these sweet cakes as a hatching-day treat.
Don’t forget to sing happy birthday first, and you might need to help them blow the candles out too!
I love this adorable bag of fun chicken treats! This 5 pound bag makes for the perfect gift for your favorite homesteading friends!
Each bag comes with organic grains, sunflower seeds, mealworms, river shrimp, cracked corn, and more. Open a bag and start an instant party with your flock!
5. Frozen Chicken Treat By Murano Chicken Farm
This summer was our first keeping hens in a hot climate, and it certainly was a steep learning curve! We soon realized that chickens struggle in the heat, big time! And, we were busy finding ways to keep them cool.
In hot weather, the freezer becomes an actual lifesaver for your hens!
Our ladies were kept cool and refreshed on even the hottest days with these Frozen Chicken Treats by Murano Chicken Farm.
Packed full of their favorite fruits, vegetables, seeds, and our leftovers, they would devour one of these in minutes, straight from the freezer!
Read More – Do Chickens Eat Ticks? Or Will Ticks Eat Your Chickens?
6. Oatmeal Cookies By Just a Girl and Her Chickens
These oatmeal cookies are super simple to make with traditional store cupboard ingredients, and your hens will love them!
Mary, our Brahma cockerel, loves them so much that he will eat them out of my hand. These cookies are one of the very few treats that he doesn’t share with his ladies!
If you’re a fan of making treats for your chickens, Erica from Just A Girl And Her Chickens always publishes a new #chickensinourkitchens recipe on Instagram each week. Check it out!
7. Molt Meatloaf By Grit Magazine
While we love to give our hens fresh fruit, vegetables, and bread, it is easy to forget that they need to eat meat as well! Our hens forage all day for insects! But, during the colder months, these can be in short supply.
As we enter fall, the flock will start their molt. The molting process is where they lose their old feathers and grow new ones, to keep them warm for winter.
Growing healthy feathers requires a lot of protein, and this scrummy Molt Meatloaf will help them do precisely that!
Read more from Grit Magazine – they publish good stuff!
I've never met a chicken that doesn't love grubs! These chicken treats are a nutrient powerhouse! They have 50x more calcium than mealworms and tons of protein - and best of all, your chickens will keep coming back for more.
You can also feel guilt-free when you share these delicious treats with your chickens. They contain no sprays, no preservatives, and no GMOs. Only 100% all-natural premium treats for your flock!
8. DIY Chicken Treat Ball By Natural Chicken Keeping
Hens are notoriously greedy! And, they’ll wolf down any treats in seconds!
If you worry that your hens are getting bored, then this treat dispenser by Leigh at Natural Chicken Keeping will keep them entertained for hours.
These treats are an effective chicken treat! And, they’re great for providing your hens with some environmental enrichment. Just fill the ball with your chicken’s favorite seeds and watch them roll it around to get them out.
I love the versatility of this idea, and I’ll be trying it out with our hens this winter!
Read More – Here’s How to Help an Egg Bound Chicken!
9. Holiday Treat Garland By Backyard Poultry
Why not bring some festive cheer to your chicken run this holiday season with this colorful Holiday Treat Garland by Backyard Poultry?
It’s a great way to keep your hens entertained during the colder winter months, when they may not be able to roam and forage as freely.
Thread your hen’s favorite treats onto some thick twine using a strong embroidery needle.
Keep it colorful and fun – alternating red baby beets, green Brussels sprouts, and white popcorn can give you a fabulous festive garland!
If you're worried about your turkeys, poultry, or chickens flying the coop and hopping your fence, then give them one less reason to leave. Give them delicious chicken treats!
Harvest Delight is perfect for mature birds and mixed flocks. It contains boatloads of raisins, peanuts, whole grains, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, carrots, and flax seeds. The ingredients sound good enough for us to eat. But - don't do that. Save it for your turkeys - and poultry!
Which Are Your Favorite Homemade Treats for Chickens?
Have you got any great recipes for homemade treats for chickens?
We want to know all about your ideas and suggestions! What treats do your hens go crazy for, and what do they love the most?
Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks again for reading – and we wish your chickens the best!
Read More – 44+ Free DIY Chicken Coop Plans! Perfect for New Chicken Flocks!
This is your complete homesteader's guide to raising, feeding, breeding, and selling chickens!
Written by Amy Fewell with a foreword by Joel Salatin, this book teaches you how to hatch your own chicks, prevent and treat common chicken ailments, start a poultry business, cook delicious recipes with your fresh eggs, and much more.
Perfect for anyone wanting to take a natural approach to backyard chicken keeping!
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