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DIY Flock Block Recipe For Chickens: Homemade Peck Block

Homemade DIY Flock Block For Chickens Recipe Cover Image

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you know that my hens get spoilt and have lots of snacks.

I’ve even written about their favorite 9 healthy snacks and table scraps!

However, one of their absolute favorite snacks is flock block.

During this time of year, flock blocks are fantastic. My hens love to peck and when the ground freezes over they can’t peck. My solution… homemade flock block.

It keeps there attention for hours.

This is a very simple way to give your birds something to relieve the boredom of winter and help them with extra nutrition and calories to keep them warm!

Chickens use a lot of energy to stay warm during the winter, especially in cold climates. Giving them some added fuel will help them keep their weight up and easily get through the winter.

Unfortunately, some commercial flock blocks have added sugars that chickens’ don’t need. Not only that, but they can be expensive- you can easily spend $20 a week on it.

After a few experiments, I’ve made a good alternative recipe with no added sugars or unnecessary ingredients.

It is also much cheaper to make your own, and what’s not to like about saving money?

Flock Block Recipe: Homemade Ingredients and Equipment

  • 2lb of suet (you can use bacon drippings, but the block will not set as well).
  • 2 cups of scratch/grains
  • 1 gallon plastic jug with the top one third cut off
  • Large saucepan/stock pot
  • A chain (if you intend to hang the block). I tend to hang my blocks- this way it makes it difficult for rodents to access it and the Beagles’ can’t steal it! If you want to make it as a simple block, omit the chain.
Flock block container and chain
Container and chain to hang the flock block

DIY Flock Block Recipe

  1. Cut the suet into small chunks, they will melt quicker. Then place the chunks into the stock pot- low to medium heat.

Note: Be careful not to splash the fat onto the burners- you do not want a kitchen fire! Keep it low, go slow and don’t leave it unattended!

Cutting Suet
Cutting Suet to add to flock block
  1. When the suet/fat is nearly melted (a few lumps won’t matter), turn off heat.

    Cooking Suet To Make Flockblock
    The suet is nearly melted now so take it off the heat.
  2. Stir in scratch/grains so that they are well incorporated. There should be enough grains to be evenly distributed through the fat. Use more grains if you need to.Adding Grains to Flock Block
  3. Now, with the plastic contain, position your chain/rope so that it is central.flock block container
  4. Pour the mixture into the plastic jug- be careful, it’s hot!Pouring mixture into container
  5. Set aside and leave to cool and set overnight.Homemade Flock Block Set
  6. In the morning, when the block has set, cut away the plastic container and hang the block for your chickens!Chickens Eating Homemade Flock Block

Be careful not to overfeed your girls with the flock block.

Too much fat is bad for them and can cause problems whilst laying eggs.

When I first made peck block for the girls, I gave it to them all the time, but I started getting some rubber eggs (eggs that don’t have shells). It turned out my girls enjoyed the flock block so much they had stopped eating their protein-rich feed which they need to lay eggs.

You can also add calcium to the Flock Block by crushing their eggshells, baking them in the oven, and including them in the recipe.

After I removed the flock block within 2 weeks they were back to laying normal eggs, but it’s something to bear in mind- anything in excess isn’t good! Now I only give them the flock block during the winter months, as it helps fatten them up during the cold months.

Flock Block Recipe: Closing Thoughts

This peck block should last a flock of 12 hens around a week or so.

If you’re looking for other treats to grow for you hens, why not check out how I grow mealworms for my hens.
I hope your girls love it as much as mine do!

Consider giving your hens the flock block as a special treat, a few times throughout the winter. Provide it as a kickstart during their late fall molt, as a Christmas gift, or during the final months of winter, when everyone is working hard to get through to the warm months.

Let us know how you got on making your own flock block… Do you have your own recipe that you use?

Read What to Ask Breeders before Buying Your Chickens

19 thoughts on “DIY Flock Block Recipe For Chickens: Homemade Peck Block

  1. I was just wondering about a food snack that is poisonous for humans, can the chickens eat rhubarb leaves &I if not is it safe to add to compost? Sorry for such a long question.

    1. Hi Sandi,
      I wouldn’t feed my girls rhubarb leaves- they are poisonous and can cause your girls a lot of harm!
      Best to avoid 🙂

  2. I saw a recipe where eggs and molasses were used in the mix. Also, reg layer feed was also added with wheat flour and oats along with the scratch grains.
    Thanks for the info!!!

    1. A Way To “Feed Into” The Natural Curiosity of Chickens is To:
      1. Hang a Head of Cabbage (or) Lettuce (cabbage is Harder and Takes More Effort & Time For The Birds To Peck it)
      2. Hang a Shiny CD at birds Eye Level to draw their attention to the Ever Moving Disk. Birds That Tend to Peck other birds WILL get Distracted and spend more time interested in the CD’s And Less Time picking on other of their pen or yard Mates!

  3. A lower fat alternative for summer months/ general boredom buster is any sort of whole veg hanging. Traditionally it was a tough root veg like fodder beet.

  4. fantastic nuggets of info, ive kept chooks for nearly ten years and ikve learned some excellent tips off here I Holliday

  5. would like to know how to make an alternative “summer” block to hang to relieve boredom when in the coop.

  6. hello – great site and article, thank you — do you know if it would work to use bacon fat or coconut oil in place of the suet–and especially if not, where do you get suet?
    thanks!

    1. PS oops just noticed you did mention bacon drippings can be used but dont work as well–but perhaps coconut oil?

  7. I seen people make ice in donut pans, using water and frozen corn. Tie a string through the center hole but I think freezing twine into the ice bucket would work good too.

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