Backyard Poultry Forum

I have read you can give young chicks canary seed mix. Today I bought one of those solid blocks of seed, they seem to be a bit hard.
Does anybody have any ideas on how to make your own, I'm not sure on how to form a solid block?
Thanks Sonya

i found this website

http://www.ehow.com/how_5030807_make-bi ... locks.html

hope this is helpful

Just apply the same method but with scratch mix

Fantastic, i will try them out, not so keen on flour, i would like to try something else! Thanks very much. Sonya

The seed blocks and bells fed in North America and Europe are to supplement the food of seed-eating birds during cold winters. They are not suitable for Australian birds, and may be too rich/fatty for your chicks.
Also, the commercial seed bells sold in Australia cannot be guaranteed not to contain glues and other additives that may be harmful.
A simple egg rich sponge with lots of seeds in it may be a better solution for your chicks, hung where they can peck at it.
Or a cheaper solution - just feed the seeds :thumbs:

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Lizzie
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I'm just catching up with yesterday. By tomorrow I should be ready for today.

I understand recipe is very rich, hence they would be given as treats, also I thought good idea for the kids to help make up, it's no cook, as we have a long Easter break coming up, girls love being in kitchen.
A rich egg/seed sponge also good idea, thanks

I've given chicks seed blocks in the past, along with lumps of carrot or pumpkin etc., when they were confined and needed entertainment and opportunities for pecking something other than each others' feathers. If they're given just seed, they eat it up quickly and then look for something else to do. The seed block wasn't for food, it was for play in a confined situation. Took them a long time to get through a small one.
However, to my knowledge, most of the seed blocks are held together with pva glue, not something I was keen on feeding to my chicks, but I did avoid feather pecking problems.

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Marie

I forgot to add, I tied these "edible toys" to the side of the pen at a height where they had to reach for it, gave them a bit of stretching exercise too.

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Marie

Here is a recipe from our Index (above) I think you could add sees to the oatmeal mix whet it was cooked.

Pecking Blocks (Recipe supplied by dlhunicorn)
2 Cups (Human) Oatmeal
4 Cups Water
Cook in a microwave for 2 or 3 minutes to make a 'gunky' brew
Once cool mix in a littel Wheatgerm Oil or a Vitamin Suppliment and add enough of their normal feed, along with some dried fruit if you like, until it holds its shape. Make into blocks of patties and freeze. It will keep in the freezer fo 6 months.


NellyG

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NellyG ............[ img ]............