What is a Chick Brick?
A Chick Brick is a healthy baked treat for the chickens. It is full of nutrients and fun stuff for them to peck at but, because it is baked, they have a hard time pecking it apart and it keeps them busy!
Why Make a Chick Brick?
Chickens who are bored will tend to peck at each other causing feather loss, injury, and drama in the flock. If you give them something to keep them busy, like a Chick Brick, they will peck at that instead. Chickens get bored when they don’t free range, when it is raining and they don’t want to go outside, or during the winter.
My Recipe
My recipe is full of things that add to the chicken’s diet in a positive way. You can buy something similar (find it here) but I like making my own because it is a bit healthier.
Ingredients:
-5C chicken feed (use whatever mash, pellets, or crumbled you feed them…I find mash or crumbles work best but if you only have pellets you can blend them up first in a food processor)
-1C rolled oats (this helps hold it together)
-1C black oil sunflower seeds (great for added protein and vitamin E for healthy feathers, skin, egg production)
-2C black soldier fly grubs + 1C Henhouse Hemp (use my code PURELYCHICKENS…grubs are amazing protein and calcium. Hemp seeds makes amazing dark orange yolks, great source of organic omega, high in protein, good for immunity. Both great for pretty feathers)
-3/4C black strap molasses (great source of calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron)
-1C melted unrefined coconut oil
-5 eggs (Amazing source of protein for beautiful feathers and so many more nutrients…if your hens are laying eggs you can leave the shells in the mix for extra calcium just crunch them up first)
-1 C ground flax seed
-1/4C water
-Fun add ins…
*Dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, or rosemary
*Seeds such as pumpkin, chia, or buckwheat
Directions:
-Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined.
-Line a baking pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with coconut oil. I like to use spring form pans but this will work in any pan, baking dish, or muffin tin. Pile the mixture in the pan and pack it down really well.
-This recipe fills two 9” spring form pans. I bake it at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes. Muffins might take less time, a larger dish might take more time. You don’t want it to burn.
-After it cools, remove it from the pan and feed it to the chickens! If you have a lot of chickens, make a few and spread them out. If you made too many, freeze them for later!
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