Frozen Treats for Backyard Chickens

Try making these frozen treats to help your backyard chickens beat the summer heat. They are simple to make, and your chickens will love them!

Everyone loves an ice cold treat on a hot summer day. Including your backyard chickens! It’s nice to offer something extra special now and then. And these frozen treats for backyard chickens are just the thing!

Can Chickens Overheat?

Yes. In places where the temperature stays over 90 degrees chickens can overheat. Be sure your chickens always have access to shade and shelter so they can get out of the heat from the sun.

Providing water for your chickens is a necessity throughout the year. But definitely keep an eye on their water as the summer temperatures rise.

Having a cold or frozen treat during the summer months can also help your backyard chickens cool off.

Do Chickens Get Bored?

“All my life flashed before my eyes… It was really boring.”

This is my favorite quote from the movie Chicken Run. It was said by a hen who narrowly escapes death as the farmer’s wife is looking for a chicken for her next pie. If you haven’t seen it, I would check it out.

But you certainly don’t want your backyard chickens to feel the same as the hen in the movie!

Free range chickens probably do not get as bored as chickens that are in a pen or run of some sort. Free range chickens can go and explore. They can encounter new sights and smells daily.

But if you live in an area like I do where free ranging your chickens just isn’t the best option and you have to keep your chickens pinned up, you may want to provide them with a little extra entertainment.

When chickens get bored they may begin to display some naughty behavior. Sometimes bored chickens will begin to peck other chickens or try to pull out other’s feathers. Offering some entertainment can keep this from happening.

Something as simple as providing a different type or texture of food can bring entertainment to your chickens. They enjoy pecking and scratching different things. They will most likely really enjoy pecking at the frozen treats you will make for them.

They’ll also have to work a little harder to get the treats since they’re frozen.

So these frozen treats for your backyard chickens can help them beat the heat and stay entertained.

Ingredients for Frozen Treats for Backyard Chickens

Here’s what you’ll need:

• can of corn
• ice cube tray

I like using these particular ice cube trays because each ice cube mold has a rubber bottom. Once the treats (or whatever else you might freeze in them) are frozen you just push on the rubber bottom, and the treat easily pops out.

Directions for Frozen Treats for Backyard Chickens

Here’s what you do:

First spoon the corn into the ice cube tray.

Top off each ice cube mold with enough liquid from the can of corn to completely fill each ice cube mold. I used a small pitcher to help with this part. Try not to overfill or getting them out can be a little tricky.

Then put the ice cube tray in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until frozen.

Next pop the frozen corn out of the ice cube trays. You might need to run a little water on the bottom of the ice cube tray to help loosen them up.

This is why I really like the ice cube trays with the rubber bottoms. You just run a little water on the bottom of the tray. Then press the rubber bottom and the frozen treats pop right out. You don’t have to twist the trays (and risk cracking and breaking them) to get the frozen treats out.

And finally, serve the frozen treats to your backyard chickens!

I love to watch my chickens eat. I love seeing them try new foods and figuring out which foods they like the best.

So you can provide tasty frozen treats and some entertainment to your chickens, and they can provide tasty treats (eggs) and some entertainment to you!

Does Corn Make Chickens Hot?

Corn is considered a “hot” food, but it doesn’t actually raise the body temperature of your chickens.

Corn does have quite a few carbs that can give extra energy and engage their metabolism which will help them stay warm in the winter.

We’ve always given our chickens corn (frozen and cracked corn) in the summer with no issues.

Variations Of Frozen Treats for Backyard Chickens

A can of corn is about as basic as you can get.

There are so many other things you could freeze and offer to your backyard chickens as a frozen treat.

• green beans
• peas
• blueberries
• strawberries
• blackberries
• apples
• bananas
• watermelon
• carrots

If you are freezing something that doesn’t have any or much liquid, just add the food item to the ice cube tray. Then fill the ice cube tray up with water. This will help it freeze and make getting it out of the ice cube tray a little easier.

Cleaning Out The Freezer

Sometimes at the end of the gardening season we just end up freezing a lot of our produce. The frozen produce can be used in a variety of recipes throughout the year. However, there comes a time when you need to clean out the freezer. All of those fruits and veggies can be frozen treats for your backyard chickens!

Just last week one of our sweet neighbor friends gave us a ton of frozen veggies from last year’s garden harvest. She was making room in her freezer in preparation for the current growing season. Our chickens were so excited for the treats!

So if you make your own frozen chicken treats or if you’re just cleaning out the freezer, frozen foods can be a great way to beat the heat and provide entertainment for your backyard chickens!

Ready To Start Your Own Flock of Backyard Chickens?

Backyard Chickens can be a great additions to any backyard farm!