Frozen Corn Chicken Treats
How to make frozen corn chicken treats to help them cool of on a hot day. An easy snack for chickens and a great way to keep them happy in the summer!
How to Make Frozen Corn Donuts for Chickens
A few years ago, I achieved my childhood dream of moving out to the country. My husband, a city boy by birth, has been a good sport and dare I say, even embraced the dream himself.
One of my favorite things that we’ve been able to do now is raise our own chickens for eggs. We usually have anywhere between 6-12 chickens at a time – I don’t think I’ll ever not have chickens again!
Since we live in Texas, one of the things we have to watch out for is overheating in our animal family. During the summer, the temperatures hover in the mid-90s for weeks at a time, and some days it even reaches 100 degrees or more.
Overall, chickens can handle the heat pretty well if they have plenty of shade and fresh water available. But I do like to give them frozen treats to keep them busy and to help them cool off a bit! These frozen corn treats were a BIG hit!
For your convenience, I’ve provided shop-able ad links to supplies we used to make our chicken treats; read our disclosure policy here.
Supply List
- Silicone donut mold — You can also use a muffin tin or any other similar silicone mold.
- Whole kernel corn — We used canned, but you could cut it off the cob too! If using canned corn, look for brands with no added salts, etc.
- Water
Instructions
Since we have silicone donut pans already, we decided to make frozen corn donuts! These seemed like a good size that they would start melting right away, so the chickens could get at the good stuff quickly. (Click here to get silicone donut molds on Amazon like the ones we used).
I’ve seen others who used regular metal muffin tins to make frozen corn treats for their chickens, but I thought silicone would be easier to work with because they ice wouldn’t get stuck.
We use silicone baking pans for a lot of regular recipes because our baked good pop right out of the pans — and these chicken treats were no different! Super easy!
The first step is to fill your donut pans about halfway with corn. One can worked out perfectly for us and filled up a 6-donut pan.
Next, fill the donut pans the rest of the way with water. I recommend leaving maybe about 1/4″ from the top of the pans, so they don’t spill while you’re moving them.
I also recommend putting your donut pan on top of a cookie sheet because the silicone pans are floppy. This makes it a lot easier to move to the freezer without spilling.
Once your pans are full, pop them in the freezer until they’re frozen — about 1-2 hours. This is another reason we used a donut pan instead of filling up a big container and making one big ice block. Our frozen corn treats were ready much faster this way! No need to plan ahead!
When they’re fully frozen, pop the ice donuts out of the pan. I have 6 chickens right now and we put two of the donuts in the coop at the same time so there is less fighting and plenty of room for everyone to get a snack.
Video Demo:
How do you tell if your chickens are too hot?
Chickens deal with heat and regulate their body heat by:
- Panting (similar to how dogs do)
- Fluffing up their feathers to allow air to circulate against their body
Generally, this is normal chicken behavior in the summer and if you make sure to provide ample water and ventilation, they’ll be just fine.
Related: Learn more about how to keep chickens cool in the summer here!
However, if you notice the following symptoms, then your chickens may be suffering from more severe heat stress and may need emergency care:
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea
- Trouble breathing
- Convulsions
Keep in mind that these frozen corn treats are simply for fun — they’re not meant to rescue a chicken that is experiencing true heat stress.
And boy do they love them!
Does corn raise chickens body temperature?
There is a common myth that corn makes chickens hot. It’s a fairly widespread misconception, so it’s understandable if you’ve heard this and are worried.
It’s science y’all…corn (or any food) can not raise core body temperature.
I repeat, corn itself is not going to make chickens hotter or raise their body temperature.
Corn is a high-energy food and it does kick-start the metabolism. However, metabolic heat is different than a direct increase in core body temperature that would lead to overheating.
Chickens gotta eat and digestion isn’t going to make them hotter to the point of overheating, especially if they have good ventilation (from the breeze or fan) and plenty of cool water. And they do get some of the ice from the frozen treats, which would have a cooling effect.
The greatest danger of overheating comes from environmental factors (high ambient temperature and humidity), not from moderate consumption of corn.
The main thing to keep in mind is that this is a snack — corn shouldn’t be their primary food. We always have their regular feeder available during the day and supplement with fun treats maybe once a day.
If you prefer not to use corn, you can also make these treats with small pieces of fruit, such as blueberries or watermelon pieces, or veggies like diced carrots, shredded lettuce or peas.
Chickens LOVE their treats! Happy hens lay more eggs 😉
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Frozen Corn Chicken Treats Recipe (Printable Copy)
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Frozen Corn Treats for Chickens
Equipment
- Silicone donut pan
Ingredients
- 1 can whole kernel corn
- water
Instructions
- Fill your donut pans about halfway with corn. One can should be perfect for a 6-donut pan.
- Fill the donut pans the rest of the way with water, stopping about 1/4" from the top of the pans, so they don't spill.
- Freeze 1-2 hours.
- When they're fully frozen, pop the ice donuts out of the pan and serve to chickens.
Video
Notes
This our Corn Treats for Chickens on Pinterest:
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So thankful for this frozen treat recipe for my chickens! I also live in Houston and this will be my chickens’ first summer! I’m excited to try this treat for them! Thank you!
Thanks for the receipe going to try this.
If you do a little more research on this, it is not good to give chickens corn in the summer when it is hot out. Corn is carbs and carbs will cause a chicken to over heat. I had chickens for 6 years and I did a boat load of researching everything I could. Corn of any kind should only be used in the colder months as it acts as a heater and it will keep them warm. It is more a high energy treat so it is better to give it to them when weather permits. Corn in the summer will cause them to overheat.
Hi Sue, thank you for your comment! I’ve also done a lot of research and this appears to be a bit of an old wives tale. Corn, like any carb, gets the metabolism going. However, it does not actually raise body temperature. Corn is also a common ingredient in chicken feed, so chickens may be getting it in their diet already. Another thing to consider is that when corn is fed as a treat like this, each individual chicken would only get a few bites, which isn’t enough to do much even if it did have an impact on body temperature. But if it worries you, other fruits or veggies can be used. Our girls love watermelon, cucumbers, and blueberries too. Hope this helps!