Our chickens free range pretty much every day. However, with us being in the winter season the chickens are finding it hard to find things to eat while free ranging.

The kids and I got together and made pine cone chicken treats. What is that? Simply, it’s a pine cone covered with peanut butter and bird seeds. It’s super easy (and messy) to make!

I bought a 10 lb bag bird seed from the store. We could have done the treats with a smaller bag but that was the smallest size they had. There were several brands which all had different ingredients. I decided to stick with one that didn’t consist of dried fruit. Harvest brand had sunflower seeds, millet, milo, almonds, peanut pieces, and a few other ingredients that I liked.

How do you make them? First, gather the items:

  • Pine Cones
  • Bird Seed with bowl or plate
  • Peanut Butter
  • String (I find that twine works best)
  • Scissors
  • Butter Knife or Spoon

You can use whatever string that you want but I suggest twine. It fits under the pine cone pedals/seeds much easier than a lot of other strings. It will also be easier to tie knots in when you hang it.

Here are the instructions to make it:

  • Tie string around the pine cone
  • Lather the pine cone with peanut butter using a butter knife or spoon
  • Roll peanut butter covered pine cone into seeds
  • Let it sit for a few hours to allow the peanut butter to dry (it may still be moist when ready to hang but that’s okay)
  • Hang it

We hang ours in the chicken coop run and some other places outside the coop since we have birds that free range all day. These treats last about a day and a half. If you have a bunch of chickens then I suggest hanging several in each area.

Our family put together a video showing how to make the treats and hang them! Check it out below! 🙂