A high energy chicken treat your flock will love: Poultry Protein Platter.

Worried that your moulting hens look like refugees from a caged poultry farm?

Here's what I use for this high protein treat - and why.

I use ingredients which I know to be well documented sources of protein. 

Dry ingredients.

Cayenne pepper: I know, this sounds weird for something called a 'treat'. I add it because it's said to speed up chickens' metabolism. 

Does it really? Who knows - but it can't hurt. Like other peppers it doesn't (despite what you might read online) make their eggs taste any different, and as chickens have very few taste buds it won't cause them problems in terms of making the end result too spicy for them.

Eggshells: To be on the safe side, I bake their own egg shells for ten minutes before grinding them into a fine powder. I use them to add a little calcium. And no, the chickens don't recognise it as their own shells, so it will not encourage egg-eating.

Oats: I don't use the 'quick' type personally, since I try to keep everything I feed my chickens as un-processed and natural as possible. Plain old oats are best.

Sunflower seeds: I use the whole black seeds from the plants which I grow myself. Double benefit - cheerful plants in the summer, nutritious seeds in the autumn (fall) and winter.

Peas: If it's autumn and I don't have my own fresh peas I use frozen. A can of unsalted sweetcorn works well too.

Wet ingredients.

Cooked eggs: I hard boil eggs and chop them into bits. Scrambled eggs are also good and act as a binder to tie all the ingredients together.  

Make the scrambled variety without milk since chickens cannot process dairy products properly. Don't use them raw - it can lead to egg-eating.

Fish: this is probably the treat my flock loves best. If they're available I use fresh sardines, mashed up (and including the bones as they're very soft). If I don't have those I use the canned variety - in oil, not brine. Brine is too salty.

Garlic: well, I do live in Italy - food is not food without garlic! 

Contrary to popular belief it will not make the eggs taste, and garlic is an exceptionally good source of Vitamin B6. It's well known for its antibacterial properties and protection of the immune system. 

It's also great if you have mosquitoes. The jury's out on its effectiveness, but hanging some bulbs in your chicken coop could help repel the pesky things in the summer.

It's very easy to grow and doesn't take up much room, so even balcony pots can be used.

Olive oil: I add some organic extra-virgin oil since that's what we make on our Italian farm so mine is "free". If it's too expensive, try using sunflower oil. Make sure, whichever oil you use, it's non-GMO.

Yoghurt: most people use a natural, sugar-free and unflavoured yoghurt as a binding agent in high protein recipes. It's not so much the yoghurt itself which is the important thing here - it's the probiotics a natural yoghurt contains. 

However, chickens do not easily digest dairy-based products, so a better solution is to add some probiotic powder (see below) mixed with water.

A word about probiotics.

I don't use medicated feed for my chickens - they don't need it - but I like to provide some natural ingredients to help keep a healthy balance in the digestive system.

To put it simply, probiotics supply some of the "good bacteria" that help poultry digest food and keep their digestive tract healthy.

So I like to keep in stock a simple probiotic supplement specially formulated for chickens. The one I recommend is non-GMO. 

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In this recipe I just bind it with water and add to the mix.

If I don't have any probiotics in stock I will use an organic, plain yoghurt - not the flavoured kind, which has far too much sugar and too many additives.

But remember: chickens don't have the natural enzymes to process dairy, so use yoghurt sparingly.

High protein chicken treat: amounts.

I generally make two or three times the amount I need and either keep it in the refrigerator or freeze it, depending on how quickly I intend to use it.

Because this is so concentrated, you don't need to give lots of it. These amounts will feed 15 chickens on two occasions. In between feeds I keep the mix in an airtight container in the fridge.

Protein Platter chicken treat: how to make it.

• Chop the garlic.

• Mash the fish, leaving the bones in.

• If using frozen peas, boil them for just long enough to de-frost them. Strain but keep the water to one side.

• Hardboil and then chop the eggs into small pieces. Keep the egg shells to one side.

• Bake the shells for ten minutes in the oven, allow to cool and then crush into a fine powder. I use a pestle and mortar but if you don't have one, put them into a plastic freezer bag and use a rolling pin.
  

• Put the oats, sunflower seeds and Cayenne pepper into a large mixing bowl and mix together.
  

• Add the eggshells, chopped egg, fish, garlic and peas and mix everything together well.
  

• If you're using yoghurt, add it now. If using probiotic powder add this and use the water from the peas to moisten the mix.

• The texture should be firm but not hard - a bit like a cake mix.

• Now, spread on a tray, give to your chickens and stand back before you get trampled in the rush!

• If you've made more than you need, the treat will store well in freezer boxes in the fridge for up to one week, or freeze it and use within two months.

• And finally, remember - this is just one possibility. Feel free to experiment with other high protein foods until you find a mix your own flock loves.

Please remember: high protein treats should only be given sparingly, and concentrated amounts should be kept for specific events like moulting and getting through winter months.

Did you know some plants are good for chicken health, too?

Here's a short video of my favourite flowers for the garden - and for my chickens' health.

Low in fat, high in beneficial nutrients, excellent as immune system boosters and best of all, easily grown in your garden! Try some now!

My favourite books about making sure your chickens are as healthy as can be!

I have all these books and have learned a huge amount from them. If you're looking for detailed, accurate and easy to read sources, start with any one of these!

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To see more detail about different types of supplements to a chicken's diet, click on these picture links.