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Frozen Ice Cube Treats for Chickens

Freezing berries and herbs in ice cube trays provides a cooling treat for your chickens in the summer.

Fresh, clean water is the most important thing you can provide your flock - especially in the summer.

Since eggs contain mostly water, keeping your chickens hydrated not only is crucial to their health, but also assures optimal egg production.

But instead of just serving up plain water, why not get creative and make some ice cube treats for your flock?

I love adding all kinds of herbs, berries and cut-up fruits and vegetables to my flock's water. Both the chickens and ducks love it!  

One of my favorite herbs to use is mint. 

Mostly because I always have tons of it growing all around the chicken coop, but also because mint, an anti-inflammatory, has natural cooling properties. 

It acts to lower the body temperature of humans and animals by drawing body heat to the skin surface and also inducing perspiration when rubbed on the skin.  

When you eat or drink something with mint in it, you immediately feel cooler. That's due to the menthol in members of the mint family. 

There's a very good reason that the mint julep is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby (click HERE for the official recipe!) and a popular summer drink all over the South, along with mojitos.

~photo courtesy kentuckyderby.com~

Lemon balm is also part of the mint family and can be used in place of the mint if you wish. 

In addition to being an anti-inflammatory, mint also aids in digestion and helps to boost the immune system, so it's a nutritious herb to add to your chickens' diet.

Keeping that in mind, I created these fun frozen ice pops for the chickens to enjoy in the heat of the summer.  

Even if the chickens don't "get the sensation" of the mint, it's also calming, and staying calm when it's hot can help them stay cooler.

Frozen Ice Cube Treats for Chickens 

So here's how I make the frozen ice cube treats:

I like to make them in these great flexible silicone ice cube containers, but any regular ice cube tray will work just fine.  

Start by cutting some fresh herb leaves into each cube, then add some berries, cut-up fruits or veggies. Those bags of mixed frozen vegetables are economical and really convenient to use for these ice cube treats.

Then put them into the freezer for a couple of hours.

Once the cubes are frozen, pop them out and serve immediately!  

You can either put them in a bowl of your chickens' water or serve them by themselves in a bowl or tray and let them slowly melt so your flock can get to the goodies inside.


Try experimenting with other fruits and vegetables to see what your chickens like best. Here are some of my favorite combinations, but you can use any combination you want:

  • Blueberry basil
  • Strawberry mint
  • Peas and parsley
  • Carrots, corn and cilantro
Some other ideas...

Great herbs to use in your frozen ice cube treats include:

  • Basil
  • Cilantro
  • Dill
  • Parsley
  • Tarragon
Great edible flowers to use in your frozen ice cube treats include:
  • Calendula
  • Chamomile
  • Lilacs
  • Rose petals
  • Violets

Great berries to use in your frozen ice cube treats include: 
  • Blueberries
  • Blackberries
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries

Great cut-up fruits to use in your frozen ice cube treats include: 

  • Apple
  • Cantaloupe
  • Peach
  • Pear
  • Watermelon

Great veggies to use in your frozen ice cube treats include: 

  • Corn
  • Cucumber
  • Peas 
  • Tomatoes

You can also add mealworms or dried grubs to the ice cubes too. Your flock will really love that! 

Although at first your chickens will view the frozen ice cube treats skeptically, as they tend to do with anything new, they will soon dig right in and enjoy pecking away at the ice to get to the treats frozen inside, all the while staying cool and hydrated on a hot summer day. 

Click HERE for more tips on keeping your chickens cool this summer.

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Further Reading about the Cooling Effects of Mint: