Can chickens eat pumpkins? Yes! Chickens can eat pumpkin flesh, pulp and seeds, making pumpkins a seasonal treat for backyard flocks. From whole pumpkins to leftover jack-o’-lanterns, there are a few things to know about serving them safely. Here’s what chicken keepers should know about pumpkin nutrition, feeding amounts and spoilage.

Can Chickens Eat Pumpkins: Nutritional Notes

Pumpkin is one of the most nutritious treats you can ever offer your chickens. Pumpkin flesh is chock full of vitamin E, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6 and iron. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of dietary fiber, zinc, protein and healthy fats.

Although pumpkin offers some nutrients, it should be an occasional treat rather than a major part of your chickens’ diet. Offer an amount your flock can eat without reducing its intake of complete poultry feed. Too many treats can dilute the balanced nutrition chickens need for healthy growth, egg production and overall health.

Jack-O’-Lanterns

Since these traditional Halloween decorations spend most of their time outside and are exposed to the elements through their assorted openings, it stands to reason that carved pumpkins are the first to show signs of decay.

Carved jack-o’-lanterns spoil more quickly than whole pumpkins because cutting exposes the moist flesh to air, microorganisms and the elements. Before offering a used Halloween pumpkin to your flock, inspect it carefully. Never feed chickens pumpkins with mold, soft or collapsing areas, or other signs of decay, regardless of how recently they were carved.

First, remove any stickers, googly eyes and other detachable embellishments from the pumpkin’s outer shell. Next, inspect the interior and remove any candle-wax remnants.

Remove all wax and candle remnants before feeding the pumpkin.

Then, check for signs of rot. Thump the outside of the gourd. It should still be strong and hard, not soft and falling in on itself. Sniff the inside for any funkiness beyond the scent of pumpkin guts. If the outer shell has softened or there’s any discoloration, mottling, or other visible sign—or scent—of decay, consign the jack-o’-lantern to the compost pile.

Feeding Whole Pumpkins to Chickens

Uncarved pumpkins, especially those pumpkins grown in your garden, are an extra-special treat for your chickens since all the tasty pulp and delicious seeds are still intact inside. Uncarved pumpkins last longer than those that have been cut and carved, but it’s still important to inspect any pumpkins destined for your chicken run.

As with the jack-o’-lanterns, remove any decorations from the outer shell. Thump it all around to check the shell’s integrity. A healthy pumpkin should sound like a small drum when thumped. Carefully feel the exterior for any signs of softening and look for mottling, discoloration or holes that insects may have made.

If everything checks out, you can go ahead and present your pumpkin to the chickens whole. After a few moments spent eyeing the orange intruder, they’ll begin to peck at the shell. A better method would be to cut it in half or into wedges, so your birds can tear right into the good stuff.

Pumpkin Seeds

Chickens adore pumpkin seeds. They’ll gobble them up fresh out of the pumpkin. The next time you carve a jack-o’-lantern, have a container ready to receive the seeds and stringy pumpkin guts. Your chickens will love you for it.

There’s no need to rinse the seeds or roast them … fresh is perfectly fine. If you have indeed roasted your pumpkin seeds, your chickens will still eat them. Just make sure no flavorings like salt, sugar or spices have been added to the roasted pumpkin seeds. There’s also no need to peel the seeds, whether fresh or roasted. Chickens will eat the outer shell as well as the seed (the pepita) contained within.

This article about can chickens eat pumpkins was written for Chickens magazine. Click here to subscribe.