Pumpkin seeds

[Frosty]

Not sure if this is the right catagory to post under, but here goes... I have read a bit about using pumpkin seeds as a wormer, some sites say that they take care of tape worms, too. The question that I have is, is it just pumpkin seeds, or do other types of winter squash have the same effect? I have a ton of Buttercup Squash that I will be tossing to the birds (turkeys and chickens), and they are in the genus Cucurbita as are pumpkins. Could the seeds have the same effect as pumpkin seeds? Thoughts?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, summer squash, zucchini, winter squash and gourd seeds all have that chemical to a varying degree. Probably cucumbers too. I can't remember what it is called and I don't know if it works on tapeworms or just roundworms.

It does not kill the worms. It paralyzes the worm so that it loses its grip on the intestinal walls and is flushed out. It does not flush out all the worms. How many it gets depends on how many seeds they eat, but do not expect them to eat enough to get rid of 100% of the worms. It does not kill the roundworm eggs.

Chickens can live with a certain amount of worm load and it does not bother them all that much. It's when the worm load builds up that it becomes a problem. Feeding these seeds reduces the worm load but does not 100% eliminate it. It is a good way to keep the worm load under control and you can still eat the eggs but do not expect it to kill all the worms and their eggs.

Anyway, this is my understanding of it. Good luck!

 

[spook]

Thank you Frosty for posting this question, I had been curious of the same thing! A pal of mine gave us a pumpkin to feed to the birds and was not sure how many seeds to give or if it was sure to be a de-wormer. Guess that is why I don't seem to have worms! I give my gals scraps of all kinds summer and winter from squash to cucumbers. Ty again!

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Do you give seeds whole or grind in a corn grinder?

 

[Ridgerunner]

The chickens have their own grinder. It's called a gizzard.

 

[bburn]

I just put the pumpkin in the run with the chickens and they decide what the dose is!

My run is right next to the garden. They got fresh veggies all summer. Now I am buying fresh stuff from the store and treating them with it. I have bought two pumpkins in the last three weeks. I drop it on the ground so it will break open and lay in out in the run. All that is left when it is over is a very thin rind.

I did not know however, that it would help with worms. I just want them to have healthy treats and to be entertained at the same time.

 

[featherbaby]

Quote:

That's Funny

 

[al6517]

I give pumpkin once a year as a wormer, I usualy buy them a week after Holloween when retailers will sell them for penny's on the dollar, I just take one in the coop and smash it on the ground and let them have after it as much as they like.

AL

 

[Frosty]

I was mostly curious because we sell veggies at a local farm market. The Buttercup did really good this year, so I am putting out about 12 a day with thirty or so hens. I have seen sites that recommend 1/4 to 1 teaspoon fresh ground pumpkin seeds to rid dogs of tapeworms (and 1/4 teaspoon for cats). If the Buttercup seeds work the same, the girls should be pretty good after eating them for a few weeks or so until they are gone. I really need to get a microscope, it would really be interesting to do 'before and after' fecal float tests on a lot of remedies and see what happens.

 

[lauriej57]

I did not know that pumpkin seeds were a natural wormer. In the 5 years that I have had chickens, I have never wormed them, but they've never had worms. I always feed pumpkin to them this time of year. They've been getting a pumpkin a week for the last 4 weeks, at $1.00 pumpkin, and they have been large pumpkins. I'm hoping they go down to 50 cents a piece after tomorrow, i figure I'll pick up 10 of them, they should last a few weeks sitting around whole. I'll just give them one a week until they are gone.

My chickens love pumpkins, I just make sure they are out of the way, throw the pumpkin down a bit hard, so it cracks a bit, and depending on the size, it's gone in 3 to 5 days.