Pumpkin Seeds

[zanelee]

Has anyone used them with their birds? If I wanted to use them for worms, does the shell need to on, or does the seed need to be a particular kind?
Thanks for any help.

 

[1muttsfan]

I give my birds whole pumpkins and let them eat everything. You can often pick pumpkins up in the fall cheap after Halloween.

If you think your birds have internal parasites, I would recommend using an actual dewormer - pumpkin seeds are unlikely to remove all the parasites.

 

[MamaRudey]

I give my girls a couple pumpkins split in half every fall as a preventative wormer. Works for me.

 

[bdjh]

+1

Our girls love any kind of squash, and the seeds and 'guts' are the best part! Over the next couple of days, though, they'll clean out all of the 'meat' of the pumpkin right down to the skin, but won't touch the skin.

 

[RonP]

Every fall I toss discarded pumpkins into the run, usually around 20 or so.

As the cold weather approaches, many remain frozen solid till early spring.

As they thaw, they disappear...completely...all within a week of thawing.

I think the freeze thaw cycle turns them into more palatable mush, easily eaten, skin and all.

That said, there is a lot of conflicting information on pumpkin seeds effectiveness as a dewormer.

Personally, I wouldn't count on it. They do make for an excellent treat though.

 

[bdjh]

I've never heard of that.....pumpkin seeds are supposed to be a de-wormer?

Every few times that I re-fill their feeder, I'll toss in a cup of DE. Everyone seems healthy......

 

[RonP]

I've never heard of that.....pumpkin seeds are supposed to be a de-wormer?

Every few times that I re-fill their feeder, I'll toss in a cup of DE. Everyone seems healthy......

Yes, the debate continues...

Click here for an interesting short read.

 

[bdjh]

Yes, the debate continues...

Click here for an interesting short read.

Interesting......but based on that study, Pumpkin seeds seem to be about as effective as magic rocks and smooth jazz for controlling worms.

If I ever have a problem, I'll stick with science. In the meantime, the girls will still enjoy their treats.

 

[RonP]

Science is very often based on natural occurrences.

That said,

I feed my flock pumpkins every fall.

My flock has never had a worm problem.

Do I conclude the seeds are the reason? NO!

There are way too many other variables in place...

 

[bdjh]

Ron - you've exposed the 'science' behind homeopathy

I suffer from x, took y, and got better, therefore x cured me. Sell x as a miracle cure for y, z, a, b, c,d, .........

Even better,

I take q regularly, and have never come down with t, therefore q prevents t. Sell q as a miracle preventative for t, u, v, w, ........




Background
I was once kicked out of a spa (was there for a massage) because I belly laughed and told the owner he was taking advantage of people too stupid to think for themselves by offering treatments with magic rocks (he was trying to sell me on a treatment - he had a soothing hippy name for it) that would "realign your molecules", "promote the flow of the GOOD energy", and had been known to "promote fertility in men and women" and that many of his clients who were trying to get pregnant had become pregnant after receiving magic rock treatments. I said "So, many of the 20-30 year-old women who received the $200 magic rock treatments ended up pregnant, and you're suggesting that it was due to the magic rocks, and NOT from the fact that they were actively trying to get pregnant, and would have become so regardless of who waved a few stones in their general direction?". There happened to be a group of 8 women right behind me waiting for their group magic rock treatment.......a couple of them laughed with me, the others looked like someone just told them Santa Claus wasn't real.....