pumpkins

[JakRat]

When can you not feed chickens pumpkins? I have three that are starting to go bad, but they arent all rotted or anything...

 

[RocketDad]

As the pumpkins go soft, mold and bacteria can get into the flesh and spread through. Even though the not-soft parts of the pumpkin seem okay, they can be contaminated. I'd put them in the compost.

I had to deal with this at Halloween. All the pumpkins but one had soft spots (we bought late, the good ones were gone).

 

[pigeon-posthens]

Quote:
dont know that i just keep to greens and their pellets.. did'nt know you could feed them all that sort of thing.. what else do you feed your hens. dare i ask

 

[RocketDad]

Oh my goodness, what WON'T they eat? Mine aren't really fond of pumpkins or acorn squash, but they like butternuts.

I give my girls the shells from butternut squash, and the seeds. Leftover pasta, with meat sauce. Broccoli and carrot trimmings. Baked potato leftovers. Edges trimmed off of steaks and pork chops.

 

[fldiver97]

Mine prefer pumpkin cooked or baked but will eat some as is. They get veggies, fruit (no citrus) but don't care for bananas or apples....They like pomegranate - red and kernels to pick. They absolutely love blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and melon, especially watermelon. I don't eat meat so they don't get that for leftovers but they have eaten sardines (shared with the cats). These days they get some waxworms, mealworms and crickets on occasion, I get them anyways for my geckos. They go crazy for bugs. They get some warm stuff every morning, feed mixed with leftover dinner or mixed with fruit and oatmeal. They love cooked rice and pasta. They had leftover lentil soup with 'fake hot dog' chunks in it this morning. They also have a flock block, 1/2 head of cabbage and a few chunks of broccoli in the coop and run to keep them busy. They will not go out in the snow but have big coop and a covered (snow free) run.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
dont know that i just keep to greens and their pellets.. did'nt know you could feed them all that sort of thing.. what else do you feed your hens. dare i ask

its true they eat just about anything. Pumpkin seeds have a chemical in them that is a natural dewormer which is why it is so good to give them. We have a treat chart here on BYC there are very few things your choioks can eat. Mine eat almost all of out table scraps as treats. You just have to make sure they are also getting a goiod amount of their regular feed.

Want some fun try grapes

 

[thatpotteryguy]

My chickens get pretty much whatever leftover starch we have, in moderation - bread, potatoes, rice, barley pilaf, etc. When the weather is a cold as it is, they get hot oatmeal in the morning, tempered with a little milk (or yogurt, if availlible). This is usually prsented with greens - wilted lettuce, leftover chard, whatever comes out of the kitchen. They also ADORE meat scraps, particularly suet and gristle, cooked enough to kill whatever pathogens may be present. They also love leftover eggs in whatever form from breakfast, even more is its something like quiche with other add-ins.

Feeding kitchen waste has cut my feed bill about in half, and my girls are happy and healthy. I only feed them real food, not processed garbage, but since that what I cook with, it's not a big deal to provide. A nearby deli also provides plenty of leftover greens, tomatoes, and other veggies, and also cheese that the girls adore. Yeah, they eat a fair share of layer pellets each day, but I find that they are happier with a diet that has variety, and carefully adding garden and kitchen waste to their feed bill seems to have a salutary effect on their health - they have no parasites, no deficiences, continue to lay happily depsite the season and atrocious weather, and convert animal-based protein to a useful, compostable byproduct.

 

[Amethyste]

My girls LOVE pumpkin. They will spend hours working on it....

and pumpkin pie is a HUGE major hit.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Chickens will eat anything that doesn't eat them!