Is Pumpkin Season for Your Chickens Too?

Before the first leaf of autumn falls, pumpkin spice season is upon us! Grocery store shelves are lined with pumpkin flavored everything, pumpkin spice coffees are in every hand, and soon pumpkin patches will be taking over parking lots. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin bread. All kinds of pumpkin treats are everywhere this time of year. But, is pumpkin season for your chickens too?

In the fall, pumpkins are freely available to buy or to pick. They’re inexpensive, a really healthy treat, and a great source of nutrients. The question is can your chickens enjoy pumpkin season just as much as you do? The answer … Absolutely!

Why Pumpkins Make Great Chicken Treats

Pumpkins are loaded with so many great nutrients, they make a perfect seasonal treat. Pumpkin flesh contains vitamins A, B, C and zinc. And pumpkin seeds are loaded with vitamin E. Your chickens will enjoy all parts of the pumpkin: the stringy guts, the seed, the flesh, they’ll eat every bit until there is only a thin skin left.

Simply cut one in half and let the flock peck at it to their little chicken-heart’s content, seeds and all. They’ll happily eat your jack-o-lantern leftovers (minus any paint or wax, of course)!

Grow Your Own Pumpkin Patch

Have you ever considered starting your own backyard pumpkin patch? Pumpkins are loaded with seeds and fairly easy to grow. You can create your own supply of pumpkins for yourself and your flock for years to come!

Star Milling Co. is committed to providing the best quality chicken feed for your flock. We operate a Monensin-free facility and are proud to never blend antibiotics, anthelmintics, coccidiostats, or ionophores into any of our feed. For more useful facts and information about chickens, be sure to visit our Poultry Care Corner.