Feeding Chickens Fresh Pumpkin

[ohiofarmgirl]

our critters love pumpkins too.. i'm just waiting for the guy to call me to come and get all the ones that dont sell this weekend!

but i have to say - we get a ton of apple pulp from the local place that presses cider.... and never an ill effect on any of them. turkeys, chickens, pigs - they love it and nobody's dead out there in the yard...hum... i kinda wonder about those lists sometimes. i guess better safe than sorry but this is working for us.

 

[freemotion]

Really, ofg? Are there a lot of visible seeds, or is it mostly skin and pulp that you see? There are cider mills around here, and I may just have to look into that!

Yes, those lists aren't that useful in real life. I have seen lists that warn of buttercups, which are in almost every pasture I've ever seen. I've never seen an animal eat them. But animals will eat yew and azalea, so I watch closely for those in my field.

Cherries, oak, red maple....all in my pasture. All on most lists of plants poisonous to animals. I've seen pine listed as a no-no for goats and I have that, too, and bring trimmings from the xmas tree farm for everyone to chew on in the winter.

 

[patandchickens]

Oh yes, go around on Monday (or even late this afternoon) to places selling Halloween pumpkins, and explain that you have chickens and were wondering if they might sell you some for cheap since Halloween is over, and chances are you'll get offered a bunch for *free* No point in taking more than you have room/time to store, but as others have said, your chickens will love you for it

Pat

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Are there a lot of visible seeds, or is it mostly skin and pulp that you see?

there are actually two places around me that hand out the pulp like candy to whoever will take them. one place has newer machinery and i have to reconstitute it.... but thats a pain. so i get it from a guy with and OLD press - and it has tons of pulp and looks like ground up peels and such. some seeds but either they dont eat them, or they dont eat enough to do any damage. all our 'pasture people' free range so they get a good variety of stuff so maybe thats what helps.

and we take everything they will give us - makes great mulch when mixed with the chicken litter - doing wonders for my bad soil....and dont forget the free 'volunteer' plants that come up!

and yep i laughed at the pine thing. my goats practically killed the two pines in their yard by ripping off the bark - we had to wrap the trunks. undeterred those silly goaties started doing their 'dance' - up on hind legs to get the nibbles... hee hee hee and nope! the milk never tasted bad.

buttercups? hum..

i ripped out the azaleas when we got to this property....and if the previous owners ever come back to see what i did to their 30 year old rhododendron i'm sure the planting gods will strike me dead....
;-)

 

[DianeB]

My chickens must be weirdos. They hate pumpkin. My dog loves canned pumpkin, though.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

honey, ALL chickens are weirdos!!

hee hee hee thanks for the laugh!!!

 

[freemotion]

I do cook the pumpkin in the winter so the hens can eat it before it freezes solid. I have the woodstove going, so it just goes into a stock pot with some water for the morning. The goats like it warm, too, and mushy. But I don't turn on my electric stove to cook them when the woodstove is not going.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

I have the woodstove going, so it just goes into a stock pot with some..

oh MAN i bet your house smells good all winter! i'm going to try and use ours more... its more for heating than cooking but i'm trying to get the hang of using the top without burning the bottoms of all my pots. i'm still trying to get one of mine clean from last year


i just got to call from one of my places! here i come pumpkins!!!!!! (well, after they close tonite) whoot!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Hmmmm.....I need to find a place to get free pumpkins!

 

[DianeB]

honey, ALL chickens are weirdos!!

hee hee hee thanks for the laugh!!!

They get it from my side.