Pumpkin pie is a bit of an acquired taste. It's popular around Halloween when there is plenty of spare pumpkin in circulation. In some parts of the world, it's even a popular treat all-year-round.
Can chickens eat pumpkin pie? It’s not a good idea to share pumpkin pie with your chickens. Most recipes contain a lot of spices, sugar, fillers, and other ingredients that are not good for your flock.
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Can Chickens Eat Pumpkin?
Chickens can eat pumpkin, yes.
Raw pumpkin is actually very good for chickens. It’s rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. As well as containing key nutrients like beta carotene, potassium, and fiber.
Most of a chicken’s dietary requirements are met by eating commercial feed. There are a lot of benefits to feeding them some other foods to add some variety to their diets though.
There are loads of fruits and vegetables, such as pumpkin, apples, zucchini, broccoli, and so on that help keep chicks operating at optimal health.
Related content - Did you know pumpkin is a squash? Check out how much chickens love spaghetti squash.
Can Chickens Eat Pumpkin Seeds?
If you’ve owned backyard chickens for a decent amount of time you will probably have heard that pumpkin seeds act as a natural dewormer for chickens.
I’ve looked into this about as hard as I can, and can’t find concrete evidence that convinces me it’s true.
I’ve read the article most people cite, and I’ve spoken personally with some local farmers who have been in the poultry industry all their lives.
It’s not something they’re aware of, and I can’t see anecdotal evidence to suggest it’s true.
I just wanted to get that out there as it’s always something that comes up when pumpkins are talked about.
Either way, it doesn’t really matter though. The important thing to know is that it’s fine for chickens to eat the seeds. If they do have some worming properties too, all the better.
So, you don’t have to go through the effort of digging around inside the pumpkin to get all the seeds out - which is always a chore when carving a Halloween pumpkin!
Is Canned Pumpkin Pie Filling Ok for Chickens?
This is an area that causes some confusion for chicken owners. Because canned pumpkin is fine for chickens, especially if it’s organic or free from all preservatives etc.
But canned pumpkin pie filling is not ok. The pie filling has had all the spices, sugar additives, and other ingredients that we shouldn’t be giving our chooks added.
How to Feed Pumpkin to Your Flock
The best way to feed pumpkin to chickens is to carve a hole in the top or slice it open. Then just let them get on with pecking away at the contents to their heart’s content.
Depending on the weather and where you put them, you can leave pumpkins out for a day or two without spoiling.
It’s unlikely they’ll survive that long with edible flesh inside though. In my experience, chickens love pumpkin and it doesn’t last long!
Other Fruits and Vegetables to Give Your Chickens:
Pumpkins aren’t the only vegetables - (some people say they’re fruits!?) - that are great for chickens. Here are some others to consider:
Berries, such as blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, etc. All of which provide an excellent range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Grapefruits and oranges - There’s no substance to the rumors that citrus is harmful to chickens. A lot choose not to eat it, which is fine, but if they do there are some useful health benefits.
Radishes and Zucchini - These are two vegetables with high water content. A good choice in the summer months to help your flock stay hydrated.
Herbs - I have a herb garden and share a lot of herbs with my flock. They provide some powerful health and wellness benefits. Check out my explanations on cilantro, parsley, and lavender for more.
This is just a handful of the foods you can feed chickens. Before giving them anything for the first time, my advice is to run a check to make sure it’s fine for them to eat.
In Summary - Can Chickens Eat Pumpkin Pie?
My advice is to keep the pumpkin pie for yourself for the greater good of your chickens.
There are quite a few ingredients in pumpkin pie that aren’t good for chickens. They aren’t toxic or anything like that, but chickens are better off without sugars, preservatives, spices, and other additives we add to food.
Raw pumpkin, on the other hand, is great for chickens. If you can feed them some of that then you’ll be doing them a favor.
How about this for the best of both worlds; buy a pumpkin to make a pie, use what you need for your pie, and share the raw pumpkin leftovers with your flock. Perfect.
Resources
What are the health benefits of pumpkins? MedicalNewsToday.com
Pumpkin puree vs pumpkin pie filling - TheSpruceEats.com
