Let Your Chickens Carve Your Pumpkin
by Jess N
Published October 14, 2022
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To get them started with their carving fun, use a screwdriver or a large drill bit with a drill to make some starter holes for the eyes and a mouth. Chickens sometimes have difficulty breaking through the outer rind of a fully cured pumpkin, so giving them some holes to peck at helps the carving fun happen.
How Many Pumpkins?
If you have a large flock, you may want to allow approximately 1 large pumpkin for every 8 to 10 chickens. When you initially give them the pumpkins, supervise the activity for a few minutes to ensure things don’t get too heated. Most flocks will be excited to tear into a treat like fresh pumpkins, and fights could break out. Also, it’s really fun to take a video of the activity!
Save The Pumpkin
After your chickens have “carved” out as much of the facial features as you want, you can remove the pumpkins from their yard and display your flock’s creation. To help your carved pumpkins last longer, coat the inside and cut areas with petroleum jelly, coconut oil, or olive oil. Keep the carved pumpkins out of direct sunlight, and don’t let them get rained on to help them last.
Or you can let the chickens finish off the entire pumpkin after you’ve snapped your photos and taken your videos. They will thank you for it with lots of healthy eggs with golden yolks.
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Where should you keep the pumpkin? In the coop or run? How long on each place can I keep it out? Is there in the pumpkin that could be harmful to the chickens?
Hi Anthony,
I would put the pumpkin in the run. The chickens will likely eat most of it and leave the skin. You can throw the skin away or leave it to compost. Look for pumpkins that are grown locally and not treated with chemicals. Have fun!