Let Your Chickens Carve Your Pumpkin

We have an easy and entertaining way to carve pumpkins this fall. Let your chickens do it for you! 

Pumpkins are a good source of vitamins A and C, antioxidants, and trace minerals, all necessary for a healthy flock. Chickens enjoy every part of a pumpkin except for the outer rind and the stem.

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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.

Did you let your flock carve a pumpkin? Show us on Instagram and Tiktok by tagging us @meyerhatchery or using the hashtag #meyerhatchery