You can feed your chickens plain pumpkin or squash seeds, or you can mix in a few other ingredients for added benefits. In this recipe, the oats provide additional antioxidants, B vitamins, calcium, copper, fiber, iron, magnesium and protein. This recipe makes enough for four or five hens and can be doubled or tripled as necessary to accommodate any size flock. (Read our full story on autumn edibles for chickens.)
Ingredients
- pulp and seeds from one small pumpkin or winter squash
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 4 tablespoons raw pumpkin or squash seeds
- 1 tablespoon molasses
Preparation
Split the squash or pumpkin in half, and scoop the pulp and seeds out of the internal cavity; save the two halves for serving. Mix the pulp and seeds with the oats, additional seeds and molasses. Spoon half of the pulp mixture back into each of the two saved halves. Serve it to your chickens by placing the halves in the coop or run; they will eat the mixture from the cavities and will also eat the flesh.
This story originally appeared in the September/October 2018 issue of Chickens magazine.
