Can Chickens Eat Pumpkins? What to Know About Seeds, Guts, and Old Jack-O’-Lanterns

Can chickens eat pumpkins? In our backyard, the answer is a loud yes. We keep thirty chickens here in western Massachusetts, a mix of Easter Eggers and Orpingtons, and my chickens love pumpkins. We generally cut the pumpkins open and let the hens go to town. I believe they eat it all. One hen walked around with pumpkin strings hanging from her beak for a while. For the parts that go beyond my own backyard, I leaned on university extension services and poultry research.

This is our backyard experience, not veterinary advice. Information is current as of October 2026. If a hen seems sick, call a vet who treats poultry.

The Short Answer

If you are asking can chickens eat pumpkins, the answer is yes. They can have pumpkin as a treat, including the flesh, the seeds, and the stringy guts. University of Illinois Extension says “Cattle, hogs, horses, and poultry can all eat pumpkin smashed open or cut into chunks.”

A few rules keep it safe:

• Fresh only. No moldy or rotting pumpkins.
• Clean only. No bleach, paint, glitter, or candle wax.
• Treat sized. Pumpkin is a snack, not a replacement for layer feed.
• Clean up after. Leftovers can draw rodents and predators.

How We Serve Pumpkins to Our Hens

We keep it simple. We cut the pumpkin open and set it in the run. The hens do the rest.

That matches the extension advice. Illinois Extension says poultry can eat pumpkin “smashed open or cut into chunks.” A whole, uncut pumpkin has a tough rind, so opening it gives the birds a way in.

A few serving tips:

• Raw is fine. That is how ours get it.
• Cooked is fine, too, as long as it is plain. Skip the butter, salt, sugar, and spices.
• Cut it in halves or chunks so more than one hen can get to it.
• Put it where you can find it later. You will want to pick up what is left.

In our run, the flesh, seeds, and strings all seem to disappear. I believe they eat it all.

Can Chickens Eat Pumpkin Seeds?

Yes, chickens can eat pumpkin seeds. Our hens get them right along with the rest of the pumpkin, since we just cut it open and hand it over.

The bigger question is the claim you see every fall: that pumpkin seeds are a natural dewormer. I looked for solid proof, and here is what I found.

• The fact-checking site Lead Stories reviewed the claim and concluded: “Feeding your brood pumpkin seeds to rid them of worms might not hurt them, but there is no evidence that it will help, either.”
• A small 2019 study in the Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences tested ground pumpkin seeds in infected chickens. The authors wrote that pumpkin seed “has the potential to be used as an alternative anthelmintic for chickens.”

“Has the potential” is not the same as proven. So I would call it an open question, not a fact. Feed the seeds because your hens enjoy them. Do not count on them to treat worms. If you think your flock has parasites, a vet or diagnostic lab can check and tell you what works.

How Much Pumpkin Is Too Much?

Once you know the answer to can chickens eat pumpkins, the next question is how much. Pumpkin is a treat. Layer feed is the meal.

UC Davis poultry veterinarians put it well: “treat the scraps like a treat not like the main course. The main course is balanced to maximize health and egg production, the scraps are not balanced.”

You will often hear a 10 percent rule. Here is where it comes from:

• Purina, a feed company, recommends “90% complete layer feed and 10% chicken treats.”
• Oregon State University Extension gives a similar number for scratch grains: “about 10 to 15 percent of their total daily food consumption.”
• For scraps and greens, Oregon State uses a simpler test. Total extras “should be no more than the chickens can clean up in about 20 minutes.”

Oregon State also warns that “feeding your chickens an excessive amount of table scraps and greens is not beneficial to the birds or their productivity.” So keep the layer feed out, and let pumpkin be the fun part.

Which Pumpkins Should Chickens Not Eat?

This is the part that matters most after Halloween. A fresh pumpkin and a two-week-old jack-o’-lantern are not the same thing.

Skip these:

• Moldy or rotting pumpkins. Illinois Extension warns that “Moldy pumpkins or those with significant bacterial contamination can be dangerous.” Oregon State adds that “Some molds that grow in damp feeds are dangerous for chickens.” UC Davis says “we don’t want to feed our chickens’ rotten or otherwise unhealthy food.”
• Pumpkins washed in bleach. Some people use bleach to make carved pumpkins last. Illinois Extension is blunt: “Do not give gourds washed with bleach to animals since it is toxic.”
• Painted or glittered pumpkins. Illinois Extension says to remove “any decorations, paint, or non-compostable materials” before pumpkins even go to compost. If it is not fit for the compost pile, I would not hand it to a hen.
• Pumpkins with candle wax or soot inside. I could not find an extension source that covers wax and chickens. To me, it falls under the same common-sense rule as paint and decorations, so I would cut those parts away or skip that pumpkin.
• Canned pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is usually sweetened and spiced. Plain canned pumpkin is just pumpkin. Check the label, and stick with plain.

When in doubt, compost it. Illinois Extension says “If a pumpkin is starting to decompose, the next best option is to turn it into compost.”

Clean Up the Leftovers

Food left in a run can bring visitors you do not want. Pick up the rinds and scraps once the hens lose interest.

Here in Massachusetts, that includes bears. MassWildlife says “Removal of food sources and other attractants is key to preventing problems with bears.” It also warns that bears that find food in backyards “will start to look for other food sources, like backyard chickens, goats, and other small livestock.” For coops, MassWildlife recommends “properly installed and maintained electric fencing.”

Our chicken run is very secure, with fencing that goes underground. We also have dogs, and we keep them separate from the chickens. Even so, I would not leave a pile of pumpkin sitting out.

What to Do With Pumpkins After Halloween

If your pumpkins are still fresh and clean, your hens may be the best recycling plan you have. If you do not keep chickens, or the pumpkin is past its prime, here are the options extension experts suggest:

• Feed fresh, uncarved, or freshly carved pumpkins to poultry or livestock. Ask a neighbor with a flock first.
• Compost them. Illinois Extension notes that pumpkins “provide excellent organic matter for compost piles.”
• Find a pumpkin smash or drop-off event if your town has one.
• Do not dump them in the woods. Illinois Extension warns that leaving pumpkins in preserves or ditches “is considered littering and can be illegal.”
• Do not set them out for wildlife. Illinois wildlife officials do not recommend it because it “can lead to damage complaints as well as the spread of disease.” Rules differ by state, so check with your own wildlife agency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can chickens eat pumpkin seeds?
Yes. Our hens eat them along with the rest of the pumpkin. Just do not count on the seeds as a dewormer. That claim is not proven.

Can chickens eat pumpkin guts and strings?
Yes. In our flock, the stringy insides go fast. One of our hens wore the strings on her beak for a while.

Can chickens eat raw pumpkin?
Yes. We serve ours raw and cut open. Plain cooked pumpkin is fine, too.

Can chickens eat pumpkin skin?
Fresh, clean rind is part of the pumpkin, and extension sources do not single it out as a problem. Our hens seem to finish it. Skip any skin with paint, glitter, or bleach on it.

Can chickens eat old jack-o’-lanterns?
Only if they are still fresh and clean. Illinois Extension says moldy pumpkins “can be dangerous,” and bleach-treated ones are toxic to animals.

Can chickens eat canned pumpkin?
Plain canned pumpkin, yes, as a small treat. Skip pumpkin pie filling, which usually has added sugar and spices.

Can baby chicks eat pumpkin?
I could not find an extension source that speaks to pumpkin for chicks, so I will not guess. Ask your vet or your local extension office.

The Bottom Line

So, can chickens eat pumpkins? Yes, and ours are thrilled about it. Cut a fresh, clean pumpkin open, let the hens enjoy it, and pick up what is left. Keep layer feed as the main meal. Skip anything moldy, painted, bleached, or waxy. And enjoy the show, because a hen with pumpkin strings on her beak is hard to beat.

If you want more from our flock and our fall adventures, read my guide to why your chickens are not laying eggs, my post on raising backyard chickens with kids, my list of dog-friendly pumpkin patches, and my look at the Elegear 10-foot pumpkin Halloween inflatable. And if you are sharing fall treats with your pups, here is my guide to whether dogs can eat pumpkin. Thinking about fall fruit for your flock? Here is my guide to whether chickens can eat apples.