Can your chickens eat butternut/acorn squash?

[Peeplperson]

I have an overload of squash from last year. Is this good eating for the chooks? Do you remove the seeds & skins? All help appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mendygnl]

Yes, they can eat it, with the seeds, but you will have to cut them in half . They can eat them either raw, or baked. Good nutrients for them.

They will eat the seeds, and meat of the squash and leave the skin for you.

 

[alicefelldown]

Oh yes, oh my goodness yes. Chop that sucker in half and let 'em go to town.

 

[Kim_NC]

Ours love them. I halve them and toss them in the microwave or cookstove oven (at this time of year). They'll eat them raw too, but cooked until a bit soft is their favorite.

 

[ChookHappy]

Hehe yea we just bought another one for our girls. They eat way better then we do. My DW wouldn't even eat one! We bake it for 30 minutes at 300 or so and then let it cool for a while. It makes it real nice and soft for them. They eat everything on them, skin an all and they LOVE the seeds! When we cook this next one up we are going to give the little 4 week olds a piece. They got grit and an apple the other day lol.

 

[Uzuri]

Just be prepared for neon manure. Scared the daylights out of me the first time I fed one.

I just hack in half with the hatchet and let them at 'em. Squash and squash relatives that are softening (but not bad; be careful to know the difference!) just get thrown in; they open them themselves. A couple weeks ago, just after the thaw, they ate an entire Zucchini, stem included -- normally I throw out any leavings after 48 hours, but that time there just wasn't any!

 

[purpletree23]

They also love pumpkins, kale and apples. My chickens eat way better than we do too. Another excellent treat is to wait for roasting chickens to go on sale. Roast one for you and your family and then remove all the meat for a later use. Soup, chicken salad or chicken pot pie.

Whatever is left including some fat give it to the chickens. They will pick it clean. They get lots of protein in a harsh winter and I put the bones in a special covered compost pile I have. Nothing goes to waste.

They also love leftover spaghetti and rice. Make sure the rice is cooked until really soft. Sometimes I heat up the leftover rive with water to make sure it is nice and soft and then add an egg.

 

[feathersnuggles]

I've had excess butternut squash, too. And my girls have been eating lots of it raw, with the seeds in it. They demolish it in no time. Even if they are out free-ranging, they come back & dedicate themselves to it. The seeds always disappear first; they are THE favorite part. Raw pumpkin/squash seeds are naturally anti-parasitic.

 

[Eagle2026]

I fed my leftovers to them a week ago. They were very happy with me the next day.

 

[chicken boy sam]

Since I'm too lazy to cut it in half, I just throw it against a rock. I like it when it is broke into several pieces so then the chickens in the lower end of the pecking order can still get some.