Where do you buy pumpkin seeds?

[RooptyDoo]

I have used pumpkin seeds to deworm my chickens but I can't find just plain pumpkin seeds in bulk. I needed them this winter when one of the hens I had recently bought presented me with a steamy splat of poo that made me do a double take.

She was quite obviously wormy. I couldn't find pumpkin seeds so I had to make do with a squirrel mix of feed from Tractor Supply that had a good proportion of pumpkin seeds in it along with sunflower seeds and corn. We ground up the squirrel mix in a food grinder and fed it in place of their morning scratch treat for three days. They loved it and it seems to have done the trick, I haven't seen any more worms. Can you buy just plain pumpkin seeds in bulk anywhere?

 

[Mahonri]

Did you try to google it?

I'd worry about giving straight pumpkin seeds (and especially sunflower seeds) in the shells because they can end up causing impacted crops.

I'd probably grind the pumpkin seeds after a good soaking and I'd only give shelled sunflower seeds to chickens... but that's just me.

 

[RooptyDoo]

I worried about giving them the sunflower seeds too. We put them in an electric food grinder and ground up everything pretty fine. They didn't seem to have a problem with it but I would rather find a source of just plain pumpkin seeds. My chickens do love for me to just bust open a pumpkin and they go to town on it but after fall that isn't an option.

 

[ntiveheart]

BulkFoods.com carries 'em although they are a bit spendy-
http://www.bulkfoods.com/search_res...tFromSearch=fromSearch&txtsearchParamTxt=1620

 

[gritsar]

I found pumpkin seeds in large bags in the mexican (ethnic) food section at walmart.
I fed whole sunflower seeds regularly. They gobble them up. Haven't had a problem.

 

[phalenbeck]

I just got raw pumpkin seeds at the bulk seed and nut dept. by the hippie vegan junk at my neighborhood big regional chain grocery store, maybe $2.00 a pound. I get black sunflower seeds for almost free at the local farm supply. I fed the flock a couple pounds of pumpkin seeds assuming it may help to keep worms at bay. They will get more this fall when there pumpkins come in the garden. I really do not know if this really assists in de-worming. Mine have been eating a few sunflower seeds all winter because they are from last seasons crop, and cheap at the farm store in the bulk bag. I cannot imagine a problem with feeding fresh raw seeds as PART of a chicken diet.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

For several years I have been going to the local punkin patch right after halloween and they give me punkins. I take the seeds out and dry and then store then in the freezer for our Quaker and Cockatiel and then share the rest of the punkin with neighbors for cooking/baking. Now that We have chickens and I hear this is good stuff for them I will be putting up more.
I know fall is a long way off but you may want to keep dis in mind if ya have a punkin patch close by.