Pumpkin Plants and Chickens

Pumpkin bloom
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

Last summer, I had a volunteer pumpkin plant start just outside the chicken pen. The previous fall, I had given my hens an organic pie pumpkin I’d grown. (Pie pumpkins are smaller and meater than carving pumpkins.) It was a tasty treat they enjoyed pecking at and eventually eating. Obviously, they had flipped seeds around, with one seed landing just outside their fenced area.

As fall turned into winter, with lots of heavy snows, that one seed lay frozen to the ground. The life within that seed waited for the mounds of snow to melt, and the warmth of spring to come. As can happen in the Midwest, the cold of winter lingered. Finally, spring came according to the calendar, but not in temperatures.

When the ground and air did warm, I notice the beginning growth of the “volunteer” pumpkin. It was an accident, but good can come from accidents. I had read that squash could be grown vertically if given the right support, so I let the pumpkin grow. The pumpkin’s vines slowly reached up towards the sun, sometimes attaching itself to the fence on its own, and at other times I helped attach it. As those vines reached, they snaked their way up the fence and over the chicken-wired top.

This year's two pumpkin plant growin well, until...
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

I had planned to put a tarp over the top of the chickens’ pen during the summer, to give the hens shade. The huge leaves of the pumpkin plant became that shade, like multiple little umbrellas providing relief from the sun’s heat. In addition, I didn’t have to do any weeding. That plant provided eight flavorful pumpkins.

Since pumpkins are in the squash family, they can be stored for a period of time. I was able to give the hens a pumpkin every few weeks throughout the winter. This was a nice treat; and it helped relieve some of the winter boredoms for the hens, since they can’t do a lot of scratching in the frozen ground.

When I broke open the pumpkins for the chickens, I saved some of the seeds, and deliberately tossed seeds just outside the chicken pen. I wanted to duplicate what had started as an “accident.”

A baby pumpkin growing above the the chicken coop fence.
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons 2016

This past June, of all the seeds I tossed out, one pumpkin plant started growing on the south facing fence, near my Honeysuckle plant. A second plant started growing on the west facing coop fence about a month later.  The first plant was growing nicely up the fence and over the top, and even had some baby pumpkins growing. 

About this time, I decided to integrate the young pullets with the older hens. I knew the pullets would be laying soon and wanted them to use the bigger hen house with nests to lay their eggs.

I had protected the Honeysuckle plant from the Wyandottes by placing cardboard inbetween them and the fence, with the plant on the outside. With the pumpkin plants, I didn't have to protect them, because the Wyandotte hens left them alone.

If you have read previous post, you know that back in March, Black Australorps and Rhode Island Reds chicks became the newest residents. The Rhode Island Reds are considered good foragers. I found out, by another accident, just how good they are at foraging. 

After playing referee for a few days to keep fights between the older and young chickens to a bare minimum, everyone started getting along fairly well. Then, the youngsters found as few pumpkin plants leaves growing inside the fenced area. The older hens had left them alone, but with the youngsters, their foraging skills went to work quickly. 

To say they were like little lawn lmowers or weedeaters is an understatement. Those young pullets grabbed, chewed, and munched on the pumpkin leaves and moved to the vines. They stuck their heads through the chainlink fence and chowed down on the main vines. 

By the time I realized what was happening, the girls had nearly severed both main vines. The plants' vines and leaves out of the chickens reach no longer had a viable source of nutrients and water. The only thing I could do was watch as the leaves, which had been providing shade, slowly wilted away. 

Out of accidents, either good or bad can come from it. It can also be an opportunity to learn. You can learn from the animals, as the Bible says in Job. I have learned from my chickens. Next spring, I will start pumpkin plants, again, outside the coop fence. I will allow it to grow up and over to provide shade & food, but I will protect the plants from my little munching chickens!