Don't throw away your pumpkin after Halloween! It makes a tasty treat for birds – how to prep it safely

If you've already picked out and carved your pumpkin ahead of Halloween, have you thought much about how you'll dispose of it afterwards? Well, according to a wildlife expert, to make the most of your leftover pumpkin, you should consider adding it to your hanging bird feeder as a treat for the birds.

Whether you’ve grown your own pumpkins or picked one from a patch, you will still need to find an appropriate method to get rid of pumpkins post-Halloween.

If you’re a gardener who also attracts birds to your garden, adding pumpkins to a hanging bird feeder can be an effective energy boost during the winter months. Here’s why.

Why should you add pumpkin to a hanging bird feeder?

First things first, you should know that you can ONLY add pumpkin to a hanging bird feeder. This is because pumpkins can be toxic to other garden wildlife such as hedgehogs.

‘Our spiked friends, hedgehogs, will often eat pumpkin flesh, but it’s strongly advised not to let them! Hedgehogs are primarily insectivores, and pumpkins can upset their digestion, which leads to dehydration at exactly the time of year they need to be building fat reserves before hibernation,’ says James Ewens, bird specialist at Green Feathers

‘If you want to help hedgehogs, meaty cat or dog food or specialist hedgehog food with a shallow dish of water is far better.’

Because of this, you should place your chopped-up pumpkin or pumpkin seeds in a hanging bird feeder (as opposed to a ground feeder), so it is out of reach of hedgehogs and accessible to birds.

‘Pumpkin seeds are highly nutritious and high in protein and healthy fats. The flesh is less energy-dense but provides water, fibre and carotenoids; the pumpkin flesh, rind, and seeds are a source of vitamins A and C, magnesium, and iron,’ says James.

‘The seeds are especially helpful to birds, being rich in protein and fat; birds need this to maintain energy reserves, especially as we head into those bitter cold months. When natural food becomes scarce, and birds burn a lot of energy keeping warm through long, cold nights, they need supplementary feeding more than ever.’

How to prepare pumpkin for your bird feeder

If you do want to feed your leftover pumpkin to birds post-Halloween, you will need to prepare it correctly. Similar to how you must cook potatoes before putting them in a bird feeder, there are a couple of extra steps to take before putting the pumpkin in your feeder.

‘If the pumpkin has developed mould, it can be dangerous or fatal for birds, so ensure the pumpkin is still fresh before offering it to birds - no week-old pumpkins belong in your bird feeders. Equally important, paint and other unnatural, added materials must be removed from the pumpkin to ensure it is non-toxic. I’d even go as far as washing your pumpkin with warm water - no chemicals or soaps - to ensure it is free of any waxes or coatings,’ says James.

‘To prepare the seeds, scoop them out, rinse off the stringy pulp, and either feed them fresh or dry them out to feed birds through the winter. Never offer seeds that have been salted, oiled, sugared or spiced, as salt in particular is harmful to birds. If you’re roasting them for later, ensure this is without any additives.

‘Larger birds such as jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches can handle whole seeds, but chopping them helps smaller species like tits and finches.’

If you're not sure what to do with your leftover pumpkin flesh, adding it to your bird feeder is an easy method of disposal - and one that will benefit the local birds.