Fall festivities are over, and many people wonder what to do with their decorative pumpkins and gourds.

Instead of throwing them in the trash, pumpkins can be added to a compost pile, or the seeds can be saved to plant for next year.

Some may also consider feeding pumpkins to livestock.

All livestock

Pumpkins are generally safe to feed to livestock. However, feeding a large amount of a new food to any animal may cause gastrointestinal upset or other digestive issues, so it’s best to consider it as a seasonal snack.

Paint and candlewax can be toxic, and the practice of dipping carved pumpkins in bleach introduces toxins into the flesh, as well. Pumpkins with any of these treatments should be disposed of properly.

Although some species may tolerate less-than-fresh pumpkins, it is important to not feed spoiled or rotting pumpkins due to risk of illness or disease transmission. Those pumpkins should also be safely disposed of instead of fed to animals.

It is always best to consult with your veterinarian before changing your livestock’s diet.

Cattle

Cattle find pumpkins palatable, according to Dr. Karla Jenkins, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Extension cow-calf and range management specialist.

Pumpkins make a good supplemental protein and energy source. The crude protein content tends to be between 14-17% on a dry matter basis and the in vitro digestibility (similar to total digestible nutrients or TDN) is 60-70%.

If cattle are grazing a pumpkin patch, they simply can be turned into the field to get to work munching the leftover gourds. Jenkins noted ranchers may also be able to negotiate loads of blemished or broken pumpkins prior to Halloween for an attractive price.

When feeding cattle leftover decorations as a treat, pumpkins may be set out in the pasture whole or smashed.

Horses

Horses can eat pumpkins, but only if they’re not rotting, painted or covered in candlewax, said Dr. Clair Thunes, equine nutritionist, in a recent The Horse magazine column.

One caveat is to consider the glycemic load of pumpkins before feeding too much pumpkin to horses with metabolic disorders.

Although Thunes said it can be safe to feed pumpkin to horses with equine metabolic syndrome or polysaccharide storage myopathy, it’s best to check with a veterinarian first to be sure it is appropriate for that horse.

She recommends feeding horses only one small pumpkin, or about two cups a day, per horse.

Since pumpkins are so high in potassium, she also recommends horses with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) not be given any pumpkin. Too much potassium can cause HYPP episodes.

Larger pumpkins should be broken into pieces before being fed to horses to avoid choking.

Poultry

Chickens, turkeys and other backyard poultry can benefit from a little pumpkin in their diet, thanks to its wide variety of vitamins and minerals.

Chickens will need pumpkins broken into smaller pieces to access the innards because they will generally not consume the rind. Owners should be prepared to collect rinds on a regular basis to prevent attracting insects and other pests.

Swine

A study conducted by Washington State University suggests pumpkins are a good treat for pigs due to their highly digestible fiber content.

The study concluded poultry and swine seemed particularly well-suited to pumpkin consumption as a large part of the diet, with all animal owners participating in the study reporting widespread and thorough consumption of pumpkin when offered to the livestock.

Pumpkins may be offered whole to swine.

Sheep and goats

Sheep and goat owners can safely feed pumpkin to their animals, too.

Sheep and goats may be fed whole pumpkins, but if they’re large gourds, it is best to smash or break them open first.

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SELECTION FOR IMPROVED COW EFFICIENCY, MATURE WEIGHT

Reproductive performance in the cow herd is low in heritability, meaning it is largely influenced by environment, particularly nutrition. Mature weight (MW) is moderate in heritability (35 percent), meaning response to selection pressure to downsize cows can be accomplished more effectively. Most beef cattle registries calculate MW EPDs.

The Beef Grand Challenge was launched to ascertain the interaction of genetic and environmental effects, improve production efficiency, and evaluate nutritional benefits of beef raised in differing production environments.

Among the benefits of modern genetic prediction in beef cattle is being able to compare the genetic values of our herd bulls (or AI sires) across time and geography. If we weighed cows this fall and realized our mature cow weights are getting out of hand, we should look at the MW EPDs of the bull (or bulls) that sired them. The registration paper on our herd bulls permits us to look at EPDs of our current (or past) bull battery and use it to guide change in the future.

Excessive MW is typically the result of selection pressure being applied to increase weaning and yearling weights while ignoring the MW EPD value. Because of the positive genetic correlation between weights at all ages, it is an unintended but natural consequence that MW will increase over time when no selection pressure is applied to this trait. If we want less MW in our cow herd, this can be done by selecting bulls with lower MW EPDs in the future.

The body condition scoring (BCS) system is used to assess body energy reserves in beef cows.

A review of genetic trends in beef breeds is informative. Over the past 30 years, we see birth weight EPDs have stayed constant (or in some breeds have gone down), while weaning weight (WW) and yearling weight (YW) have gone up.

The point: Despite those genetic correlations mentioned above, we have improved calving ease, while raising WW and YW over time. The same can be accomplished by including MW among the traits we select for in our breeding program. Bottomline: We don’t need to sacrifice WW or YW to keep MW in check. It is possible to identify sires that can improve the traits we want while decreasing MW.

As we continue to see high temperatures and little rain across the Great Plains states, forage budgeting and planning for supplementation needs are critical. Both are impacted by cow weights and body condition scores.

The consequence over time is that a less mature size results in lower nutritional requirements of our cow herd. As this happens, we see improved cow herd performance. The same amount of forage for the same number of cows with less MW will result in improved pregnancy percentages, percent calf crop weaned, and pounds weaned per exposed female.