How to Feed Chickens Watermelon

Watermelon is not just for humans. Chickens love both the raw flesh and dried rind. They will eat entire pieces of the fruit, or will pick off the remaining flesh from your leftovers. The fruit flesh hydrates them, while the ground up, dried rind can replace up to 20% of the regular feed.

Things You'll Need

  • Knife
  • Cardboard box, paper bag
  • Food processor
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Instructions

  1. Raw Flesh

    • 1

      Lay the watermelon(s) on a flat surface and cut in half.

    • 2

      Cut each half into quarters.

    • 3

      Place the quarters across the chicken feeding area, evenly dispersed so every bird gets a chance to eat.

    Dry Rind

    • 4

      Fill a large pot with clean water and bring it to a boil.

    • 5

      Place the rinds in the pot and boil them until they are soft, or for about 30 minutes.

    • 6

      Cut open a cardboard box or a paper bag. Lay the rinds on it in the sun.

    • 7

      Place the rinds in a food processor when they are completely dry. Grind them until the pieces are roughly the size of the chicken feed you use.

    • 8

      Mix the rind into the chicken feed at a maximum ratio of 20 percent rind to 80 percent feed. Feed this mixture to the chickens as you would normally.