iN PHOTOS: Farm animals love donated pumpkins in Okanagan, Kamloops

Halloween is over and animals on local farms in the Okanagan and Kamloops are having fun gobbling up discarded jack-o-lanterns.

Instead of sending pumpkins to landfills, residents can give them a second life as delicious treats for goats, sheep, cows, pigs and chickens.

“It helps keep the costs down, it’s expensive nowadays with prices going up,” said owner at Golden Fox Acres in Lumby, Norma Bouzek.

“Everything helps, and it’s better for the animals to have regular food along with the hay, which is also expensive.”

The small hobby farm in Lumby has dwarf goats, horses, pigs, cows and birds, and offers farm visits by appointment.

This year Bouzek received a trailer full of donated pumpkins and the animals have been going hog wild eating them. Pumpkins are nutritious and provide enriching play for many animals.

“Most of our animals eat pumpkins and it’s quite funny to watch them. They’ll get their snouts right into them, it’s really cute,” Bouzek said. “It makes people smile and everyone loves seeing the pictures after.”

Donated pumpkins cannot have wax, paint, glitter or decorations on them and arrangements should be made with a farm before donating.

Bouzek has a bin at the end of her driveway for collecting donations which in the fall include gourds, root vegetables and windfall apples.

“We have people that give us fruits and veggies that are not good enough for human consumption but are still good for animals,” Bouzek said. “It’s very much appreciated.”

Go here to contact Gold Fox Acres with donations or visit requests.