SHAVERTOWN, Pa. — Life at Hillside Farms is pretty sunny for Pua the Pig, but as the temperatures change, the farm is looking for leftover pumpkins to feed its animals.
"She's an absolute star," said the barn manager, Laura Murphy.
The days filled with sunbathing and scratches will get even better for Pua as the fall weather approaches.
"They love it cause then they get their treats probably until December," said Murphy,
The passing of Pua's favorite holiday, Halloween, marks the start of pumpkins for pigs at the Lands at Hillside farms in the Back Mountain. The donation drive asks anyone to drop off carved or whole pumpkins for the resident pigs to munch on at the farm.
"We have people come out, and they can drop off their old pumpkins, whether they're whole pumpkins or carved. We just ask for no paint, wax, hairspray to maintain them. Anything like that," said Muprhy.
The farm asks people to drop off pumpkins at the administration building, free of paint or other harmful materials. All those abandoned jack-o-lanterns become quite the gourmet meal for the pigs.
However, it won't just be the pigs who will be pigging out. The cattle also get to chow down.
"They get very specific meals every day, but pumpkin is really good for their gut health. So we can give them a bunch. They love ripping through it as a form of enrichment. It's really great for them," said Murphy.
Hillside already has a trailer out for those looking to gift their gourds. The farm says this decade-long donation program is part of its sustainability efforts.
"We like to provide an option that doesn't have anything end up in a landfill that doesn't have to," she added.
And Pua will happily take any leftovers.