Could I feed them vegan?

[JoshTheVegan02]

I am thinking of getting chickens and since I am vegan I will prefer to feed them vegan, vegetarian if I have to but preferably vegan. If you could suggest somewhere that sells the vegan feed in the UK that would also be very helpful, thanks in advance.

 

[Oliver Douglas]

Chickens are opportunistic omnivores, meaning if they can get it in their mouths, down it goes. Lizards, mice...you name it. I am not sure how the "meat" in chicken feed is processed for consumption. If your concern is based on it being "humanely" processed, rather than being unhealthy for your flock, you might want to consider raising something other than chickens...they will clear your property of multiple varmints without a thought as to the well being of their dinner. Not too much empathy on the part of your birds. Given a chance, they will down a bucket of KFC without a thought that grandma might be in the mix...

 

[torilovessmiles]

I just have to throw this out here...

I can't see how chicken keeping can be considered a hobby a vegan could in good conscience have unless you keep an equal amount of roosters and hens since a natural hatch would average 50/50. That usually isn't feasible unless you have enough space to keep the roos separate. Otherwise it would be cruel to the hens and overall miserable for you.

If you only keep hens then it can be said that you are indirectly supporting the destruction of their counterparts. If those roos aren't sold as meat birds, then they are sold to meat rendering facilities for pet food where they don't get raised, not even fed a single meal, but rather go straight to the grinder.

This is a good point. Any sort of chicken breeding leads to at least 90% of males being killed. Even in nature, only the very best males survive to be the leader of the flock and mate the females, and he dies earlier than in captivity because he is the protector of his hens. Then, another strong, young male bird will take his place. Though chickens are domestic, they can live feral and this is how it works with other ground-birds as well (pheasant, turkeys, etc.) A 50/50 ratio is not natural (and cruel for the hens), the way we produce chickens is not natural, and as long as we raise chickens domestically, males will need to be killed. If I were vegan, that wouldn't be something I would want to support.
However, you could adopt some ex-battery hens that need a home. They need a special diet and special care though. They may not free range too well so I don't think feeding them vegan would be advisable...

 

[pdirt]

 
x2 what @cluckcluckluke
said.

Some chicken feeds are mostly vegetarian, but they will get better nutrition if they have some animal protein in their diet. It's very difficult to get all the essential amino acids in the right balance from a vegetarian diet.

Unless you lock your chickens up 24/7 in an insect-screened cage, they will be eating a goodly number of insects. Possibly mice and small snakes, as well. I know some people never let their chickens out, but I think they are so much happier to spend at least a little time free-ranging.

Cats are true carnivores...they will get sick on a vegan diet. Chickens can get by on vegan/vegetarian, but they won't thrive as well.

I don't mind if they eat bugs and insects because that's nature, it's just I just don't feel right feeding them food with meat in because there is nothing natural with the way the meat was produced.

Then you might look into Fertrell fish meal, or feed made with it. As a meat eater myself, I totally hear you on the way most meat is raised. Horrible. But Fertrell fish meal is caught sustainably, cooked, then dried and only preserved with an extract of rosemary oil. It's really the best protein you can get for chickens that isn't raised horribly. Fertrell is based I think on the east coast of the USA, but perhaps they have a distributor in the U.K. Another option is to buy some canned mackerel. At least offer them something like this during winter months, when there isn't much for insects to eat.

Please just ignore the folks harassing you about being vegan. They know not what they do... They are proselytizing their own dogma even though they don't like it done to them, which I didn't see you doing.

 

[keesmom]

Have you tried looking up the ingredients on the different brands of feed available in the UK? The vast majority of feeds in the US do not contain any animal proteins, and in looking I do not see any products that are animal based.

 

[islafarm]

Hi Josh, wonderful that you're offering a home to these 'old' girls . Can you free range them? And what will you do in the winter when English bugs have all but disappeared? Do you have compost piles - that could continue to supply you with some insects. Or have access to manure for some maggot 'farming'?

Fermenting their feed will increase the available protein and give many other benefits too.
If you can grow duckweed it's high in protein and nice healthy greens also.
Raising mealworms or maggots would provide good quality animal protein and still be part of the chickens' natural diet. If you could do it.

My feed lists fish meal as the animal protein, but soy seems to offer more in the way of amino acids.

Do you know what the hens were fed? It might take some time to adjust their diet, and depending on the factory they were in, they might be needing some extra probiotics or dietary support.

Can you get organic / non gmo feed for them? Working with big ag is working with big ag whether it's meat or grains.

I live on a farm but have to keep my birds in an enclosed run, so apart from any unhappy insect that flies in, I'm providing the food. I want them to eat as well as they can. I still buy commercial feed which I ferment, I grow duckweed and azolla for them plus veggies and I raise soldier flies. I can't buy organic or non gmo feed but am trying to source local corn and soy, and growing my own. The main issue I find is the phyto nutrients, the anti nutrients natural in most grains and seeds. Sprouting seems an option, fermenting too.

So my very long winded response to you (apologies) is to ask you to think about where you can get your best nutrition- ideally without
over the counter supplements. Chickens are monogastric omnivores. As are humans (depending).

Eating their eggs sounds good, also grind the shells and offer as a calcium source. Yoghurt would offer calcium, fat, protein and probiotics - though all can be found elsewhere if dairy doesn't work for you.

I think if you are prepared for the responsibility of caring for these creatures you'll find a creative solution that will be a great learning experience too. Free ranging as long as you can would help enormously.

Good luck! Would love to hear what you discover

Ancel

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Maybe it worked for you but egg-eating is almost always a nightmare and many people have had to cull hens that turned violent over it. Also I just don't think its right for them to eat their eggs like that. It's like feeding them their own chicks, just not right. I don't think its good for their mental health if you know what I mean. Its very unnatural.

 

[sourland]

My chickens get raw eggs from a few days after they hatch and until they die. I have never had a hen have issues with others eating her eggs, or her eating her own eggs. Seven clutches have been broody hatched this year, I know what I am talking about.

You've been lucky whether 'you know what you're talking about" or not.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

You know I was thinking...

"Vegan" is a good marketing point and people will pay extra for it, so why is this organic feed that is only plants not calling themselves that?

And then I realized, because they use bone meal and blood, etc. to fertilize the crops in the feed.

I am afraid this feed is not as vegan as you were hoping. If it were the company would label themselves as such.

 

[shortgrass]

Depending on supply, you could always mix your own protein ratios with combinations of different grains and legumes... I grow certified organic crops, so it is hard to find OMRI, I can imagine vegan would be a headache lol...

Alfalfa, excellent protien; wheat, they love it and its good digestible fiber; rye can give them copper and other trace elements... Iron and calcium in kale or brassicas; legumes can provide better protein that's more digestible, IMHO... Soy, if you can find certified organic seed, is great to grow on your own; so are winter peas and grains, even in a small yard

But remember, just because something is organic, doesn't mean vegan ; I'm sure you know that Could try seaweed meal or safflower meal, oat grass etc...

Create a recipe of your own! I have so much fun mixing it up; and the chooks are some if the fattest sleekest chooks I've had, if I do say

I snagged a PDF for ya
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...YQYBqc&usg=AFQjCNEEGaLaEEEyrYjoPhmSldIYkFUSBQ

Oh and...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...YQYBqc&usg=AFQjCNFA2l5zZlz71uumgr5oaQ6Anmgjng