Corn and Soy free......?

[DeannaOR]

I am feeding corn and soy free chicken feed, but I realized that as educated as I am about dog and cat nutrition...I know little about chicken and turkey nutrition. So my question is, are people wanting to avoid soy and corn in chicken feed for nutritional reasons? or does it have more to do with political/economic reasons?

 

[Chris09]

I am feeding corn and soy free chicken feed, but I realized that as educated as I am about dog and cat nutrition...I know little about chicken and turkey nutrition. So my question is, are people wanting to avoid soy and corn in chicken feed for nutritional reasons? or does it have more to do with political/economic reasons?

Most people have a Political reason more than anything.

I have no problem using corn or soy.
.

Chris

 

[Leahs Mom]

For me it is nutrition reasons.

A huge percentage of soy & corn grown in the US is Genetically modified (GMO). There is a whole lot of information regarding the dangers of GMO foods out there if you look. The mercola.com website has a lot of that information with links to studies done on the effects of GMO items on health. Go to the site and search for genetically modified or GMO and there are many footnoted articles.

I don't believe corn is bad for chickens - just be careful that it is not genetically modified.

That being said, soy is one of those things that, it seems, was never meant for consumption unless it is fermented. It is not healthy for you or for animals. However the US has an abundance of it and has to do something with it. It ends up being presented as a health food but has had some pretty devestating effects on health all around.

You can read about soy in The Whole Soy Story. http://www.amazon.com/The-Whole-Soy...9751/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338074898&sr=8-1

As far as feeding soy to chickens, it is NOT a food that they would choose to eat on their own. I have even read of folks that grew several grain crops and some soy alongside for their chickens and try as they might, they couldn't get the chickens to eat even the soy plants let alone the beans. If you'll notice, feed that has soy in it always has "roasted soy" rather than raw. That is because it causes nutritional problems in it's raw state (if you could even get a chicken to eat it). It has to be roasted to make it somewhat useable nutritionally.

Now...when was the last time you saw a group of wild chickens sitting around a campfire roasting soybeans? (I just had to say that....quite a picture, huh?)

I know I didn't footnote any of my statements but I encourage you to do a bit of a study on the effects of soy on humans. As a quick reference, the mercola.com website has lots of links to articles and studies on soy as well.

 

[DeannaOR]

Now...when was the last time you saw a group of wild chickens sitting around a campfire roasting soybeans? (I just had to say that....quite a picture, huh?)

Thank you Leah...I avoid soy for myself and I would never feed it to my dogs or cats (they eat a raw diet), but there are things in the organic, soy and corn free feeds that I asked myself the same question you pose..."would this be a natural part of their diet?". Like fish meal. I have the same issue with commercial feeds for horses. In fact one of the ingredients they use in those is chicken egg. My horse would never seek out and eat chicken eggs!

I frequently say to people regarding their dogs... "when was the last time you saw a dog grazing in a wheat or corn field?" and.... "dogs do not catch their prey and line up in front of a grill master in the woods at 10 am and 5pm to have that rabbit they caught cooked before they eat it."
(this is usually a conversation about why I do not feed them grains, why I feed raw uncooked foods and why I don't feed on a schedule)

Thank you for the links..I already read Mercola frequently, but I will check out the other.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

During those cold weeks of winter, some cracked corn goes a long ways towards keeping your girls warm if fed just before they hit the roost at night.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Here are a couple other links you might be like taking a look at:
(I just found this web site after reading a review of the author's book which I decided to buy but haven't gotten yet. There are overview articles on the web site and I think I'm going to like the book!)

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Making-Poultry-Feeds-2.html

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding-Rebuttal.html

Here is link that had some short video clips from the author. They are very short teaser clips regarding what's in the book. When I watched the clips, I just enjoyed the guy's demeanor and common-sense approach.

This one was on feed:

http://www.chelseagreen.com/tv/episode/5717669/

This on has several video clips on the right hand colum with various topics:
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_smallscale_poultry_flock

 

[Clay Mudd]

Here are a couple other links you might be like taking a look at:
(I just found this web site after reading a review of the author's book which I decided to buy but haven't gotten yet. There are overview articles on the web site and I think I'm going to like the book!)

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Making-Poultry-Feeds-2.html

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Feeding-Rebuttal.html

Here is link that had some short video clips from the author. They are very short teaser clips regarding what's in the book. When I watched the clips, I just enjoyed the guy's demeanor and common-sense approach.

This one was on feed:

http://www.chelseagreen.com/tv/episode/5717669/

This on has several video clips on the right hand colum with various topics:
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_smallscale_poultry_flock

You're going to love the book. It's probably the best single chicken-related investment I've made.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Harvey Ussery's book, "The Small-Scale Poultry Flock" is simply one of the best informational books on maintaining poultry that I have ever read. I ordered his book from Amazon and I have read it cover to cover twice. His methods and his grounded approach to raising poultry is essentially symbiotic with the land. I have people often ask me about keeping poultry and I have started telling people, "This is a must have publication if you want to keep poultry and do it right." I wish that I had kept a list of all those people that I have spoken with, so that I could drop them a line and say here's a publication that goes beyond what I have ever read in any other text.

 

[Nambroth]

I am feeding corn and soy free chicken feed, but I realized that as educated as I am about dog and cat nutrition...I know little about chicken and turkey nutrition. So my question is, are people wanting to avoid soy and corn in chicken feed for nutritional reasons? or does it have more to do with political/economic reasons?

I think that people avoid it for ALL reasons mentioned above, and your answer will vary depending on who you talk to.

Now, I as a person do not like soy. That said, I don't think soy is evil! I just think that feeding it as a major part of their food ration every day is much different than eating it on occasion. In general, soy is in chicken feed to provide protein and sometimes in the forms of other by-products, fillers, etc. If you can provide a feed with quality protein without the soy, you aren't missing out on anything. Essentially what I am trying to say is that beyond protein (and, as a disclaimer, proteins can be complicated in the forms they come in and the way the body uses them), according to my research, soy provides no benefit.

I also avoid soy for environmental reasons, however I should be clear that even if I did not, I'd still prefer to avoid it for the above reasons.

GMO concerns are another issue entirely, and are a completely personal choice!

Feeding, and food, are complicated things and are deeply personal. As long as you research as best you are able, and do what you feel is right, then don't let anyone get you down no matter what your choice.

 

[DeannaOR]

I think that people avoid it for ALL reasons mentioned above, and your answer will vary depending on who you talk to.

Now, I as a person do not like soy. That said, I don't think soy is evil! I just think that there is a big difference between feeding it as a major part of their food ration every day is much different than eating it on occasion. In general, soy is in chicken feed to provide protein and sometimes in the forms of other by-products, fillers, etc. If you can provide a feed with quality protein without the soy, you aren't missing out on anything. Essentially what I am trying to say is that beyond protein (and, as a disclaimer, proteins can be complicated in the forms they come in and the way the body uses them), according to my research, soy provides no benefit.

I also avoid soy for environmental reasons, however I should be clear that even if I did not, I'd still prefer to avoid it for the above reasons.

GMO concerns are another issue entirely, and are a completely personal choice!

Feeding, and food, are complicated things and are deeply personal. As long as you research as best you are able, and do what you feel is right, then don't let anyone get you down no matter what your choice.

Thank you Nambroth,

I'll be sticking with the food I have, it's corn and soy free, local and small. I just wondered what the majority of the reason was for. I see ads on CL in my area a lot asking for eggs from corn and soy free fed chickens. I'll continue to research and learn. I found a locally made scratch for them that is corn free and they go crazy for it. More than for the sunflower seeds. Even my turkey likes it..and he doesn't even touch the sunflower seeds.