Could I feed them vegan?

[Free Feather]

The only thing with feeding them their own eggs is you would need to scramble them first. Otherwise if a hen goes broody the others will attack her for it and you would have a bloody mess. Encouraging them to eat their own raw eggs is not good- would you encourage them to eat their own chicks for protein? No. So make sure you scramble the eggs first.

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.

 

[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.

 

[Free Feather]

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.

Yeah, I think it is unnatural, but people do LOTS of other things that are unnatural with and to chickens, and they seem to really like their eggs, so I do it since I have production breeds who lay too many eggs than what is good for them. If I had mostly game breeds I probably would not do it as much.

 

[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.

 

[islafarm]

A good thought, but you wouldn't know for sure without further research.

Organic bonemeal and blood may be hard to source for fertilizer, might be cheaper and easier to use lime and minerals. Depends also on the soil in which the ingredients were grown, which amendments they would need. I know nothing about growing grain,

If it's all certified organic then the company might be able to tell you the fertilizer used?

I agree that vegan is a big selling point (I sell at a farmers market and it's one of the most common questions I hear), but don't know that vegan chicken food would be so hot. Plant based yes. Do supermarkets sell vegan raised eggs? If they do, then vegan chicken food seems like a possible marketing strategy.

You might be still ok Josh. Good luck!

 

[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

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I really doubt the feed is vegan. It's like assuming food is organic just because you don't see chemicals, or gluten-free just because you don't see wheat listed in the ingredients. It's a bad and dangerous assumption to make. Businesses do things the easiest, most profitable way possible. If they put extra effort into sourcing special ingredients, they want their money back (and rightly so!). If the feed was vegan it would be labeled vegan. The chances of it being vegan but not labeled such is about zero in my opinion. If I were vegan I would not risk it, but that is up to the OP. Mixing your own sounds best, that way you know for certain that it is animal-free feed. I have been unable to find any vegan chicken feed recipes, so you will need to formulate it yourself. You'll need to keep a close eye on your hens because mixing feed and trying a new recipe is always risky.

Good luck!

 

[shortgrass]

I should have read the previous posts more thoroughly

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.

Spot on. Organic crops mean ORGANIC, not vegan. Crops still get OMRI blood/ bone meal, guano(bat poo), urea can very easily be from animal manure... Feather meal, crabmeal, greensand is a mineral mined from decayed ocean life, vermicompost(worm poo).. I could go on...but... You get the point. Sourcing grain that's ORGANIC may be easy, but vegan, you're probably going to have to grow your own

A good thought, but you wouldn't know for sure without further research.

Organic bonemeal and blood may be hard to source for fertilizer, might be cheaper and easier to use lime and minerals. Depends also on the soil in which the ingredients were grown, which amendments they would need. I know nothing about growing grain,

If it's all certified organic then the company might be able to tell you the fertilizer used?

I agree that vegan is a big selling point (I sell at a farmers market and it's one of the most common questions I hear), but don't know that vegan chicken food would be so hot. Plant based yes. Do supermarkets sell vegan raised eggs? If they do, then vegan chicken food seems like a possible marketing strategy.

You might be still ok Josh. Good luck!

And yes, I have seen eggs labeled "vegan" in the markets...the only cway this is HONESTY achievable is if you confine a chicken 100% of the time, because they eat INSECTS

Leads me to believe those "free range vegsn" eggs are um...not so honest in the marketing tactic.... But they are not CERTIFIED vegan, just labelled that way

Sneaky marketing

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Is diatomacous earth considered vegan? Its made from fossils. It is included in some feed recipes.