Debate on food, free range and egg quality...

[saysfaa]

...are there any types of leaves to stay away from?

Walnut in large quantities, maybe, if you want to spread the used bedding on your garden. Tomatoes are particularly sensitive. The leaves don't have as much effect as the roots of the walnut trees but if you have other options you may as well choose them instead.

 

[TooCheep]

I saved a bunch of watermelon last year and froze it. Knowing that I would have chickens this year. They gobble it up as it thaws. They dig the mulberries too.

Mulberries are excellent forage. I have a couple of mulberries behind my back fence that drop a fair percentage into my backyard and it provides nice feed for 6+ weeks of the year.

And for all the respect I have for U_Stormcrow's knowledge on feed, I definitely understand avoiding soy. Some people that are sensitive to soy do much better when fed soy-free eggs. It is far higher in phytoestrogens than the other plants he's listed and glyphosphate is sprayed on them to dry them in addition to being used for weed control during grow season.

 

[3KillerBs]

glyphosphate is sprayed on them to dry them

This is not true.

They dry naturally in the proper time when the beans have reached full size. There would be no profit in killing them before the beans have matured and grown to their maximum size and weight.

 

[Brooks_]

This is not true.

They dry naturally in the proper time when the beans have reached full size. There would be no profit in killing them before the beans have matured and grown to their maximum size and weight.

As Devil's advocate, could spraying speed the process at the proper time?

 

[TooCheep]

Walnut in large quantities, maybe, if you want to spread the used bedding on your garden. Tomatoes are particularly sensitive. The leaves don't have as much effect as the roots of the walnut trees but if you have other options you may as well choose them instead.

Not sure, but it is possible. Walnuts have a chemical (juglone) that suppresses competing plants in the area where the leaves fall. I doubt (but do not have experience) that it would harm the garden.
From Iowa State University:

Walnut leaves can be composted because the juglone toxin breaks down when exposed to air, water and bacteria. The toxic effect can be degraded in two to four weeks.

 

[3KillerBs]

As Devil's advocate, could spraying speed the process at the proper time?

As long as the plant is green the beans are still growing and maturing. Killing the plant prematurely would serve no purpose.

The fields *seem* to die overnight but that's because the seed is bred to mature at the same time -- just like the determinate tomato varieties all bear their fruit at the same time.

 

[Badchickenpun]

Not sure, but it is possible. Walnuts have a chemical (juglone) that suppresses competing plants in the area where the leaves fall. I doubt (but do not have experience) that it would harm the garden.

I knew this was true for the roots. but I hadn't heard this about the leaves. Supposedly all nut bearing trees do this, but for some reason Black Walnut is a much worse offender.

 

[TooCheep]

This is not true.

They dry naturally in the proper time when the beans have reached full size. There would be no profit in killing them before the beans have matured and grown to their maximum size and weight.

I was imprecise in my wording- the glyphosphate is used to desiccate the plants pre-harvest, not on the harvested beans.

I've read this in multiple places.
Kelloggs has agreed to phase out this practice among their suppliers by 2025.

 

[Brooks_]

As long as the plant is green the beans are still growing and maturing. Killing the plant prematurely would serve no purpose.

The fields *seem* to die overnight but that's because the seed is bred to mature at the same time -- just like the determinate tomato varieties all bear their fruit at the same time.

I get that, but if killing off/harvesting at 85% maturity allows for a second planting to be harvested at 60 %, that's a gain?

Admittedly, I know nothing about soy.

 

[Krugerrand]

How much of the feed do you eat? Or, in your research, how much of it transfers to the eggs/meat?

I sure wish I had time to do more research into this. Instead, I rely on nutrition resources that I have found to be the most reliable over the years. (Sadly, I don't even follow those as closely as I would like. ) Then, there are sources of which I am highly dubious. Key factors I use to make those decisions include how accurate they are over time and how susceptible they are to external monetary influences.

Because I haven't done the research beyond that, it's not really fare to those I trust or distrust to call them out. But, where it leaves me is avoiding exposure to glyphosate as much as possible. Reducing consumption of processed foods. Avoiding personal consumption of seed oils. I have other things I hope to do in the future ... but, alas life requires that we prioritize our choices.

I have a tremendous respect for the research and knowledge that @U_Stormcrow has for chicken nutrition and thus indirectly for human nutrition and have been relying on U_S's feed posts to make feed decisions for my hens. (mainly switching from layer feed to all-flock feed). At the same time, I would really like to find that in an organic feed, and as of yet have not found it locally.