Feelings on Soy Free Feed?

[newchick13]

Just wondering what thoughts there are on using Soy Free Feeds. I am getting ready to get more food for my chickens, and I have heard that for those who are sensitive to soy in their diet, soy in chicken feed gets into the eggs too.

I just watched Food,Inc...I'd really like to stay away from any GMO products...scary stuff. Not only is the product questionable, but the big agri-business is detrimental to the small farmers we should be supporting.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Soy-free feeds are hard to come by and from what I've been reading GOOD soy-free feeds are harder still to find.

I don't personally see the need myself, but I'm willing to say I don't know if the allergenic proteins in soy can pass through into the egg or not. I'm inclined to doubt it, but am willing to be proved wrong.

Keep in mind that Food inc. is trying to sell you something and what they are presenting is not necessarily the whole truth.

 

[saladin]

I'm in agreement with AT.

Will only add the following:

The protein in Chicken feed has got to come from somewhere. The only way you can naturally boost protein in most feeds for chickens above 11-12% is with soy or animal protein. I prefer the animal protein myself.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Don't believe everything you see in a movie. They've got their own agenda.

I'm a farmer and big ag is not necessarily a bad thing. People who make scare movies like Food Inc. would like those who know nothing about agriculture to think it is.

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
If you aren't allergic to soy and want to stay away from GMO, how about just buying organic feed? Most still have soy, but not Roundup Ready GMO Soy (unless the seed got cross pollinated by GMO soy accidentally.)

I have bought both Soy free organic feed and organic feeds w/soy. The only difference I have noticed for my family and flock is Soyfree feeds are about $2 more/ #50 bag. There is less demand for soyfree feeds, so make sure to check the mill date on the tag to verify the feed isn't too old before buying.

 

[elmo]

I started my first batch of 5 chicks on a soy based feed. I was brooding them in a corner of our den, and small as they were and even cleaning the brooder three or four times a day, there was a definite odor.

When my first bag of soy free feed arrived, it only took a few days for the difference to be noticeable. The chickeny smell just went away.

Now, I can't swear that the soy itself was the culprit. It might have had to do with the general quality and digestibility of the feed. The feed I use is Countryside Organics, and it's expensive to have it direct shipped but I judge the extra expense worthwhile for my small backyard lock. Not only is there no chicken B.O., but the droppings (other than cecal poops) don't stink, either.

 

[vjbakke]

We are on our 2nd bag of soy free feed. We buy it from Azure standard. We stay away from soy for many reasons. So far we are having very nice results from it. Took some time to get the girls to like the pellets. They are laying like crazy. Almost all 4 of the RSL girls lay an egg a day and our 2 doms lay about 4 eggs a week give or take. Do your research and make the right choice for you and your family ( chickens included

)

 

[Nambroth]

Quote:
I have experienced this too. I do not know if it's the feed overall, the lack of soy, or another factor that I am overlooking, but my chickens have never had an odor and I've had people remark in surprise to that fact (maybe they are used to poorly kept fowl??). When I had one of my pullets in to the vet last month she told me she was the best smelling chicken she'd ever met, and she meets a lot of chickens. I thought that was an interesting thing to say! I am feeding soy-free for other reasons but if this is indeed a side effect, it is a welcome one...

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
I have experienced this too. I do not know if it's the feed overall, the lack of soy, or another factor that I am overlooking, but my chickens have never had an odor and I've had people remark in surprise to that fact (maybe they are used to poorly kept fowl??). When I had one of my pullets in to the vet last month she told me she was the best smelling chicken she'd ever met, and she meets a lot of chickens. I thought that was an interesting thing to say! I am feeding soy-free for other reasons but if this is indeed a side effect, it is a welcome one...

Okay, so now I am going to have to go out and "smell"

chickens; the food they are on this month is soyfree.

 

[manaze88]

I know this post is a little old, but thought I would share something that I had sent to someone else about soy-free eggs. There is no doubt that there is soy in eggs. What you do with that information is up to you, but if you have an allergy, it's good to know that you might not be allergic to eggs, rather the soy protein that's in the eggs (and chicken meat).

Regarding the soy in eggs, this is a good/short reference that I keep handy:

http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi/Vargas Galdos Dante Miguel Marcial.pdf?osu1236706764

The study was done to show the benefits of soy in a chickens diet. Not only does the soy protein end up in the egg, itself, but it also ends up in the meat of the chicken. So, depending on your level of allergy to soy, you may or may not react to commercial eggs or chicken. On top of that, if your allergy is not as severe as that of others, you may inadvertently ingest soy on a regular basis, which over a long period, could have cumulative effects on your health.

Using that article as a starting point for myself, I've done quite a bit of searching to find answers about the same for gluten. So far, as I have found, the gluten proteins are broken down, and do not have an impact on the eggs/chicken (or those that eat them). For myself, I found a local farm that advertised free-range/soy-free eggs, and I gave them a shot. I can tell you that I do not have a reaction to those eggs, but do have a reaction to commercial (store-bought) eggs. I even have reactions to products that contain egg in them.

When I started doing all the research, early this year, I made up my mind to get my own chickens if it turned out I could still eat eggs. As a vegetarian, the eggs are a good source of protein, and if I could control what the chickens eat, then I could have a better grasp on actually controlling what I eat!

With regard to organic, that's a personal preference of mine, most of what I eat is organic. I feel like I'll actually be eating organic eggs if I can actually feed them organic food. It just so happens that the company I found that sells the soy-free feed makes it with organic ingredients.






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Patience is a virtue...
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