How do I roast raw soybeans for feed?

[fisher39]

What's an easy way to roast the soybeans before I give them to my chickens? Can I just put them into a huge pot and boil them, and if so, for how long? Would that be enough for same consumption by the chickens?

Thanks!

 

[Celtic Chick]

Preparing Soybeans
When hens stop laying in the Fall, many just attribute it to a natural slow-down that cannot be avoided. But we've found that the simple addition of boiled soybeans to their diet restored cold-weather laying to full capacity throughout the entire Winter. This may be due to the fact that as the weather cools, insects disappear, so the hens' protein is not being well-supplied. Soybeans provide this protein. Furthermore, soybeans perfectly complement the large amount of grains that the hens consume, making a complete protein in the diet. About 10 hens will eat around 2/3rds of a cup of prepared soybeans per day.

(1) Soak dried soybeans (start with perhaps 2 cups of dried beans for 10 hens) overnight in several times their depth of water.

(2) Next day, bring to full boil (in the soaking water, to save vitamins), then slow boil for 15 minutes with cover on loosely.

(3) Dump beans into a strainer to cool.

(4) When cool, put into refrigerator.

This makes enough for a few days of feeding. Either scatter in front of birds, or give in a dish and let them chow down.
We like to give a "catered" protein feed every few days that our chickens love. It is a special time to talk to the gals and build that rapport that makes for fun farming. We mix boiled soybeans with a few sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, some dry instant oats, and a bit of milk. Use about 1 cup of this special feed per fifteen hens for a protein and "TLC" addition to your gals' lives.

NOTE: The trypsin in all beans is toxic to the lining of the birds' intestines. It can scar their intestines, making them less able to absorb their food. Any beans fed to chickens need to be at 180 degrees for 15 minutes to destroy the trypsin . Keeping the soybeans at or above 180 degress F for 15 minutes destroys the trypsin. The best way to do this is by boiling.

Soybeans can also be dry-roasted (no soaking), at around 250 degrees. But this is more cumbersome and less certain of destroying the trypsin, as the beans in the oven must be continually turned to insure that all the beans are reaching the 180-degree temperature.

http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

 

[fisher39]

Great, thank you very much! Pretty straight forward!

 

[Chris09]

Preheat an oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread two cups of soybeans on a baking sheet.
Roast the soybeans in the oven for 15 minutes. Open the oven and shake the pan. Close the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove the beans from the oven. Allow them to cool and store them in a closable container.

Chris

 

[fisher39]

Chris: Sounds like a good method, too, but 2 cups is a very small amount. I was thinking that I can just boil enough soybeans in a huge water bath canning pot to last me for at least a month at a time.

Thanks.

 

[sparrker]

Are we talking combined soybeans right out of the field. Just wondering because that is one of the crops we grow and harvest.
Patti

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
You can roast more at one time if you want, If your going to making enough for a month I would roast them.

Chris

 

[teach1rusl]

So glad I saw this! DH was just talking with me today about buying soybeans from a friend of his (and planting our own next year) to give our girls this winter. I didn't even know that they HAD to be prepared first... so now I know boil or bake. Thanks Celtic and Chris!

 

[teach1rusl]

We got a bag of leftover soybeans from a friend of DH's - they're floor leavings. I'm gonna give the roasting a shot, and mix with BOSS (and some cracked corn, since we grew feed corn this year). I figure it'll be a more nutritious treat than the scratch I usually toss out for them...

 

[Celtic Chick]

To anyone attempting or thinking of attempting to roast your soybeans, PLEASE be aware of the following important information:
NOTE: The trypsin in all beans is toxic to the lining of the birds' intestines. It can scar their intestines, making them less able to absorb their food. Any beans fed to chickens need to be at 180 degrees for a minimum of 15 minutes to destroy the trypsin . Keeping the soybeans at or above 180 degress F for 15 minutes destroys the trypsin. The best way to do this is by boiling.

Soybeans can also be dry-roasted (no soaking), at around 250 degrees. But this is more cumbersome and less certain of destroying the trypsin, as the beans in the oven must be continually turned to insure that all the beans are reaching the 180-degree temperature.

http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

Good luck and take care.