If chickens are omnivores, why is every chicken feed totally vegetarian?

[centrarchid]

On a small scale, probably not. I can not match the commercial feed even when making lots of 500 lb each. The small amounts of expensive stuff you order in lots far larger than you need is what gets me.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, free range is not an option where I live. While there is a strong movement for people to eat vegetarian, (mostly in big cities, not country folk), ultimately they need animal based protien. Vegetable sources of protien don't contain all the amino acids and DHA form of Omega 3 that we need. But we force feed our non-free range chickens to become vegetarians despite thier natural inclination to eat meat, (bugs, mice, fish, etc.)

Even if you can't free range you can still attract things like worms to your chicken run by tossing your compostable vegetable scraps, leaf and grass litter, etc into the run. Mine just get dried mealworms as a treat, otherwise all the animal protein they get is whatever they can catch in the run. I'm always amazed at the amount of worms and bugs that crawl or fly into there for the chickens to eat.

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

Glenda Heywood
Soy Free Diets For Poultry
James Hermes, OSU Extension Poultry Specialist
Publish Date: Summer 2010
VolNo: Vol. V No. 3
In recent years, there has been interest by small scale poultry producers to not feed soybean meal to their chickens. The reasoning behind this trend varies but most producers have health concerns regarding soy for both their birds and humans eating poultry products, meat and eggs, from birds fed soy. In addition, there is concern that most soy produced in the US is a “genetically modified organism” (GMO); most soy has been genetically manipulated so that it is resistant to Roundup, a widely used herbicide. And finally, many are concerned that soy is not locally grown, most is grown in the Midwest and transported to the Pacific Northwest by rail car. This is of particular concern for those who consider themselves “localvores”, individual that prefer to only consume products produced close to home.
Why is soybean meal a major ingredient in poultry feed (about 30%)? For decades, soy has been known to be an excellent feed ingredient for poultry and other livestock; this is why it will be produced at levels expected to exceed 3.5 billion bushels in 2010. It is a high protein feedstuff (>45% crude protein) and it contains high levels of linoleic acid, an essential nutrient that is required in animal diets. Since it is so useful and available, the poultry industry has little interest in finding alternatives. Therefore there has not been a lot of work on other ingredients that may be adequate substitutes for soy. The question then arises, what is an adequate substitute.
First, an adequate substitute must have an adequate supply, have the proper nutrient levels and be affordable. So, what is available in the Pacific Northwest that is an adequate soy substitute?
In the past, animal products such as, fish meal, meat meal, meat and bone meal, blood meal, and poultry by-product meal have been used successfully in poultry diets. They are all high in protein and other nutrients; however, the supply has been reduced in recent years because feed mills that make feed for ruminant animals, cattle and sheep, can no longer use these products due to the potential of “Mad-Cow disease. Poultry are unaffected by this problem. Other issues with animal products include food safety and the potential of receiving contaminated product. And finally, organic production doesn’t allow the use of animal products in diets.
Cereal Grains
Cereal grains are typically low in protein, between 7% and 12%, and generally high in fiber. The energy level (starch) varies from very low (oats) to quite high (corn). Some cereal grains such as wheat and barley contain compounds that are not well digested by poultry and may need supplemental enzymes added to the feed to aid digestion if fed in levels above 10 or 20% in the diet.
Legume grains
This group includes the dry beans, peas, and lentils. Since soy is a legume these would appear to be an obvious choice. However, compounds including, tannins, oligosaccharides, and enzyme inhibitors that are found at high levels in most of these grains severely affect growth in poultry, especially in beans, with peas providing adequate growth at 30% in the diet or less. Since soy is processed with heat, these compounds are virtually eliminated as a problem. So with some processing, beans and peas may become a useable ingredient, more work is needed.
Other
Canola and Camilina, are relativelyPoultry new as a poultry feed ingredient but show some promise, however they are not without problems too. They are related to mustard and cabbage and as such they include compounds that can cause problems when fed to poultry. Canola, when fed at amount higher that about 10% in the diet, cause eggs produced by many brown egg layers to smell and taste fishy, and Camilina has a similar property and is only approved to be fed to broiler chickens as a level of less that 10%.
Conclusion
Poultry feeding is heavily dependent on soy as an ingredient. It will take some time to identify adequate substitutes that are locally produced and will support poultry growth and egg production. Unlike ruminants, which can thrive on forages, poultry require a balanced diet. Therefore, poultry diets must contain proper ingredients at the proper levels for productive chickens.
.

Soy Free Diets For Poultry | Small Farms Programs
n recent years, there has been interest by small scale poultry producers to not feed soybean meal to their chickens. The reasoning behind this trend varies but most producers have health concerns regarding soy for both their birds and humans eating poultry products, meat and eggs, from birds fed soy...
smallfarms.oregonstate.edu

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

Glenda Heywood

In the past, animal products such as, fish meal, meat meal, meat and bone meal, blood meal, and poultry by-product meal have been used successfully in poultry diets. They are all high in protein and other nutrients; however, the supply has been reduced in recent years because feed mills that make feed for ruminant animals, cattle and sheep, can no longer use these products due to the potential of “Mad-Cow disease

Poultry are unaffected by this problem. Other issues with animal products include food safety and the potential of receiving contaminated product. And finally, organic production doesn’t allow the use of animal products in diets.
Cereal Grains

 

[Ridgerunner]

Glenda Heywood

In the past, animal products such as, fish meal, meat meal, meat and bone meal, blood meal, and poultry by-product meal have been used successfully in poultry diets. They are all high in protein and other nutrients; however, the supply has been reduced in recent years because feed mills that make feed for ruminant animals, cattle and sheep, can no longer use these products due to the potential of “Mad-Cow disease

Poultry are unaffected by this problem. Other issues with animal products include food safety and the potential of receiving contaminated product. And finally, organic production doesn’t allow the use of animal products in diets.
Cereal Grains

Sorry, that is wrong. I’ll copy the organic requirements and a link for those that don’t believe me. Slaughter byproducts are not allowed. As long as they are not slaughter byproducts, animal products are allowed.

Feed used for organic poultry production must not contain:
1.Animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth;
2.Feed supplements or additives in amounts above those needed for adequate nutrition and health maintenance;
3.Plastic feed pellets;
4.Urea or manure;
5.Mammalian or poultry slaughter byproducts fed to mammals or poultry;
6.Feed, additives, or supplements in violation of the Food and Drug Administration; or
7.Feed or forage to which any antibiotic, including ionophores, has been added.

http://articles.extension.org/pages/69041/requirements-for-organic-poultry-production

 

[mobius]

My organic feed for chickens has fish meal and crab meal in it.

Also it is corn and soy free. The first three ingredients are kamut wheat, barley and peas.

 

[tuner06]

I buy live cricket's for them and I use new country Organic s feed that fish meal in it.

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

Glenda Heywood
.upon reading the requirements for USA

Requirements for Organic Poultry Production

Organic Agriculture August 27, 2013

http://articles.extension.org/pages/69041/requirements-for-organic-poultry-production
You can read the article in full
Pleasenote the following

1) FDA-approved trace minerals and vitamins are allowed in poultry rations, so long as they are not derived from slaughter byproducts and do not contain any genetically engineered ingredients, which are referred to as "excluded methods" in the NOP Final Rule. No synthetic colorings, flavorings, dust suppressants, or flowing agents are allowed, since none appear on the National List

(2)
Feed used for organic poultry production must not contain:

1. Animal drugs, including hormones, to promote growth;
2. Feed supplements or additives in amounts above those needed for adequate nutrition and health maintenance;
3. Plastic feed pellets;
4. Urea or manure;
5. Mammalian or poultry slaughter byproducts fed to mammals or poultry;
6. Feed, additives, or supplements in violation of the Food and Drug Administration; or
7. Feed or forage to which any antibiotic, including ionophores, has been added.
9. Thus my original post so stated the reason for not using meat by products etc.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

My girls get a can of salmon every sunday, and meat scrapes. They loved cooked ground turkey.

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

Glenda Heywood
I put in browser this title

IE: Ingrdients in chicken feed from dead byproducts cattle slaughter houses 2017

I came up with these topics

(1)
Common Feed Ingredients in Poultry Diets - eXtension

articles.extension.org/.../common-feed-ingredients-in-poultry-diets
Common Feed Ingredients in Poultry ... within the poultry house. Barley is commonly used in poultry diets in ... for meat consumption; Feed ingredients;

(2)[PDF]
Animal Proteins Prohibited in Ruminant Feed Cattle ...

agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalFeed/Publications/ProhibMatDefs.pdf
Animal Proteins Prohibited in Ruminant Feed & ... labeled “Do Not Feed To Cattle Or Other Ruminants”. ... Table 2 lists feed ingredient terms that ...

(3)
Animal feed - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_feed
Traditional sources of animal feed include household food scraps and the byproducts of food processing ... feed and other products for livestock ... Poultry feed ...

• Fodder ·
• Manufacturers ·
• Forage ·
• Manufacture ·
• Nutrition ·
• By animal

(4)
The Truth About Animal By-Products in Dog Food

www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/animal-by-products
Dead zoo animals; Dead on arrival poultry; ... and formaldehyde additive in cattle feed. ... The ingredients Meat and Bone Meal

(5)
Feed Ingredients - Poultry Hub

www.poultryhub.org › Nutrition
Feed ingredients for poultry diets are selected based on numerous factors ... Feed Ingredients; Feed Evaluation; ... high quality poultry meat, ...

(6)
Are chicken by-products bad? The truth about chicken in ...

www.askavetquestion.com/nutrition/chicken-byproducts
The truth about chicken and chicken by ... of American Feed Control ... have no way of knowing whether that ingredient is mostly meat with a little bit ...

(7)
Rendering (animal products) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(animals)
... and a protein meal (meat and bone meal, poultry byproduct ... meat and bone meal was fed to cattle. ... ground up dead horses, dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, ...

• Process variations ·
• Rendering processes ... ·
• Rendering processes ... ·
• History

thus you can read the results. And it surely is not pretty and thus why so any peopleare wanting meat free chicken feed thus vegetarianchicken feed