Oyster shell...vegetarian?

[Chris09]

I really don't think anyone is attacking your choice of being a vegetarian. I think what Chris09 is saying that you are trying to make a chicken something it isn't.

Thank you, and you are correct.

Chris

 

[angel8035]

Chicken eggs, bugs, shells from eggs and even dredged shells from oysters are animal or animal byproducts.

I think you mean you want to avoid feeding processed meat foods; that you believe that what goes into your chickens has an effect on what comes out of them. That makes sense. While I do use standard chicken food as an affordable base, I try to get as much bugs, weed seeds, fruit, etc into my birds as I can.

In every one of my posts I have specified that I do not want to feed my chickens byproducts of animal slaughter. Eggs, bugs, etc would not fall in to this category. The only point of this thread was to determine if oyster shells would be considered a byproduct of animal slaughter for human consumption. If shells are dredged from the ocean, then I do not have a problem with using them because the oysters lived and died without human intervention. I do agree with you that what goes into any animal affects what comes out of it which is why I chose to raise my own birds and allow them to eat as healthily and naturally as possible.

As far as my understanding goes, chickens are bred from a closely related "jungle fowl" and so while man has domesticated them, I would still consider there to be feed that chickens would consume in nature and feed that they would not. Domestic cats were bred by man, but I still know the cheese my cat mooches off of me sometimes is not a "natural" cat diet

 

[duckinnut]

In every one of my posts I have specified that I do not want to feed my chickens byproducts of animal slaughter. Eggs, bugs, etc would not fall in to this category. The only point of this thread was to determine if oyster shells would be considered a byproduct of animal slaughter for human consumption. If shells are dredged from the ocean, then I do not have a problem with using them because the oysters lived and died without human intervention. I do agree with you that what goes into any animal affects what comes out of it which is why I chose to raise my own birds and allow them to eat as healthily and naturally as possible.

As far as my understanding goes, chickens are bred from a closely related "jungle fowl" and so while man has domesticated them, I would still consider there to be feed that chickens would consume in nature and feed that they would not. Domestic cats were bred by man, but I still know the cheese my cat mooches off of me sometimes is not a "natural" cat diet

Obviously you didn't read my post and perhaps I didn't make it clear. Oysters are harvested, raised or otherwise meant for human consumption,period. There is no shell farmers that I know of, if there were they didn't last long. At $7 for 50 lb of them and that's retail you will starve making that as a living. While I don't criticize how you do things, I am not sure what answer you were looking for. By that I mean you are asking about oyster shell but know chickens are land bearing animals. You were looking for a natural diet for them, well oyster shell is not natural to them. It was humans that made them into egg laying machines, meaning that it is we that expect an egg every day not them. If you truly want natural,let them free range and get whatever nutrients they get to give you eggs. You will not get many but it is natural as it gets. To which is what you are looking for I would assume. Giving them a supplemental diet to me is not natural to their natural foraging.
To me I think you were looking for confrontation here.I feel you were looking with an axe to grind. People tried to help you but it turned into people don't like my lifestyle. We have turned dogs and cats into vegetarians which they are not. Some of it based in science and some economics. They were both meat eaters before modern man got involved.

So basically anything provided by man to a chicken is a by-product whether it be flesh, vegetable or what have you.By that I mean even if you fed your chickens a corn and soy based diet, what about the animals that lost their lives,breeding area and home to grow those. You could go on and on but I digress. It is just food for thought. I often say the world was a perfect place to man stepped foot on earth.

 

[duckinnut]

Also growing up in New England which I consider that it is not only the fishing capital of the US but shellfish as well. Having worked on a lobster boat and been around the fishing industry, I have never known anyone to just harvest shells of any type but only after the meat had been harvested.So my advice is to seek other avenues for your goals.

 

[akovia]

Angel8035: chickens are not vegans. Chickens are not vegetarians. If humans put their non conforming choices onto their chickens, the birds may suffer. It's fine for those who can make the choice. Our birds cannot do that and depend on us to keep them healthy. Maybe they can eat sheetrock instead of oyster shell. Oh, wait, gypsum,is mademfron the fossilized remains of diatoms, a living creature that exists even today. Sigh.

 

[galanie]

Read what angel8035 wrote. Really. She is not trying to make her chickens vegetarian. There is a difference between feeding byproducts of slaughter for human consumption and not any type of meat at all. Maybe that's where the confusion is. It's difficult to imagine a chicken getting meat from any other source. But they can.

 

[Imp]

angel8035,

Here are some other good sources of calcium that you may find more to your liking.


1. Spinach & Swiss Chard
2.
3. Mustard, Collard, Kale & Turnip greens
4.
5. Blackstrap molasses (can cause runny stools)
6. Corn Tortillas
7.
8.
9.
10. Basil, thyme, dill seed, cinnamon, and peppermint leaves
11. Romaine lettuce
12. Rhubarb
13. Almonds, Peanuts & Brazil Nuts

14. Black Beans, Dried Beans (Cooked)
15. Sesame seeds
16. Fennel
17. Cabbage, Bok Choy, & Chinese cabbage
18. Summer squash
19. Green beans
20. Garlic
21. Tofu & Soybeans
22. Brussel sprouts & Broccoli
23. Oranges (Some people do not feed citrus to chickens)
24. Asparagus & Okra
25. Crimini mushrooms
26. Foods Fortified with Calcium: Some Orange Juice, Breads, & Cereals

Imp- I've deleted animal and animal products from the list.

Good luck & have fun.

 

[ChickenJerk]

Today most of the calcium added to layer rations in the poultry industry comes from plain old (really old) limestone. Oyster shells are not much used.
Calcium carbonate is calcium carbonate after all and the limestone is also much more effective as a grit.

 

[SusanRenee]

If it's by products of slaughter you're concerned about, how about yogurt as an alternative? Great for their digestive system and full of protien, and would fit your needs if you have a local dairy that you feel follows your beliefs. Goat or cow would work, and if they don't sell it, it's super easy to make your own. Fresh milk is kinda tough on their systems.

 

[angel8035]

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions and for not willfully ignoring my posts. I appreciate the alternatives to oyster shells.

Again I repeat, I AM NOT TRYING TO MAKE MY CHICKENS VEGETARIAN. I have chosen to stop responding to posts from people who choose to willfully misunderstand my point in order to what? I don't know...work out some aggression against vegetarians I guess. As I repeated numerous times, I am simply trying to eliminate slaughter byproducts from my chickens' diets. It is ridiculous to think that vegans/vegetarians have a problem with animals eating other animals. That is a part of nature. I have a problem with the way animals are treated in our farming system and choose not to participate. My chickens can catch their own food however they'd like and I will feed them healthy supplements (just as I do my cats and dogs - who do eat meat, btw, because it is necessary for them to live).

Again, thank you to all those who took the time to actually read my posts and respond