Scary! Yet another reason to raise and eat your own

[CARS]

Quote:
That is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I read that article in yesterdays editorials. I have already thrown away the bags of crumbles I am currently using, but I am going to re-read the ingrediants. So hard to understand what all those dang ingrediants are, but I know what to look for now.

I was going to reply to this post yesterday with the same comment.

What difference does it make if you buy (for example) Cargill feed for your chickens or buy Cargill fed chickens???

Really, unless you grow your own ingredients and grind/mix it yourself it isn't 100% safe.

 

[Freebird]

Quote:
The real difference is that I raised them on grass with fresh air, not in a cram-packed chicken house without a stitch of grass. Their trip to the kill area didn't include being thrown into nasty, fecal covered cages and trucked 25 miles or more in 95-100 degree heat to a nasty processing plant. They weren't evicerated and thrown into a vat of fecal stew with a thousand others to soak up God-knows-what for God-knows-how-long before they were properly cleaned, cooled, and bagged. I live just outside the HQ for Tyson foods. I see these cornish X birds on trucks pretty much daily, and I'd much rather eat my birds than theirs. Control what you can control, at least, that's my thought.

 

[CARS]

Quote:
The real difference is that I raised them on grass with fresh air, not in a cram-packed chicken house without a stitch of grass. Their trip to the kill area didn't include being thrown into nasty, fecal covered cages and trucked 25 miles or more in 95-100 degree heat to a nasty processing plant. They weren't evicerated and thrown into a vat of fecal stew with a thousand others to soak up God-knows-what for God-knows-how-long before they were properly cleaned, cooled, and bagged. I live just outside the HQ for Tyson foods. I see these cornish X birds on trucks pretty much daily, and I'd much rather eat my birds than theirs. Control what you can control, at least, that's my thought.

I thought we were talking about feed, not living conditions. I see and agree with your statement though.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
Probably not arsenic, melamine, ground-up telephone books, or antibiotics.

I mix my own feed from minimally processed ingredients. The most processed ingredient is layer mash, which is coarsely ground grain w/vitamin/mineral supplement. I add soy meal, distillers grain, and they get whole corn and black oil sunflower seeds. They free-range most days, over a good sized acreage. I'm sure they get lots of bugs, (including spiders) the occasional reptile or amphibian, and even a small mammal here and there. That's stuff that chickens are supposed to eat. And lots of plants, without pesticides or weed killers, because I don't use 'em.

 

[codybird]

I'm with you DancingBear.

No chemicals or antibiotics in my yard. ( there might be a phone book somewhere, can't be sure).

My point was that don't be surprised if their diet included an odd thing here and there, (Possum tongue, slug, lizard eyeball, rotten squash,speck of something or speck of something else).

Still way better than factory.

 

[Bossroo]

All slaughterhouses MUST follow USDA and State health rules and regulations regarding sanitary processing. If this is true and If someone witnesses any chicken carcasses in fecal stew unsanitary conditions to exist, please alert all the regulatory agensies to immediately stop such practices. Also turn in the State Veterinary inspectors for dereliction of duty to the State and Federal Health departments for criminal prosecution. Not only my but thausands of peoples' health and lives are at risk.