Soybean Meal?

[scoopy82]

Not sure what else it might be called, but in Australia we can buy Soybean Meal - which is extruded full fat soybean granules which is a safe stock feed full of protein and oils. It is commonly fed to horses and is often an ingredient in many processed/pelleted feeds. Manufacturers state it is the highest quality vegitable protein available and contains both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
So does anyone think that this would be a suitable feed supliment for chickens? Not as a complete ration but maybe to give them a little every day to increase the available protein along with their normal pellets and scratch?

 

[rirbrahma]

Yes! I use soybean meal every 2-4 days! Sometimes less. Too much protein Isn't good all the time

 

[scoopy82]

Thats awesome! My horses will have to share there bag now

I have been given a recipe for a grain mix that is suppose to be good for chickens when they're moulting and thought maybe I could add some SBM to it. But like your theory of not every day

 

[saladin]

Most chicken feeds in the States use soybean meal as the means of boosting the protein content.

 

[bairo]

Quote:
x2

most use either or both soybean and fish meal for protein. Those two along with alfalfa are just about the only cost effective way to get above 10% protein in any of the mixes. If it is cost effective for the sbm over there, then you might research some of the home mix recipes. It does not usually save any money from using prepared feed but is fun, educational, and adaptable to differing needs according to what may be happening with your flock at the time (winter, summer, molting, meat chickens versus egg layers, etc.)

 

[saladin]

Quote:
x2

most use either or both soybean and fish meal for proteinforgot the fish meal, some also use poultry by-products. Remember, a chickens favorite food is CHICKEN. Those two along with alfalfa are just about the only cost effective way to get above 10% protein in any of the mixes. If it is cost effective for the sbm over there, then you might research some of the home mix recipes. It does not usually save any money from using prepared feed but is fun, educational, and adaptable to differing needs according to what may be happening with your flock at the time (winter, summer, molting, meat chickens versus egg layers, etc.)

 

[luvs2ride1979]

I am not a fan of feeding any animals (or myself) soybeans. Most of it here in the US is GMO and sprayed heavily with Roundup or similar herbicides. I don't want to support an industry that is bad for the environment and people living in the area.

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Making-Poultry-Feeds-2.html

At one time farmers grew many different legumes to feed livestock. Following the “soybean revolution,” however, soybeans are typically the only feed legume available in most areas. If you only have access to soybeans for your feeds, remember a few important points. Whole soybeans are the best option if you can get them, but make sure they are roasted. Never feed raw soybeans to any livestock—they contain growth-inhibiting factors which are a disaster for the animals who eat them. From commercial sources, the typical form of soy available is soybean meal as a byproduct of processing soy oil. Not only can such meals contain residues of hexane (a solvent used to extract the oil), but the high heat and pressure of the processing rancidifies whatever fats remain—that is, soybean meal is a stale feed. Finally, most soybean in the American market today is genetically modified, a fact deeply troubling to many thoughtful homesteaders.

https://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/toxic-botulism-in-animals-linked-to-roundup/

Dr Mercola recently interviewed Dr Don Huber, whose letter to the USDA warning that Monsanto’s RoundUp, a broad-spectrum “herbicide” that has been linked with spontaneous abortion in animals, continues to be ignored by food and environmental safety authorities. Huber, a plant pathologist for over 50 years, explains how RoundUp is destroying our healthy soils by killing needed microorganisms.

http://www.gmwatch.eu/reports/12479-reports-reports

Scientific studies collected in the new report confirm links between exposure to glyphosate and premature births, miscarriages, cancer, and damage to DNA and reproductive organ cells.

Residents have also reported environmental damage from glyphosate, including damage to food crops and streams strewn with dead fish. These accounts are backed by studies in the report that show glyphosate is toxic to the environment.

If you can find non-GMO soybean meal, then that might be a good feed source for your animals, but unless it's labeled as "Non-GMO," I wouldn't buy it.​

 

[Ariel301]

The problem is, all the corn and wheat are GMO and sprayed too...even "organic" grain has been contaminated either by the GMO grain cross-pollinating or throwing seed into other fields, and the chemicals being in the soil and water supply. So it's just about impossible to avoid it in countries that rely on it heavily.

I wouldn't feed them huge amounts of it, because the natural estrogen compounds in soy can mess with the body's hormones (at least it does in mammals, it probably does in birds as well) and soy has also been linked to thyroid problems, but this is usually when it is a significant part of the diet. A little won't hurt, and it's high enough in protein that you only need a little.

 

[packinpreacher]

Hi all. I am new, so please bare with me. I have read both pros and cons concerning soy bean meal in chicken rations. My problem is the chickens won't eat it. I mix it in with their scratch grains....they eat all the grain and leave the sbm. Any suggestions?

 

[Chris09]

Hi all. I am new, so please bare with me. I have read both pros and cons concerning soy bean meal in chicken rations. My problem is the chickens won't eat it. I mix it in with their scratch grains....they eat all the grain and leave the sbm. Any suggestions?

Question. Why are you adding it to scratch grain, are you feeding a regular poultry feed (i.e. pre-starter, starter, grower, conditioner, maintenance, breeder, layer, "all flock")?