Topic of the Week - "Off-grid" Feeding - Homemade feeds, etc.

[jeffnolan]

I applaud your choice and love the meta-narrative of a vegan raising chickens, but chickens are omnivores. As a vegan, I’m sure you are aware of the importance of the amino acid Methionine. Without it, the birds (like humans) will suffer and they will turn on each other. This amino acid is not found in some cereal grains, a few tree nuts, and in meat. Legumes have none of it. In nature, chickens will get methionine from insects, crawlers, and from other animal sources. In farming, synthetic methionine is proscribed by USDA organic guidelines. It is unethical to force upon any animal a food choice that is outside what they would experience in a natural environment and chickens are simply not vegetarian.

 

[1cock2hens]

slow your roll, I didnt say anything about raising them vegan you are jumping to conclusions, I used my story as a way to relate. I simply said that protein can come from other sources and isnt dependent entirely on animal byproducts that come from processed feeds. thank you.

 

[PirateGirl]

@jeffnolan Since I am looking into mixing my own feed, do you have a recommendation for a good source of Methionine? What sorts of things is it found in naturally? What would be a beneficial addition to a chicken's diet that would provide this if not feeding a pellet ration or if pellet ration is not available. Obviously chickens will eat bugs and worms in summer, but they are not readily available once the ground freezes many places.

 

[1cock2hens]

@PirateGirl eggs and all meats are a good source

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-011084000000000000000-1.html has a long list of vegetable based sources for methionine.

 

[PirateGirl]

@PirateGirl eggs and all meets are a good source

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-011084000000000000000-1.html has a long list of vegetable based sources for methionine.

Perfect! Thank you! Of course they can always get their own eggs back if needed! Problem solved.

 

[1cock2hens]

I applaud your choice and love the meta-narrative of a vegan raising chickens, but chickens are omnivores. As a vegan, I’m sure you are aware of the importance of the amino acid Methionine. Without it, the birds (like humans) will suffer and they will turn on each other. This amino acid is not found in some cereal grains, a few tree nuts, and in meat. Legumes have none of it. In nature, chickens will get methionine from insects, crawlers, and from other animal sources. In farming, synthetic methionine is proscribed by USDA organic guidelines. It is unethical to force upon any animal a food choice that is outside what they would experience in a natural environment and chickens are simply not vegetarian.

can I ask, what in the world gave the idea that veggies dont have methionine? i though it was basic if you were into nutrition

 

[PirateGirl]

Also @1cock2hens That website is great! A bit overwhelming with all the nutrition data on it, but I can see where it can be really useful.

 

[1cock2hens]

Also @1cock2hens That website is great! A bit overwhelming with all the nutrition data on it, but I can see where it can be really useful.

I'm glad you are finding it interesting. it is a bit much but once you get used to the information overload it's a good resource.

 

[jeffnolan]

can I ask, what in the world gave the idea that veggies dont have methionine? i though it was basic if you were into nutrition

Science? Plant seeds, some of which were hghlighted in the post I reacted to, and tree nuts (brazil nuts in particular) are pretty high in it. Soybeans are also good sources. Beyond that, vegetables and fruits are poor sources of methionine. Spinach and beet greens are an exception but still only 1/3 of the methionine you would get from an equivalent animal protein. Being a vegetarian is hard, I have a lot of respect for people who adhere to it and do the work to get the nutrients the human body requires. Chickens are omnivores and forcing upon them a vegetarian diet is contrary to their welfare. Having said that, I feed my chickens Bar Ale, which is vegetarian, but I supplement with a variety of scraps and output from the garden that doesn’t make it to the table.

 

[1cock2hens]

Science? Plant seeds, some of which were hghlighted in the post I reacted to, and tree nuts (brazil nuts in particular) are pretty high in it. Soybeans are also good sources. Beyond that, vegetables and fruits are poor sources of methionine. Spinach and beet greens are an exception but still only 1/3 of the methionine you would get from an equivalent animal protein. Being a vegetarian is hard, I have a lot of respect for people who adhere to it and do the work to get the nutrients the human body requires. Chickens are omnivores and forcing upon them a vegetarian diet is contrary to their welfare. Having said that, I feed my chickens Bar Ale, which is vegetarian, but I supplement with a variety of scraps and output from the garden that doesn’t make it to the table.

the link i posted shows very clearly that some greens have over half of what meats do and some dont come close but thats not the point of this thread, it is available and if push comes to shove it is there to be used. that is what this thread is about. again nobody said one word about force feeding chickens a vegan/vegetarian diet, I don't get why you keep talking about that.