Vegan diet for chickens - is it unhealthy?

[nuthatched]

I think, it could be arranged that this chicken disappears......I'll meet her by the phone both a 2 am.
I wonder if you can subtly put down the chicken...

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I can only imagine the "rescuer" considers him/herself a saint for their "good deeds".

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So, owner thinks speciesism is bad but will use hormone implants on the animal? What's the term for that?

"cognitive disonance"

the only joy I take from the story that begins this post is that every time I go to the ballot box (every time I CAN GO to the ballot box - I participate in every election in which I am allowed to), I vote aginst the policy preferences of "well meaning" idiots who place their feels and some slick marketing over actual science.

No, the diet is horrific for the bird, and no doubt is the cause of numerous concerns. History, science, and evolution all provide the same conclusion - chickens are NOT intended to subsist on a vegan diet. Nor are humans. The friend in question has every right to inflict their ingorance upon themself, but if they actually cared about the bird in their custody more than they cared about advancing their ignorance, they would feed it appropriately.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I mean if you kept a chicken in an enclosed facility like say a large chicken barn, and you fed it Purina Layena crumbles for its whole adult life, the only thing not vegan about it is the oyster shell. And whatever bugs the chicken would stumble across.

One could argue that most chickens in the whole country are probably vegetarian, or close to it. Am I wrong?

I'm not even touching on this specific scenario, nor promoting anything. Just a label reader.

Yes, you are wrong.

L-Lysine and DL-Methionine are both synthetics produced to compensate (partially) for the deficiencies of a vegetable based diet. While the DL-Methionine is likely produced via a series af laboratory reactions, chances are good the L-Lysine has been produced by gene-edited yeast, or perhaps e. coli. Calcium Carbonate obviously isn't a vegetable, you got that much right.

Chickens essentially can't use phytate (plant-based) phosphorus, yet most biological processes involving calcium (like bone development, growth, maintenance) require 1 part phosphorus to two parts calcium. A vegan diet can't provide that. Neither is there a useful plant source of B12. Achieving trace mineral needs CAN be done, with the right plants, and the right soils, and a bit of luck - but more commonly is achieved with vitamin powders, most of which are produced chemically, not thru natural processes. That vitamin powder mix represents the last 20-odd ingredients on the label pictured.

Sufficient? Or should I continue???

This is a time when its likely better that you had remained silent (assuming you are familiar with the adage).

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

Wow, I didn't expect so much feedback! I'm very glad others share my concerns -- I know this topic can generate some controversy.

Unfortunately, I believe many of you are right; I don't think there's any way to change this person's mind. Any trustworthy care guide or expert advice lobbed their way is, once again, dismissed as "speciesism". They themselves also hail themselves as a "chicken care expert" yet spread fountains of misinformation, including that hens are supposed to eat their own eggs, because the calcium in the shell comes straight from their bones.

At night, the bird is kept in a small dog cage. The owner does not have any other chickens. Even if this one is too far gone, I'm still worried because this person and their friends do other "rescue" work, and what's worse they are planning on operating a chicken sanctuary. Whatever that means.

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

I can only imagine the "rescuer" considers him/herself a saint for their "good deeds".

Unfortunately, and it's something they want to continue doing, on a larger scale even.

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

I did a quick search for hormone implants for chickens and it looks to be something that is added by syringe. While technically should be handled by a vet, I could see the average chicken owner being able to handle this.

According to them they had to travel several hours away to find a vet "who was willing to take the risk"

 

[OfWolvesAndHen]

The biggest problem I see is that the chicken lives indoors. The vegan diet is wrong but chickens don't belong inside. Unfortunately, you probably won't convince this person of anything but the truth is she has given the chicken the same "quality" of life it had waiting to be slaughtered.

Lives indoors with no other birds and is confined to a dog cage at night, not to mention being malnourished and then shot up with hormones because of the complications of said malnourishment... they look at their poor sick bird and tell themselves, and others, that they're supposed to be that way.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Someone I know has a "rescue" cornish/leghorn cross that they stole off a slaughter truck at 6 weeks. She's now 2 years old and poor girl doesn't look healthy at all. She is fed exclusively greens and (previously) her own eggs. She recieves no commercial feed or supplementation. She is fed 3 small cat bowls of mixed greens per day, and when she was still laying that would also include one boiled egg with shell.

Her feathers are dull and scrappy, she's bony and underweight, still has down feathers on her tail, has an almost yellow pallored face, and did not lay her first egg until nearly 2 years old. She would take up to ten hours to lay and would act extremely painful and agitated during the process, before her owner gave hormone implants to stop laying. Citing "speciesism", the owner will not see a vet.

The owner insists that fully vegan diets are healthiest for chickens, but I largely suspect this bird's poor health and failure to thrive is due to how she's being fed. She lives indoors so she gets no forage. Is it possible her poor health is just because of poor genetics (she was a broiler heading to slaughter, after all)? Are vegan diets sustainable for chickens? And if not, how can I convince them otherwise?

I am vegan, I would *never* make my birds vegan. They get insects, proper commercial feed, egg and a good variety of treats- despite my diet I farm worms for them, and I really enjoy watching them run about and foraging for bugs. It's stimulating and healthy for them.
Some animals can adapt to plant based diets, but poultry, far as I know, not included.
I can't believe someone would get--- take- an animal and then do this.

 

[glib]

Someone I know has a "rescue" cornish/leghorn cross that they stole off a slaughter truck at 6 weeks. She's now 2 years old and poor girl doesn't look healthy at all. She is fed exclusively greens and (previously) her own eggs. She recieves no commercial feed or supplementation. She is fed 3 small cat bowls of mixed greens per day, and when she was still laying that would also include one boiled egg with shell.

Her feathers are dull and scrappy, she's bony and underweight, still has down feathers on her tail, has an almost yellow pallored face, and did not lay her first egg until nearly 2 years old. She would take up to ten hours to lay and would act extremely painful and agitated during the process, before her owner gave hormone implants to stop laying. Citing "speciesism", the owner will not see a vet.

The owner insists that fully vegan diets are healthiest for chickens, but I largely suspect this bird's poor health and failure to thrive is due to how she's being fed. She lives indoors so she gets no forage. Is it possible her poor health is just because of poor genetics (she was a broiler heading to slaughter, after all)? Are vegan diets sustainable for chickens? And if not, how can I convince them otherwise?

Veganism is a horrible distortion of reality. They are as much a carnivore as we are, and given a choice they will eat 100% bugs by calorie. Granted their bugs always come with some fermented veggies, which is what I do also (meat, animal fats, fermented veggies, and some fruit).