Vegan diet for chickens - is it unhealthy?

[Chicken poppy]

Awww thanks! It is really hard to find dog and cat food that treats the animals with care and unfortunately I am having to buy the kind that probably mistreats them. But hopefully I can buy a better one in the future!

It is. I wish there was more. The best i can do right now is look but its better then nothing and hopefully i’ll come across some good ones eventually. Meanwhile i just use mostly normal cat food.

 

[BDutch]

I love what you've written! I completely agree with you, some people will respect those who oppose their believes and others will be downright mean. Animals are so beautiful and wonderful, little angels! Most of them are much more innocent than us humans and I like to think about how they are killed for our "benefit".

I also will touch meat and dog or cat food. I know I would rather not but carnivorous creatures, like dogs or cats, have no choice but to eat meat, and I'm doing it for them.

Unfortunately for me, I am not allowed to be vegan until I am out of the house but I'm working with what I've got! My mom wanted me to be at least pescetarian but I just can't, fish matter too. I'm glad I'm not alone in what I am trying to do. I find it hard to meet other people who are vegan and vegetarian was well!

Yes, all creatures on earth earn to be treated respectful. That’s one of the reasons why I dont eat cheap factory farm meat (and do eat very little organic).

Btw. Dogs are omnivores. And they can live on a vegan diet.
Cats are mainly carnivores, but a part of their diet can be vegetable . Much of the cat food in the shop contains pieces of vegetables and fruits. And some cats even choose to eat vegetable feed aside their special cat feed. Two of our neighbour cats like to eat the vegan feed of our chickens. They often come into the run to eat from it.

Btw: in general the animals in the meat industry don’t get anything but vegan feed in Europe. Because of the regulations after the sick cow disease and the use of unhealthy trash meat by the feed suppliers. Since a few years insects/worms are allowed for chickens.

The advice from our national institute (https://mobiel.voedingscentrum.nl/nl.asp) for a healthy diet for humans is to eat no more than 80 grams meat in a day. Eating vegan or vegetarian (if balanced), is just as healthy. Eating (non balanced) vegan 3-4 times a week is causing no heath problems at all.
Just imagine how much animal abuse could be avoided if people would do so. Eating less meat is much better for the planet too. Because factory farming is responsible for lots of greenhouse gasses, pollution of the soil, water and air, and growing their feed uses lots of land. Growing so much soy and corn for animal feed is responsible for the taking down rainforests as well.

 

[Little Tala Bug]

I bet if it was properly formulated it could be somewhat healthy, but I don't think it would be very happy. My chickens go crazy for bugs of all kinds. Given the choice between a grub and some corn, they would choose the former every time. The highlight of my chickens' week was when my big hen Keithabella caught a mouse and everyone chased her around the garden for a good 10 minutes trying to get some. She ran into a stand of pines and gobbled the whole thing down like the fearsome dinosaur she is. My chooks would be so sad with just greens.

 

[EddieSalita]

Yes, all creatures on earth earn to be treated respectful. That’s one of the reasons why I dont eat cheap factory farm meat (and do eat very little organic).

Btw. Dogs are omnivores. And they can live on a vegan diet.
Cats are mainly carnivores, but a part of their diet can be vegetable . Much of the cat food in the shop contains pieces of vegetables and fruits. And some cats even choose to eat vegetable feed aside their special cat feed. Two of our neighbour cats like to eat the vegan feed of our chickens. They often come into the run to eat from it.

Btw: in general the animals in the meat industry don’t get anything but vegan feed in Europe. Because of the regulations after the sick cow disease and the use of unhealthy trash meat by the feed suppliers. Since a few years insects/worms are allowed for chickens.

The advice from our national institute (https://mobiel.voedingscentrum.nl/nl.asp) for a healthy diet for humans is to eat no more than 80 grams meat in a day. Eating vegan or vegetarian (if balanced), is just as healthy. Eating (non balanced) vegan 3-4 times a week is causing no heath problems at all.
Just imagine how much animal abuse could be avoided if people would do so. Eating less meat is much better for the planet too. Because factory farming is responsible for lots of greenhouse gasses, pollution of the soil, water and air, and growing their feed uses lots of land. Growing so much soy and corn for animal feed is responsible for the taking down rainforests as well.

Cats are obligate carnivores. Dogs are faculative carnivores, not omnivores.

For obligate carnivores animal matter is essential for survival. For faculative carnivores it's not essential for survival, but necessary to thrive, its ultimately inadequate nutrition if sans significant animal matter. Omnivore can thrive on any combination of plant or animal matter that provides adequate nutrition.

There is other types of detailed classifications. Hypercarnivore (minimum 70% animal matter) eg: all felids, most birds of prey, some whales, some fish, some insects. Mesocarnivore (minimum 50%) eg: dogs, foxes, skunks, martins. Hypocarnivore (minimum 30%) eg: ursids

This is of course referring to an animal in its natural state. Engineered foods arguably change this equation. Rare exceptions exist in nature but in those cases it can be well argued the animal is not thriving or has a specific specialised adaptation.

 

[BDutch]

Cats are obligate carnivores. Dogs are faculative carnivores, not omnivores.

For obligate carnivores animal matter is essential for survival. For faculative carnivores it's not essential for survival, but necessary to thrive, its ultimately inadequate nutrition if sans significant animal matter. Omnivore can thrive on any combination of plant or animal matter that provides adequate nutrition.

There is other types of detailed classifications. Hypercarnivore (minimum 70% animal matter) eg: all felids, most birds of prey, some whales, some fish, some insects. Mesocarnivore (minimum 50%) eg: dogs, foxes, skunks, martins. Hypocarnivore (minimum 30%) eg: ursids

This is of course referring to an animal in its natural state. Engineered foods arguably change this equation. Rare exceptions exist in nature but in those cases it can be well argued the animal is not thriving or has a specific specialised adaptation.

I don't (didn’t) know the definitions you give. The definition I learned in biology class was much simpler. : A carnivore eats exclusively meat or meat tissue.

The Dutch Wikipedia (translated to English) says this:
A carnivore (from Latin caro, meat and vorare, to eat) or carnivore in ecology is any organism that uses only animal tissue as food. This tissue can come from both invertebrates and vertebrates.

The English wikipedia has a slightly different definition: . A carnivore is an animal with a diet consisting primarily of meat.

 

[RememberTheWay]

Someone you know..is a quack. Chickens aren't vegan. They are omnivores. They eat other critters and greens. Poor girl was better off being eaten. She must of been in so much pain laying that first egg. This someone you know is selfish...and I'll informed.

One hundred percent agree they are insane. . Actually really sad for this chicken. Probably would have been better off leaving her in the truck!

 

[FrostRanger]

I would never feed a chicken a vegan diet, they are omnivores which means they need BOTH meat and vegetables. If you let your flock free range you'll see that they eat both various plants and various insects, frogs and lizards they can catch. IMO it's also outright cruel to feed a dog or especially a cat a vegan diet. Yes, dogs are omnivores but they're omnivores that eat mostly meat. Unless they have certain medical conditions that prevent them from eating meat - which thankfully are very rare - they should eat a diet that's mostly meat but with some vegetables. Cats are obligate carnivores, while a dog's health will slowly suffer (with some individuals doing worse than others) if fed a vegan diet, it will be far more apparent in a cat

Eat however you wish, just feed any animals in your care a species appropriate diet

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Guys we already figured all this out. This is an old thread.

 

[BDutch]

I would never feed a chicken a vegan diet, they are omnivore which means they need BOTH meat and vegetables.

All commercial chickens in my country have a vegan diet with supplements to stay healthy.

What you like to give your chickens is up to you, but it’s not unhealthy to give vegan feed to chickens. Or humans with the right supplements. Many people who hate animal suffering or don’t want to contribute to global warning and the use of pesticides /herbicides choose to eat vegan.

My chickens eat organic vegan feed + now and then: some mealworms / some cheese crust /yoghurt + whatever they find free ranging. And they live happy long lives.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

All commercial chickens in my country have a vegan diet with supplements to stay healthy.

What you like to give your chickens is up to you, but it’s not unhealthy to give vegan feed to chickens. Or humans with the right supplements. Many people who hate animal suffering or don’t want to contribute to global warning and the use of pesticides /herbicides choose to eat vegan.

My chickens eat organic vegan feed + now and then: some mealworms / some cheese crust /yoghurt + whatever they find free ranging. And they live happy long lives.

Your chickens are not fed a vegan diet only their feed is vegan. Mealworms and any bugs they find free-ranging negate them being fed a vegan diet. They would be considered to have an Omnivore diet based off of your own description of what you feed. To be considered truly Vegan or even Vegetarian bugs also can not be eaten. Omnivore means eating plant based matter as well as any meat and insects are included in this. In fact many insects are classified as omnivores because they eat both plants and other insects. Some insects are even classified as carnivores because they solely eat other insects.