Vegan diet for chickens - is it unhealthy?

[BDutch]

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.

True.
I was only saying chickens in factory farming get a (100%) vegan diet.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

True.
I was only saying chickens in factory farming get a (100%) vegan diet.

I’m curious do you know what they use for the protein source? Is it synthetic aminos or purely plant based? If you know the name/brand of the feed they use I would love to look it up and read about it. I’m not against vegan feeds per se if they can be done correctly. My problems arises with at least here in the US every person I have met who feeds their chickens solely vegan has sick chickens. Also here production breeds are not known to live a good or long life. I guess that would lead to a more philosophical argument of what the definition of “surviving” is. Anything can live technically on a diet for a period of time, but how long and what their quality of life is would be where the real question lies.

 

[RememberTheWay]

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

It might be old but there are constantly new members joining. I don't see what the harm is in bringing up old threads. Especially when the advice given to everyone that ask FAQ's is to search the archive.

 

[RememberTheWay]

True.
I was only saying chickens in factory farming get a (100%) vegan diet.

Problem with this is most chickens aren't "free ranged" due to very plausible and valid reasons, predators being number one, and the feed companys sell these vegan feeds as "complete rations" so unsuspecting and uneducated owners don't know the difference. They assume complete means that's all they need. And rightfully so. Majority of "complete feeds" also do not include any kind of animal or insect protein at all. That's not complete in my eyes.

 

[BDutch]

I’m curious do you know what they use for the protein source? Is it synthetic aminos or purely plant based? If you know the name/brand of the feed they use I would love to look it up and read about it. I’m not against vegan feeds per se if they can be done correctly. My problems arises with at least here in the US every person I have met who feeds their chickens solely vegan has sick chickens. Also here production breeds are not known to live a good or long life. I guess that would lead to a more philosophical argument of what the definition of “surviving” is. Anything can live technically on a diet for a period of time, but how long and what their quality of life is would be where the real question lies.

Each brand they sell in the Netherlands has little differences in the feed.
The feed they sell in the shops are in fact the same as the feed for huge farms. And have everything in it for optimised egg production at low cost and a healthy chicken life for at least 2 years.

Until a few years ago it was prohibited to add animal protein bc of diseases like Jaco-Creuzfelt. Nowaday its possible to buy feed with insects. Im not sure if farmers buy that bc it’s more expensive.

This is the ingredients list of non-organic layer feed from our local shop (welkoop)
Composition
Ingredients Maize (genetically modified maize); wheat; calcium carbonate; Soya meal feed, dehulled, produced from genetically modified soya; Sunflower seed meal feed; wheat bran grit; maize gluten feed; soya oil, produced from genetically modified soya; Rapeseed meal feed; barley; maize gluten; wheat gluten feed; monocalcium phosphate; sodium chloride; sodium bicarbonate; wheat middlings.
Analytical constituents Crude protein 16%, Crude fat 4%, Crude fibre 4%, Crude ash 14%, Calcium 4.3%, Phosphorus 0.5%, Sodium 0.1%, Lysine 0.8%, Methionine 0.4%

 

[HollowOfWisps]

And have everything in it for optimised egg production at low cost and a healthy chicken life for at least 2 years.

This part is why I believe chickens need an omnivore diet to be healthy. My chickens quality of life and health are very important to me. Chickens have the potential to live much longer than just two years with the correct diet and care. However, it is very interesting to see the side of things from somewhere else in the world.

 

[NatJ]

This part is why I believe chickens need an omnivore diet to be healthy. My chickens quality of life and health are very important to me. Chickens have the potential to live much longer than just two years with the correct diet and care. However, it is very interesting to see the side of things from somewhere else in the world.

"At least two years" is a good starting point. It rules out all the diets that would cause the chickens to die even sooner. After that, I agree there can still be room for improvement.

 

[BelovedBirds]

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.

As already stated, only the feed would be vegan, not their entire diet.
It's fine to give them veggies or fruits as a treat too, that's also vegan friendly. But they shouldn't have to survive on only that...
I have ducks not chickens but what I say still applies, I'm vegan and don't buy my girls meats or anything- but I do give them insects and encourage foraging as that is a natural behaviour I would never deny them. I also give them oyster shells which are not vegan.... but without that how are they going to regulate their calcium intake?? I could never prevent my birds from foraging for insects and worms, that's half their entertainment as ducks and a nice part of their diet.

And when the opportunity arises to expand their diet, I take it. In a way that is not me directly causing any harm to the planet or to any animal of agriculture. For example I currently have a bag of shrimp that would otherwise have ended up in the bin, which I hope they'll enjoy. Even if it makes me uncomfortable. Because their happiness and health come before my lifestyle.

The people originally mentioned here seem to be badly neglecting their chickens diet due to their lifestyle as vegans, and that isn't okay.

Heck, I believe dogs can survive on a plant based diet, based on the theories from countless sources. But I wouldn't put mine on one until I see hard evidence supported by numerous vets and studies. I hope that day comes, and it may not! There sure as heck isn't hard evidence supporting vegan diets for chickens yet.

 

[BelovedBirds]

True.
I was only saying chickens in factory farming get a (100%) vegan diet.

Perhaps but we definitely shouldn't trust anything a factory farm does... It isn't as if their animals live long enough to see any lasting health impacts. (Except the ones who get sick and die before their slaughter date.... which furthers my point).

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

2 years is nothing. Some of my lines aren't even mature till 3 years.