Why soy free?? (And the effects of soy)

[CARS]

Barred Rockstar, we are getting off topic, but thanks for your reply. I agree with you to a point, but as you say, I am at the what else am I going to do? This is what it is. Sad, but really, what are we going to do. If you ban companies like Monsanto from "improving" crops, the American farmer is dead. They need the 200 bushel an acre yield to survive. If we go back to the days of 50 b.p.a., the country (and the world) would go hungry. You can't have a growing population without increasing crop yields.


But, while this is a good discussion. I really want to know why non-soy feed is better. And what are people using as a replacement??

 

[bigredfeather]

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I do know this one. My feed mill can use milo, cottonseed, and flaxseed as replacements.

 

[GardeNerd]

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Here are some of the common reasons other folks state they avoid it.

Soy is a common food allergen. This is probably the number one reason. The FDA requires it to be listed clearly as an ingredient in processed foods.
Soy is not a complete protein (as commonly believed), lacking some important amino acids.
Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D.
Soy increases levels of estrogen (possibly stimulating the growth of related tumors) and decreases levels of testosterone.
It has been related to pre-mature sexual development in females, and delayed development in males.
Animal studies show soy foods can cause infertility in some animals.
Most conventionally grown soybeans use large amounts of chemical fertilizers and herbicides in the production.
The majority of seed used to grow soy is genetically modified.

If you want more specifics, there is a link on this organic feed page to more information why some folks want soy free feeds.
organic feed

*I don't feed my chickens Soy-Free feed. I don't keep soy entirely out of my family's diet, so I don't see the reason to spend the money to keep it out of the chickens' diet. However, I do use organic soy products whenever possible when it is an ingredient in our food.

 

[dichotomymom]

I just thought I'd add in that I grew up on a commercial bean/corn farm and had (and have) horrible asthma and allergies. The one time respite I had was when I lived in town for 3 years. I live on a farm again, and they are back full force. I'm definitely not anti farming (it's been my family's livelihood for hundreds of years) but there are undeniable repercusions from intensive farming from loss of top soil and on an on.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

I said I was just going to sit back and watch.

 

[GardeNerd]

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I think fish meal is the main protein ingredient used in the soy free feeds. It is used in Countryside Naturals and in Rainbow Egg Farm's feed blends.

 

[bibliophile birds]

i'm not a doctor or a scientist, just a very interested personal researcher, so i'll share what i know but you should NEVER take anything i say as gospel. there is LOTS of great research out there if you are truly interested.

the isoflavones are now linked to thyroid problems (hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, and goiter). not only can they make existing thyroid problems MUCH worse, they are believed to actually cause them. my doctors have given me very clear instructions not to eat soy because my thyroid levels are already very bad and soy has been interfering with the regulation of the hormone by my medications. things like isoflavones build up in the animals that eat soy (like insects, chickens, cows) and then are even more built up in animals that eat those animals (sadly, chickens and cows), so that when we eat chickens and cows we are getting shockingly high levels of isoflavones.

the same thing goes with pesticide exposure. if you were to eat soy that had been sprayed with chemicals (and washed correctly) you would actually probably be getting less chemical in your system than by eating animals who have been fed an almost constant diet (over months or years) of chemically treated foods. these chemicals don't just dissipate in an animal's body, but get stored up. example: even though DDT was banned decades ago, almost all of us still show signs of it in our blood... it's still in the soil which grows the crops which feed the animals which feed us (DDT can stay in the soil for up to 30 years so hopefully it will be gone soon... yeah, Monsanto is SUPER EVIL).

the reports of soy's wonderful benefits are falling apart, namely that it's a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. soy lacks omega-6, which, it turns out, is needed for omega-3 to be effective. you need a balance of omega-3 and 6 to get the good stuff. fish gives you this, soy does not.

contrary to popular thought, these GMO crops are NOT necessary to feeding the world OR ensuring farmer's financial well-being. the reason that so much soy and corn are grown is because of extremely Giant Corp friendly farm subsidies (that's right, farm subsidies aren't about taking care of farmers anymore) that allow them to buy those crops for less than it costs to grow them. they then flood the market with millions of tons of cheap corn and soybeans which only go to make additives and processed foods. Giant Corps get rich, farmers go broke. oh, and the seeds are not the property of the farmer so it's illegal for them to harvest seeds for replanting (which is usually pointless anyway because the crops have terminator genes built in). Monsanto.... i won't say it again.

basically, if you want to eat soy and you don't want it to mess with your hormones, then it has to be fermented (like tofu). a little bit of edamame every now and then isn't going to kill you, but feeding it to your animals is not the same as that.

if you want to avoid soy in your feeds, look for things with fish or peas or flax. peas and fish are great protein and fish and flax are great sources of omega fatty acids.

 

[CARS]

Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay :

I said I was just going to sit back and watch.

I see where you got your farm's name...

Some good info. Thanks everyone for posting!

I have a feeling that this is alot like global warming, climate change, whatever they call it now days. Some people have evidence on each side of the argument. Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of options. I can't make my chickens pay for themselves the way it is. It will never dollar out at the cost of organic feed

 

[bibliophile birds]

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i fed regular feed from my local co-op to one batch of chickens for 2 months. for 20 chickens i was going through 50 lbs in a week at $12/50 lbs. when i switched back to organic i was going through 50 lbs in about 2.5 weeks at $26/50 lbs. my current group of 22 chickens is eating the organic at about the same rate.

that works out to:

regular feed: $48/month
organic feed: $42/month

the organic feed seems to be so much better nutritionally that it actually becomes MORE cost effective. of course, that's just my experience, but organic is totally worth it for me. not only am i actually saving money, but i'm making about 3x as much selling organic eggs.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

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Allergies to soy are going thru the roof. Those that are allergic to soy, tend to also be allergic to products such as eggs and grain fed meat, if soy was a part of the animals diet.
You have heard the phrase, you ae what you eat. It applies to animals as well.
We have good friends that react badly to soy fed eggs and even wild game where the animal has access to soy feilds.
But they can eat wild game from areas where there are no soy crops.

Now, fermented soy, the way the asian cultures eat it in small amounts is just fine.
Natto is one way, and truly fermented soy sauce as well.
The average amount eaten in asian cultures is about 2 tbls per day.
Unfermented is very high in phyto estrogens, and is a strong thyroid depressor.

So, its really more about it being bad all around for the animal and then for the human that eats that animal or the food the animal produces, such as milk or eggs.