Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Ema on September 13, 2018, 16:51

Title: Vegetarian Chickens
Post by: Ema on September 13, 2018, 16:51
Hi All

I'm doing some research this year as I would like to get some chickens next year.

I have been volunteering at a farm abroad where they often feed the chickens pork sausages for protein and crushed egg shells for calcium.
 
In the shops they sell organic eggs and vegetarian eggs.

I wondered if anyone here keeps a vegetarian flock and what they feed them for a balanced diet?

Thanks Emma
Title: Re: Vegetarian Chickens
Post by: New shoot on September 13, 2018, 17:24
If you feed layers pellets, chickens don't need extra protein.  Too much is not good for them and feeding pork sausages seems a bit OTT to me.  After BSE hit the cattle industry here, feeding meat to farm animals was pretty much outlawed, so I don't think any UK produced eggs you buy will have been fed them.  Also crushed sea shells are usually used here for calcium, not egg shells. 

Organic eggs are usually free-range, so the chickens will have eaten worms and bugs.  I've not seen veggie eggs, but it would be worth reading the blurb on the pack and finding out what you are actually getting.  Presumably the hens are kept indoors and only fed a veggie diet.  I'd rather they were out eating what they please to be honest, but each to their own  :)
Title: Re: Vegetarian Chickens
Post by: Ema on September 13, 2018, 18:22
The farm I am volunteering at is part of a trial reducing food waste which the supermarkets would have to pay to compost. Its very different to UK with the no kitchen scraps. They get spent grain from a brewery, apples and kitchen scraps from the farm and then whatever comes from the supermarket once a week, usually a lot of deli/cooked food and some sausages. The sausages and pork are fed to the chickens and the pigs get fed chicken. The amount of food waste is disgusting.

This is one of the commercial egg producers with the veggie eggs Island Gold : Our Products : Shell Eggs (http://www.islandeggs.com/products.php) Yes it must be a sterile environment or they just dont count the flies they eat.

So what do your layers pellets contain for protein? Soya? As most soya is GMO so I wouldn't want to feed that

Title: Re: Vegetarian Chickens
Post by: New shoot on September 13, 2018, 22:21
So what do your layers pellets contain for protein? Soya? As most soya is GMO so I wouldn't want to feed that

The ones I use have soya in the ingredients, but it is a veggie diet and GM free.  GM free pellets are pretty easy to find.   

Mine also eat mixed corn and whatever they find in the garden, plus plot veg, windfall apples and various other crops that go over, bolt or come with lots of outside leaves I don't want.

I also hate food waste, but its worth saying that feeding kitchen scraps or meat is not permitted by DEFRA here in the UK, so people need to bear that in mind.  Sausages or deli foods also have salt, fat and other stuff that is not good for hens.
Title: Re: Vegetarian Chickens
Post by: Ema on September 16, 2018, 06:31
Thanks New shoot that’s great to know good quality pellets are easy to find. Looks like I’ll be on the hunt for some chickens come spring :)

Yes total agree no need to feed human junk
Title: Re: Vegetarian Chickens
Post by: 8doubles on September 24, 2018, 09:33
Surely selling vegetarian eggs is fraud unless the hens are kept in a sterile insect free environment which would inhibit  most of a hens natural feeding behaviour ?
Title: Re: Vegetarian Chickens
Post by: New shoot on September 24, 2018, 11:09
Surely selling vegetarian eggs is fraud unless the hens are kept in a sterile insect free environment which would inhibit  most of a hens natural feeding behaviour ?

The link Ema provided is quite interesting.  That particular company sells free-range eggs, veggie eggs (fed veggie diet) and barn eggs that they describe as free-run.  The barn eggs are also available enriched with omega oils added to the chicken feed.   I reckon the veggie ones are also in barns, but don't get the omega additives to their feed.  What's the difference between them and the standard 'free-run' - dunno  :unsure:
 
A bit of clever marketing spin there and as I suspected  :closedeyes:

Presumably the hens are kept indoors and only fed a veggie diet.  I'd rather they were out eating what they please to be honest, but each to their own  :)