question about soy allergy

[Therese's Mommy]

My dd has a soy allergy. It is an IgE allergy. I am having to introduce meat/fish into her diet because she needs more protein and fat. We have done salmon and now I want to move on to chicken. I know a farmer that will have chickens ready in 16 weeks. She uses no soy on her farm and her chickens are all pastured. There is another farmer who also pasture raises his chickens, but the feed they get has soy in it (non-GMO). This second farmer will have chickens ready at the end of May. I really want to start her on chicken, but I am wondering if I need to worry about the soy that is in their feed. Her soy allergy isn't a really bad one if that makes a difference.

My other question, which may not be appropriate for this forum, is whether soy is "natural" to a chicken's diet. As a kid I remember seeing lots of pheasants in soybean fields. So, these were wild pheasants and they ate soy and corn as well (my dad showed me when he cleaned them what they had eaten). So, is it the case that soy is natural to a chicken's diet?

Thanks for any advice.

Beth

[gigismom]

My ds is ige to soy. He can't tolerate soy oil or lechitin. He has no problem with meat or poultry that was fed soy from what I have noted. Not sure if soy should be considered part of a chicken's natural diet. I guess a chicken walking through a field of soybeans would most likely eat some. But this is different in my mind than a bunch of chickens being fed soy feed. That said, we can't afford to eat organic free range chicken all the time so I am sure that ds has eaten some soy fed chicken and I have not seen him react to it.

[Therese's Mommy]

Thanks so much for your reply.

Originally Posted by gigismom

That said, we can't afford to eat organic free range chicken all the time so I am sure that ds has eaten some soy fed chicken and I have not seen him react to it.

Actually, even most organic pastured (free range) chickens are given some soy in their feed. It is not very easy to find a farmer that puts no soy in his chickens' feed.