Help! My chickens are eating my tofu!

[dovey]

Okay, they aren't literally.  But here's the issue:

We've been vegan for about 8 years now.  Everyone in the family is happy, healthy, etc.  But I've been talking to people about eating locally, in a more environmentally sound way, and everyone seemed to tell me that soy wasn't so great for the environment, mostly since it's not grown and processed where I live. 

So we decided to branch out and eat eggs again - local source of protein, right?  I cannot get on board with eating eggs from chickens who will be butchered at midlife when they can no longer lay.  So we decided to get our own pet chickens and eat thier eggs, but obviously not kill them.  We ordered some chicks - very sweet little creatures, lots of fun for the kids to watch and take care of.  But I look at the ingredients of their chick starter - a combo of soy and corn. 

I've heard of people feeding their chickens kitchen scraps, bugs from their wanderings and plants that they find, but from what I've read, neither egg laying chickens nor chickens that people eat for meat can completely subsist on such a diet, except under rare optimal conditions.  Most chickens pretty much subsist on soy and corn for the protein in their diet.  And of this protein, only a relatively small percentage is turned into egg protein.  So if I really wanted to eat more locally, chicken eggs don't do the trick.  I might as well just eat my tofu rather than giving it to my chickens

Of course, now we have 8 little peepers who are living in the workshop until they are big enough to go outside.  So I'm happy to share the soy......But does anybody know about keeping chickens and feeding them a balanced diet which includes more table scraps and bugs?  I'm rather clueless in this department, and I don't want to give the chicks a nutritionally poor diet.

p.s. I don't know exactly where to post this thread, but I thought maybe people would have some good ideas here...  

[sidandspencersmom]

You may want to post this in Country Living as well.  There is organic chicken feed available- that has non GMO corn in it.  It's a lot more expensive ($30) a bag, but it will give you peace of mind about their diet.

If your chickens will be free ranging, they don't eat as much "chicken feed" as those who are caged.  They eat lots of green things growing in your yard- weeds, etc.  They don't eat a ton of grass, so don't worry about that. They spend most of their day walking around and eating green things and scratching for bugs.

[catnip]

I know very little about chickens, though I've been considering adopting a couple of 'spent' hens from a local rescue group for bug control and fertilizer, I haven't really done much research yet. You might try PMing or emailing Sayward, she keeps some chickens and might know, though she doesn't eat the eggs - I think she mostly feeds them back to the hens. Her blog is http://bonzaiaphrodite.com/.

[SundayCrepes]

I've had chickens for 18 years and  never considered this. I've just fed them both scratch and a lay mix plus vegetarian kitchen scraps. I've seen my chickens eat a lizard and lots of bugs. I wonder if you have neighbors that eat meat if they'd share some of those scraps with your chickens and how healthy that would be for chickens.

[dovey]

Thanks for the ideas.  I did cross post in Country Living and people had more thoughts over there.  Honestly though, I've been feeling like I did the wrong thing in buying these chicks.  I feel like I accidentally did something against my ethical ideals - I didn't do enough research before I bought them.  I plan on giving them a lovely life, but I didn't realize that most of their brothers were probably killed in order for me to have them.  Additionally, it seems that the layer rations, which they're going to need some of at least, are going to totally negate any positive environmental impact which we would get by eating local eggs instead of protein from beans and grains. 

I feel disappointed in myself and sort of as if I have been "took" by some half-baked argument about why eating animal foods is better for the environment than a vegan diet.  But I don't want to pass this on to my kids - they are so excited about our new pets.  I need to love the chickens for the individuals that they are instead of just seeing them as food producers, I guess.   

[SundayCrepes]

Chickens are really fun to be with. I've rarely met a chicken person who wasn't in love with the experience. I had one chicken that liked to come into the house and beg at the refrigerator. Another chicken liked riding the dog's back. Others have liked roosting on our arms or heads. 

I've had 3 broody hens (they sat on their eggs thinking they would hatch.) I got them each chicks. 2 were great mothers. The other was a mediocre mother. All the chicks were so excited to have mamas. They would hide under the mom's wings and look out at the world. They'd sit on her back. They'd even peck her beak like they were giving her kisses. The good mamas called to their babies when there was food to eat. The one mom lived where there were low bushes. She would pull pieces of leafs off the bushes and call for her babies to come eat them.

Whatever your moral/environmental concerns are, you are right that these chickens need your love. The more time you spend with them now, the tamer they will be and the more fun you will have.

Enjoy. Whether you eat the eggs or not.

[cameragirl]

We get organic feed because I don't want loads of unfermented soy in our diet. I also do not like that the largest conventional brand, Purina, refuses to list the ingredients on their food. I have chickens because I want healthy eggs from healthy birds. Part of that is knowing what they are actually eating. I prefer them on healthy pellets, fresh grass, bugs, and some scraps from our garden. Our girls lay better and look healthier on organic feed, as well.

[LiLStar]

I just bought chicken feed last night and remembered seeing this thread a few weeks back. I just walked into our local feed store, went to the counter and requested a bag of organic chicken feed, "soy free, or regular?" Anyway, a 40lb bag was about $26 or so with tax. The brand is Scratch and Peck http://www.scratchandpeck.com/