Okay, so in my journeys across the internet I read many things. One of things I saw today was a website that shall remain nameless talking about how their chickens are fed a vegetarian diet because that is what they are by nature.
No, no, no no no. No.
Let’s take a little trip back through time.
Chickens are believed to be descended from Archaeopteryx. They lived about 150 million years ago (that would be the late Jurassic period). These creatures are believe to be the link between dinosaurs and the modern bird that we know today.
Okay, so what came before the Archeopteryx? I’m glad you asked. Archeopteryx is part of the genus of Theropoda. Theropods had varied diets, but started out as mostly carnivorous. Some of them changed over time to become omnivores, some became herbivores. Most people don’t know what a theropod is, so let me make it easy for you; Velociraptor. Interesting to note, they weren’t as large as they appeared in “Jurassic Park”.
And you know what… let us set aside all that and just look at their behavior. Chickens will scratch the ground when walking around outside. They dig their curved toes into the dirt, and kick back. Hint: they aren’t looking for the Publisher’s Clearing House prize. They are looking for something to eat. Sometimes it’s grass they want to eat, sometimes it is a bug.
Or a worm.
Perhaps a beetle.
Could be a pumpkin seed.
Maybe even a snake (oh yes, they will go after snakes).
They will also, if left to their own devices, eat their own eggs. That doesn’t sound really vegan to me. We’ve had to deal with that on occasion, and it isn’t fun. Once they understand that there is something tasty coming out of their back-end, the trouble begins.
I’m not going to go into the fact that if you are feeding them soy, there is a pretty high likelihood that it is GMO soy; over 90% of the soy grown in the U.S. is of that ilk. But I guess I should be happy that they are feeding them something more than just scratch grain. All too often, we will be driving along and see a sign “Eggs – $2/dozen” and shake our heads sadly. We have found that in many of those cases, the eggs are no better than store bought eggs. When a chicken is stressed out, the eggs show it. The eggs are watery, the yokes flatten out because they lack rigidity, the shells crack easily. You can’t just give them scratch grain and let them forage for the rest. Most areas do not have the complete nutritional content to effectively support chickens as they require (and desire) a diverse diet.
But to make the claim that chickens prefer a vegetarian diet? That’s pretty foolish, not to mention irresponsible.
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