Vegetarian Chickens Part 1
By Jim Bauermeister Draft Copy, Not Yet Complete
Washington Tilth
Spring 1999
By Jim Bauermeister Draft Copy, Not Yet Complete
Washington Tilth
Spring 1999
Nearly all commercial poultry feeds contain something euphemistically called “animal protein products.” In her
book, Food Pets Die For, Ann Martin describes just how this stuff is made: At the rendering plant, slaughterhouse
material, restaurant and supermarket refuse, dead stock, road kill and euthanized companion animals are dumped
into huge containers. A machine slowly grinds the entire mess. After it is chipped or shredded, it is cooked at
temperatures of between 2200 and 2700 F. for twenty minutes to one hour. The grease or tallow rises to the top,
where it is removed from the mixture. This is the source of animal fat in most pet food. The remaining material,
“the raw,” is then put into a press where the moisture is squeezed out. We now have meat and bone meal.
This meal is mixed into poultry feed along with some fat and a long list of multi-syllable preservatives to keep it
from becoming rancid. In the commercial poultry industry there is a more direct connection between being fed and
becoming feed. Dead broilers are picked up every morning, frozen, then shredded and fed back to their brothers
and sisters, feathers, bones, guts and all.
Now I’m all in favor of recycling, but this is about as organic and natural as sewage sludge. If you are what you eat,
you are also what your food eats. Thinking about it is enough to make one become vegetarian. Yet there is an
alternative: convert your chickens to vegetarianism. Trouble is, most poultry books include’ meat and bone meal
as one of the main ingredients of home-mixed feed formulas. This is because meat is a highly concentrated, well-
balanced protein that contains all essential amino acids. But just as human vegetarians are able to balance their
diets, you can make good chicken feed by combining “complementary proteins.” Proteins are the basic building
blocks of muscles, bones, feathers, etc.
Young, rapidly growing birds need high levels of easily digestible proteins.
As they grow protein requirements decline (See Table 1). Proteins are composed of amino acids. Creatures need
the right balance of amino acids to facilitate good health and growth. An all-grain diet would be severely lacking in
several essential amino acids. While most legumes are high in protein, they are low in some amino acids.
Fortunately, some grains contain these missing ingredients. Unfortunately, piecing together a balanced formula
can become quite complicated. Just try reading the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Poultry
without your eyes glazing over.
Table 1: General Nutrition Requirements
But rather than develop your own formula from scratch, you can build on the efforts of others. Below are several
tried and true formulas used by poultry growers across the continent. A caveat: while corn, barley and wheat are
similar in their carbohydrate values, the quality and quantity of their proteins can vary considerably. There is even
considerable variation between different varieties of the same grain. Hard red wheat has a much higher protein
content than soft white. And some years, due to climatic conditions, the protein content of a grain may be down
several percentage points. Using a lower protein grain in a formula will require slightly more high protein legumes.
Always mix feed by weight, not by volume-- a bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds, while a bushel of oats is just 35.
It’s best that one type of grain not comprise the entire grain portion of a ration. A mixture will help to ensure a
better nutrient balance. New grains should be added incrementally to the diet. Whole grain may be fed to birds
after four weeks of age, provided it is gradually added to the feed so the gizzard can adjust to the extra work.
Young birds can not digest rye but a layer ration can contain up to 20% of the grain provided it is not
contaminated with ergot fungus.
Most non-meat poultry formulas use soybean meal as the main protein source. It has a much higher protein level
(45%) than peas (21%) or alfalfa meal (24%). However, soybeans must be heat treated to deactivate a substance
that can inhibit certain amino acids. Last year nearly a third of U.S. soybeans were grown from genetically
engineered seed. Since soybeans are not much grown in the Pacific Northwest, finding an organic source of the
meal may be a challenge. Fava beans (25% protein), low-alkaloid lupine seed (32%), sunflower meal (33%) and
flaxseed (21%) could be viable alternatives if some grain grower wanted to tap a wide open market for organic
feeds. Note: fava beans contain compounds which can cause a reduction in egg size and yolk membrane fragility.
Favas are safe for broilers, young pullets and other non-laying birds. The calcium source for layers and broilers
may be oyster shell, limestone or bonemeal. The formula in Table 3 is from Joel Salatin’s Pastured Poultry Profits.
Chris Wieck is a Texas farmer who raises broilers in a big old barn. Although his formula relies on just one grain,
triticale is a cross between wheat and rye and exceeds both its parents in feed value. Wieck adds .06%
calcium and .012% XP4 phosphorus as well as vitamins to the ration. Table 2: Wieck Formula
I can personally attest to the efficacy of Wieck’s formula, although I substituted hard red winter wheat for the
triticale and added sunflower seeds and cull peas. I noticed, however, that the broilers and turkeys tended to eat
around the alfalfa pellets. I wasn’t too concerned about this because the birds were on a pasture with a quantity of
green alfalfa. Joel Salatin himself has switched to a vegetable protein ration since the publication of the 1996
edition of Pastured Poultry Profits. He says the new feed has eliminated his hospital pen, the birds are “clean and
white with the pinkest skin I’ve ever seen.” Table 3: Salatin Formulas
The Sea-lac in is his formula contains low-heat fish meal. The Nutri-balancer is a mix of vitamins and minerals. Joel
adds one dozen hard boiled eggs per 300 chicks/day for the first week. Jonda Cosby has put a lot of thought into
the rations she and her partner Nancy Matheson market under the “Ain’t Just Chicken Feed” label in Western
Montana. Jonda has carefully researched amino acid balances as well as the micro nutrient requirements of
poultry to come up with the poultry grower mixes in Table 4 and the layer rations in Table 5. The “premix” in Layer
Table 3 Salatin Formula
Mix #1 contains kelp meal, diatomaceous earth, calcium, and other essential minerals and vitamins. They obtain
the premix from Kreamer Feed (see resources). The unique thing about the “Ain’t Just Chicken Feed” formulas is
that three out of four of them are based primarily on feed grains that can be grown in the Northwest—although
finding a source of flaxseed might be as challenging as coming up with organic soybean meal. Jonda—and many
other poultry farmers—caution against feeding growing chicks more than 6 percent flaxseed or 5 percent of
the more concentrated linseed meal (a byproduct of making linseed oil from flax). However, flaxseed can improve
the nutritional composition of eggs by increasing the omega-3 content and some Canadian egg producers feed
their layers 15-20 percent flaxseed (see Growing Flax The layer mixes in Table 5 contain everything hens need to
produce lovely brown eggs. Jonda says the alfalfa meal “is especially nice for dark yellow egg yolks.” They make
the meal by grinding alfalfa pellets. The barley used in these rations was unusually high in protein (16.6%). Most
feed tables list barley at 8- 10% 50 a farmer may need to add a bit more wheat, peas or soybean meal to make up
the difference. Layers on good grass-legume pastures will do well on the basic layer mix (#2), although they will
need to have free-choice access to ground oyster shell.
Poultry on pasture, or running around loose, may self-select a third or more of their diet. There is
no way for the farmer to know, exactly, what her birds are eating. While this might drive a poultry
nutrition specialist nuts, an observant farmer will be able to tell how the poultry are doing based
on their appearance and behavior.
Although one Washington hatchery severely warns its customers against feeding Cornish-cross
anything other than a commercial broiler ration, many small farmers have had success with the
breed by supplementing its feed with lactobacillus (probiotic), brewers yeast, alfalfa meal, kelp
meal and vitamins. The first four weeks are especially crucial for any breed, chicken or turkey.
Confined poultry need a supplemental source of Vitamin D if they are unable to receive it directly
from the sun. (It wasn’t until vitamin D was discovered in the 1920s that poultry could be raised
in confinement).
Chickens are very omnivorous creatures that seem to survive on anything (I don’t think I’d want
to pass out near a hungry flock of ‘em). However, producing quality eggs and meat requires
quality feed. It is the ration, probably more than anything else, that is responsible for the
incomparable flavor of small farm raised poultry and eggs.
Jonda Cosby, co-owner of Two Chicks Scratching, Helena, MT, provided considerable
assistance for this article. Thanks also to Karen Gilbert of Middle Farm, Lopez Island.
Resources: The best source for information on the nutritional composition of feeds has been,
since 1898, Morrison ‘s Feeds and Feeding, frequently revised and available in dozens of
editions. A very technical description of chicken feeding is Nutrient Requirements of Poultry by
the National Research Council, National Academy Press, 1994. www.nap.edu. Nutri- balancer
and Sea-lac are available from The Fertrell Company; Box 265; Bainbridge, PA 17502; 71 7-367-
1566; www.fertrell.com. “Premix” is available from Kreamer Feed; Box 38; Kreamer, PA 17833;
800- 767-4537. Probiotic is available from Twenka Daves; 21353 S Fishers Mill Rd. Oregon City,
OR 97045; 1- 800-43 7-88 72. Organic poultry feed can be obtained from In Seasons Farms;
book, Food Pets Die For, Ann Martin describes just how this stuff is made: At the rendering plant, slaughterhouse
material, restaurant and supermarket refuse, dead stock, road kill and euthanized companion animals are dumped
into huge containers. A machine slowly grinds the entire mess. After it is chipped or shredded, it is cooked at
temperatures of between 2200 and 2700 F. for twenty minutes to one hour. The grease or tallow rises to the top,
where it is removed from the mixture. This is the source of animal fat in most pet food. The remaining material,
“the raw,” is then put into a press where the moisture is squeezed out. We now have meat and bone meal.
This meal is mixed into poultry feed along with some fat and a long list of multi-syllable preservatives to keep it
from becoming rancid. In the commercial poultry industry there is a more direct connection between being fed and
becoming feed. Dead broilers are picked up every morning, frozen, then shredded and fed back to their brothers
and sisters, feathers, bones, guts and all.
Now I’m all in favor of recycling, but this is about as organic and natural as sewage sludge. If you are what you eat,
you are also what your food eats. Thinking about it is enough to make one become vegetarian. Yet there is an
alternative: convert your chickens to vegetarianism. Trouble is, most poultry books include’ meat and bone meal
as one of the main ingredients of home-mixed feed formulas. This is because meat is a highly concentrated, well-
balanced protein that contains all essential amino acids. But just as human vegetarians are able to balance their
diets, you can make good chicken feed by combining “complementary proteins.” Proteins are the basic building
blocks of muscles, bones, feathers, etc.
Young, rapidly growing birds need high levels of easily digestible proteins.
As they grow protein requirements decline (See Table 1). Proteins are composed of amino acids. Creatures need
the right balance of amino acids to facilitate good health and growth. An all-grain diet would be severely lacking in
several essential amino acids. While most legumes are high in protein, they are low in some amino acids.
Fortunately, some grains contain these missing ingredients. Unfortunately, piecing together a balanced formula
can become quite complicated. Just try reading the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Poultry
without your eyes glazing over.
Table 1: General Nutrition Requirements
But rather than develop your own formula from scratch, you can build on the efforts of others. Below are several
tried and true formulas used by poultry growers across the continent. A caveat: while corn, barley and wheat are
similar in their carbohydrate values, the quality and quantity of their proteins can vary considerably. There is even
considerable variation between different varieties of the same grain. Hard red wheat has a much higher protein
content than soft white. And some years, due to climatic conditions, the protein content of a grain may be down
several percentage points. Using a lower protein grain in a formula will require slightly more high protein legumes.
Always mix feed by weight, not by volume-- a bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds, while a bushel of oats is just 35.
It’s best that one type of grain not comprise the entire grain portion of a ration. A mixture will help to ensure a
better nutrient balance. New grains should be added incrementally to the diet. Whole grain may be fed to birds
after four weeks of age, provided it is gradually added to the feed so the gizzard can adjust to the extra work.
Young birds can not digest rye but a layer ration can contain up to 20% of the grain provided it is not
contaminated with ergot fungus.
Most non-meat poultry formulas use soybean meal as the main protein source. It has a much higher protein level
(45%) than peas (21%) or alfalfa meal (24%). However, soybeans must be heat treated to deactivate a substance
that can inhibit certain amino acids. Last year nearly a third of U.S. soybeans were grown from genetically
engineered seed. Since soybeans are not much grown in the Pacific Northwest, finding an organic source of the
meal may be a challenge. Fava beans (25% protein), low-alkaloid lupine seed (32%), sunflower meal (33%) and
flaxseed (21%) could be viable alternatives if some grain grower wanted to tap a wide open market for organic
feeds. Note: fava beans contain compounds which can cause a reduction in egg size and yolk membrane fragility.
Favas are safe for broilers, young pullets and other non-laying birds. The calcium source for layers and broilers
may be oyster shell, limestone or bonemeal. The formula in Table 3 is from Joel Salatin’s Pastured Poultry Profits.
Chris Wieck is a Texas farmer who raises broilers in a big old barn. Although his formula relies on just one grain,
triticale is a cross between wheat and rye and exceeds both its parents in feed value. Wieck adds .06%
calcium and .012% XP4 phosphorus as well as vitamins to the ration. Table 2: Wieck Formula
I can personally attest to the efficacy of Wieck’s formula, although I substituted hard red winter wheat for the
triticale and added sunflower seeds and cull peas. I noticed, however, that the broilers and turkeys tended to eat
around the alfalfa pellets. I wasn’t too concerned about this because the birds were on a pasture with a quantity of
green alfalfa. Joel Salatin himself has switched to a vegetable protein ration since the publication of the 1996
edition of Pastured Poultry Profits. He says the new feed has eliminated his hospital pen, the birds are “clean and
white with the pinkest skin I’ve ever seen.” Table 3: Salatin Formulas
The Sea-lac in is his formula contains low-heat fish meal. The Nutri-balancer is a mix of vitamins and minerals. Joel
adds one dozen hard boiled eggs per 300 chicks/day for the first week. Jonda Cosby has put a lot of thought into
the rations she and her partner Nancy Matheson market under the “Ain’t Just Chicken Feed” label in Western
Montana. Jonda has carefully researched amino acid balances as well as the micro nutrient requirements of
poultry to come up with the poultry grower mixes in Table 4 and the layer rations in Table 5. The “premix” in Layer
Table 3 Salatin Formula
Mix #1 contains kelp meal, diatomaceous earth, calcium, and other essential minerals and vitamins. They obtain
the premix from Kreamer Feed (see resources). The unique thing about the “Ain’t Just Chicken Feed” formulas is
that three out of four of them are based primarily on feed grains that can be grown in the Northwest—although
finding a source of flaxseed might be as challenging as coming up with organic soybean meal. Jonda—and many
other poultry farmers—caution against feeding growing chicks more than 6 percent flaxseed or 5 percent of
the more concentrated linseed meal (a byproduct of making linseed oil from flax). However, flaxseed can improve
the nutritional composition of eggs by increasing the omega-3 content and some Canadian egg producers feed
their layers 15-20 percent flaxseed (see Growing Flax The layer mixes in Table 5 contain everything hens need to
produce lovely brown eggs. Jonda says the alfalfa meal “is especially nice for dark yellow egg yolks.” They make
the meal by grinding alfalfa pellets. The barley used in these rations was unusually high in protein (16.6%). Most
feed tables list barley at 8- 10% 50 a farmer may need to add a bit more wheat, peas or soybean meal to make up
the difference. Layers on good grass-legume pastures will do well on the basic layer mix (#2), although they will
need to have free-choice access to ground oyster shell.
Poultry on pasture, or running around loose, may self-select a third or more of their diet. There is
no way for the farmer to know, exactly, what her birds are eating. While this might drive a poultry
nutrition specialist nuts, an observant farmer will be able to tell how the poultry are doing based
on their appearance and behavior.
Although one Washington hatchery severely warns its customers against feeding Cornish-cross
anything other than a commercial broiler ration, many small farmers have had success with the
breed by supplementing its feed with lactobacillus (probiotic), brewers yeast, alfalfa meal, kelp
meal and vitamins. The first four weeks are especially crucial for any breed, chicken or turkey.
Confined poultry need a supplemental source of Vitamin D if they are unable to receive it directly
from the sun. (It wasn’t until vitamin D was discovered in the 1920s that poultry could be raised
in confinement).
Chickens are very omnivorous creatures that seem to survive on anything (I don’t think I’d want
to pass out near a hungry flock of ‘em). However, producing quality eggs and meat requires
quality feed. It is the ration, probably more than anything else, that is responsible for the
incomparable flavor of small farm raised poultry and eggs.
Jonda Cosby, co-owner of Two Chicks Scratching, Helena, MT, provided considerable
assistance for this article. Thanks also to Karen Gilbert of Middle Farm, Lopez Island.
Resources: The best source for information on the nutritional composition of feeds has been,
since 1898, Morrison ‘s Feeds and Feeding, frequently revised and available in dozens of
editions. A very technical description of chicken feeding is Nutrient Requirements of Poultry by
the National Research Council, National Academy Press, 1994. www.nap.edu. Nutri- balancer
and Sea-lac are available from The Fertrell Company; Box 265; Bainbridge, PA 17502; 71 7-367-
1566; www.fertrell.com. “Premix” is available from Kreamer Feed; Box 38; Kreamer, PA 17833;
800- 767-4537. Probiotic is available from Twenka Daves; 21353 S Fishers Mill Rd. Oregon City,
OR 97045; 1- 800-43 7-88 72. Organic poultry feed can be obtained from In Seasons Farms;
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