Arg. Vegetarian Diets for Chickens? page

[handgallop]

I'm kicking myself today because I bought eggs from the grocery store last night instead of the local place down the road (too late at night to stop there).

I grabbed brown eggs, with 'cage free' on the box (though I know that doesn't necessarily mean what we think it should mean)... When I got home I noticed the box also said the chickens were fed a "vegetarian diet" - what the heck? Why would this be a good thing?

Yes, chickens eat grass and vegetation but they also eat a lot of bugs - and REAL free roaming chickens produce much yummier eggs for that reason.

I guess this is just a rant, but I'm astounded that chickens fed an un-natural diet is now some kind of selling point.

[duckmama]

Yeah, that's weird. If a chicken is truly "cage-free" or "free range," they will definitely eat bugs, worms, etc. I had chickens for many years as a kid and learned that chickens will pretty much eat anything. We used them as our natural garbage disposals - feeding them all kinds of kitchen scraps that included meat, veg, fruit, etc. And we had wonderful, tasty homegrown eggs for many years that had beautiful dark yellow yolks.

And we had ducks for quite a few years too. I learned from a young age that a duck's favorite treat are garden slugs. And we had some really tasty duck eggs!

[Metismomma]

I agree, its obnoxious.

[Eklecktika]

Not a lot different than 'vegetarian' diets for dogs and cats.

Ridiculous...all of it.

You do know that 'cagefree' usually means the birds are kept in a large pen with roost boxes as opposed to being pastured? Even pastured doesn't always mean truly pastured-sometimes they just have the opportunity to go outside-which doesn't mean they do.

[handgallop]

You do know that 'cagefree' usually means the birds are kept in a large pen with roost boxes as opposed to being pastured? Even pastured doesn't always mean truly pastured-sometimes they just have the opportunity to go outside-which doesn't mean they do.

Yep, and why I usually get my eggs from a place down the road as opposed to a grocery store...

[Soil To Sustenance]

In fairness I think the reason for the "vegetarian diet" marketing ploy is so people wouldn't be concerned that the chickens were being fed any ground up chicken parts (left overs from the processing plant). But probably this applied more to mad cow disease...

[jrherring]

The labeling selecting at my grocer annoys me. I don't buy there often as I've finally met a farm who actually has pastured chickens. But occasionally I have to grab store bought eggs. All those labels crack me up. ESP the veggie fed ones.
blah.
i need to start raising chickens. lol

[Eklecktika]

In fairness I think the reason for the "vegetarian diet" marketing ploy is so people wouldn't be concerned that the chickens were being fed any ground up chicken parts (left overs from the processing plant). But probably this applied more to mad cow disease...

I agree. But its still as species appropriate as feeding my horse a steak. IMO the BSE threat was very exaggerated.

[gordo]

The labeling selecting at my grocer annoys me.

I like the prominent "100mg omega-3 per egg" on many cartons. That's what a CAFO egg normally has. A pathetic way to increase sales.

Gordo

[Italapas]

In fairness I think the reason for the "vegetarian diet" marketing ploy is so people wouldn't be concerned that the chickens were being fed any ground up chicken parts (left overs from the processing plant). But probably this applied more to mad cow disease...

Ye gods, people ought to see our chickens chowing down on the leftovers from making chicken broth.