"vegetarian fed" store eggs

[RocketDad]

I sell half-dozens to my neighbor. Yesterday my 10 year old came back with the obligatory dollar and the inevitable armload of used cartons. Several of them came from a well known national corporate "health food" store.

On the label are the words "vegetarian fed" and "raised naturally." What the heck does that mean? If they're raised "naturally" does that just mean they're not battery hens, or are there specific metrics to achieve, like the "organic" label requires?

Then we started talking about "vegetarian fed." The 8 year old understood the implication that they're fed vegetables only (which seems to contradict "naturally raised...") and I suggested that it just means that vegetarians are feeding them.

Then my ten year old made the next logical guess - that the hens are eating vegetarians.

Just had to share.

 

[Katy]

LOL

I agree that "raised naturally" and "vegetarian" don't go together.

 

[LarryPQ]

I only buy store eggs if the chickens were fed 100% fruitarians. It makes the eggs sweeter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarian

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Agreed. I have one carton given to me that has now been used a half a dozen times. It has the "vegetarian fed" on the lid. We've had the same discussion.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

check out Brunty's web site he gives a very detailed explination along with pics of what those lables mean.

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Actually, all of my chickens are vegetarian fed, meaning that I provide rations that are not mixed with animal products. My chickens are not vegetarians, though. They free range and eat whatever insect or small thing they can catch. Those "bone, blood, whatever meal " add to layer rations to get the protien up....I know what's they can be made of. (Fido, roadkill, feathers, poop, etc.)

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Unless you think those egg companies are gathering those eggs from the jungles of Indonesia you know they are not "raised naturally."

"Vegetarian fed" is easier to understand. It's not necessarily as good a thing as some would have one believe, but no animal products in the feed is is not a diffcult concept. I use vegetarian feed and my hens produce quite well. They produced well with feeds containing animal products too.

You can thank Mad Cow for that 'vegetarian fed' business since protein (or fats) originating from mammals is now closely requlated in animal feeds. The only chicken feed I can find now with animal proteins in it comes from "poultry byproducts." Given a choice I'll take the vegetarian feed as I think feeding like to like is not a good idea.

.....Alan.

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

"Raised naturally" and "Vegetarian"

Raised naturally Simply means no drugs were put into their system and they were not held in cages.


Vegetarian just means that no meat or meat by products was given to them in the feed or fed to them they only fed them all natural veg products in thier feed.

This is just my opinon although I am sure that is what it means.

 

[Katy]

I know what they mean but if a chicken was raised naturally it would be far from vegetarian fed.

 

[sommrluv]

people still believe road kill is in animal feed? Seriously?