This conversation crops up a lot on the various forums for chicken owners on the internet.  Several lines of chicken feed (such as Purina's Layena Sun Fresh) are labeled "No Animal Protein" or "Protein From Vegetarian Sources."  Then again, most consumers have also seen eggs and chickens labeled "Vegetarian Fed."

The odd thing is, chickens are not vegetarians.  Chickens are omnivorous, and when left to their own devices will eat a diet of about 80% plants and 20% insects and small animals.  (Yes, chickens will eat mice, lizards, small snakes - basically anything that they can catch.  You did know that chickens evolved from tyrannosaurus rex, didn't you?  Now you can see the resemblance!)

Some people see this as a secret liberal bleeding heart vegetarian agenda being thrust upon their chickens.  Not so!  The truth is that yes, in theory a great chicken feed could be produced from high quality protein sources.  We see this already happening with high quality dog and cat foods.  (I personally feed VF cat food, which includes healthy meat from American sources.)

Unfortunately, chicken feed is not yet to that level.  Numerically speaking, the vast majority of American chickens live in CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, a term which encompasses every high density industrial "farming" operation, from feed lots to battery hen cages).  And most of these chickens are fed "animal protein."

When listed as an ingredient, "animal protein" is a term that can and does include:

* Sick feedlot animals such as "downer cows" which cannot be put into the human food stream as per government regulations - but can be fed to other animals.

*  The carcasses of other chickens, many of whom may have died from disease, most of whom include a high level of antibiotics, which is passed along in the feed.

*  The bodies of cats and dogs euthanized by animal shelters, which include the chemicals used to euthanize the animal, plus any medications the animal may have been on.

*  The absolute bottom quality level of slaughterhouse "byproducts," which are in a condition too poor to be sold directly to people.
The question becomes, would you rather eat a chicken (or the eggs of a chicken) which lives on items from the above list, or chickens which are fed soy protein plus amino acid supplements?  If you are concerned about the quality of your food, then the answer is obvious.  "Vegetarian fed" it is!

As a chicken owner, you have the same choice to make when you purchase feed.  Most chicken owners feed at least some commercial chicken feed, even if their chickens are free range.  There is a lot of propaganda on the internet by purveyors of industrial grade chicken feed.  

It is true that a chicken fed nothing but soybean protein could get sick.  But most name brand chicken feeds with vegetarian protein sources include the various amino acids and missing nutrients in order to provide a balanced diet.  To get back to Purina's Layena Sun Fresh recipe, this recipe includes both lysine and methionone, both of which are important nutrients which most chickens get from protein sources.