Grain free feed

U_Stormcrow said:

I'm goign to try and be polite. Its not one of my strong points.

First, I question your Mother in Law's sources. Maybe she's found some reputable research I've not stumbled across. I would observe, however, that the whole reason chickens - from ancient jungle fowl to the most recently recognized breeds of galus galus domesticus (the chicken) have crops is for the grinding of grain...

Second. Chicken is Gluten free. So are their eggs. EVEN IF they eat a diet with gluten in it. The chicken's digestive system, as part of, well, digesting, breaks down gluten before absorbing it into the blood stream. What isn't broken down isn't absorbed, and exits the chicken in their droppings.

Third, even though chickens and eggs are gluten free (the primary reason - celiac's disease - most people avoid grains), some people still have alergic reactions. NOT because of the poultry product, but because of cross-contamination in the factory.

Many, perhaps most (by volume) prepared chicken and egg products involve flour. Its incredibly useful, from a culinary perspective - and it gets everywhere. SO, if the alergy is severe enough, she might be one of the few who need gluten free chicken feed NOT because it makes the chickens dangerous to her, but because feeding the chickens is dangerous to her. Fine dust from chicken feed, even pellets, is basically unavoidable. IF she is sufficiently alergic, that's a problem.

Fourth, how was she diagnosed??? Self-diagnosis is unreliable. For many, in the modern world, self-diagnosis is adequate, because we have so many feed choices available to us its easy to avoid food A, B, or C. But for determining whether a product we might feed to another creature will result in a patontial allergen being deposited in the flesh or eggs, its useless.

As example, many people think they have a fish allergy, or a shellfish allergy - when in reality, they have an allergy to the byproducts of dynoflagellates in the waters where those foods are sourced (these people also have the most severe reactions to red tides).
Simply changing the sourcing of their fish or shellfish might allow them to enjoy those things again. An actual fish allergy is usually caused by Parvalbumin, which is most present in whitemeat fish (catfish, swai, tilapia, etc), and least present in red meat fish (salmon, trout, etc). Shellfish allergies, more than half the time, are to a particular variety of tropomyosin. But you can't simply avoid tropomyosins - they are present in animal flesh, including your own - used in the process of muscle contraction.

That's why an allergist is so important in identifying what, SPECIFICALLY, a person is allergic to.

Then, and only then, can I offer good advice. and yes, there are gluten-free chjicken feeds out there. Most are also Organic or non GMO, many are also corn and/or soy free. They are both very expensive compared to a more traditional feed, and generally inferior from a nutritional standpoint - but they do exist.

ReedyFork
PrairieMelody
NewCountryOrganics (warning, contains oats - which are themselves gluten-free [like chickens and eggs] but are often processed in places that also use and/or process wheat.)
etc.

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HollowOfWisps said:

I am allergic to gluten to the point that someone asked for me to try a bite of their "veggie bowl" they made and I did not see nor
realize there was spelt grains buried in the bottom. Within 10 minutes I had quarter and fifty cent coin sized hives all over my neck and chest. That was just one bite. Celiac is also a genetic condition that runs in the family. We all have eaten eggs from my flock who are fed Purina Flock Raiser Crumbles which have wheat. No reactions because all meat and eggs are gluten free unless contaminated after the fact. Chickens needing to be fed grain-free for people with gluten allergies is a straight up scam.

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