birdfeed

[awesomeame]

Hey, so I've been eating a pretty one sided diet lately, with the only meat source coming from beef. (raw of course) 

Been doing a bit of reading on here and see that it's the opinion (by GCB and others) that variety is important, so I'm going to try some other meats. 

I was thinking trying chicken, turkey, and duck.  I have access to "certified organic" birds, but unsure what that means exactly...I'll be asking the farmers what they feed their animals before I buy..so what sorts of things should birds be consuming so it's safe for us to eat?  Or what shouldn't they be consuming?

Thx

Matt

[Iguana]

No wheat, even unheated, and nothing cooked. Some other grains such as oats, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, barley, rye or rice can be tolerated in moderate amounts as long as they have not been heat dried over 40° C (birds are graminivores, unlike mammals). The birds should be outside the whole day in a sufficiently large meadow or orchard, so that they can find worms, insects and other stuff. They can be given raw leftovers and rotten fruits. Everything should preferably be organic.

Cheers
Francois

[awesomeame]

Thanks!!!

It's too bad we can't eat wild turkey!  Around here is so much farmland, one never knows what they've been eating...how many soybeans or corn laced with who knows what chemical concoction   Grain gets spilled in the fields too and they'll eat that as well.  I shoot a couple turkeys every year and give the meat to my neighbours who cook their food....same with my deer   So sad that if I want naturally fed wild game I have to go to a wild game farmer.

Matt

[Adora]

wait - what? - we can't eat wild game??  Can I have more info on this wild game thing. Assume the game could be eating off farm land. Not out of dumpsters, ie. country game, not city caught squirrels, who would eat small/large game? I want to, but if people here think this is not safe, I'm afraid. Please be specific, squirrel, rabbit, turkey, deer, boar, etc.
     I think everybody's against freshwater fish eaten raw- also, very depressing.
I had a bad experience with buying free range organic chicken from grocery store, then vomited the rest of the night. It wasn't so bad, but I don't feel like chicken today.
     My butcher warned me that any bird bought this time of year is eating almost entirely seed

[Aaaaaa]

Yeah, I'm wondering  about the same thing, Adora.  I got some wild venison from a friend at work, and then he told me "yeah, it tastes really great because practically all they eat is the corn from the corn-fields around here!" 
...which I don't think is so great :-(

[Iguana]

Yes, that is a problem in intensively farmed areas. Sadly, agriculture is really the worst mistake in the history of human race. It’s difficult to give a confident and definitive answer because it depends on the area, the level of pollution by agriculture, the presence or absence of open-air garbage dumps, the species of animal, etc.

Of course, the ideal is to have access to wild animals from a vast, wild and relatively unpolluted area. Otherwise we should be careful. Never eat a fox, they feed on garbage around the houses and may have rabies. If you eat wild boar, make sure there’s no trichina infestation in the area – I think they get it when feeding on corn and/or garbage.

In my region there is corn and cereals farming, also vineyards, but still quite a lot of forest. I commonly eat wild boar, deer and road killed badgers. I would try wild birds perhaps but never had the opportunity. When I lived in Switzerland, we preferred chamois and ibex because they flee human settlements and take refuge in the mountains. But we also ate deer and venison from wooded areas.   

[TylerDurden]

I never had a problem with wild game in the UK. It all tasted way, way better than raw, grainfed meats, so I'm sure they didn't mainly feed on corn.

[Inger]

I live in Finnland where is not THAT much Agriculture, but of course some.
Here the hunters feed wild game grains and vegetables and such. I know it 100% sure.
They don't think the way we do, they just want a lot of meat.
I still eat game, of course. I am not neurotic. You can only do the best you can anyway.
But this is why you should not look down on grassfed meat eather. At last they have not been eating grains sprayed with pesticides..
I feel game is still special and great food, wild game have access to all herbs and plants they want, a lot of different kinds. As long as the animal stays healthy.. I guess animals can cope with a small amount of "poison".

I had strange Elkmeat this fall. It tasted a little strange and made my stomach kind of sick. I had it not only once.
I wonder if it was from sick animals.
It never happened before, this fall - first time.
Freshwater fish I have been eating raw, in summer. It was from a really pure lake where I live. It is so pure you can drink the water when swimming. But I would not recommend freshwater fish raw to anyone. They  can have parasites.
But, I have had parasites in my fresh wildcaught Atlantic cod from Norway too.. I just realized the living,  brown worms after I already tasted the meat. Same in herring.
 I still see no worms when I go to the toilet.. so I dunno. And I am feeling great.. not too thin or anything. I easily put on weight if I stuff myself too..
 Maybe it is not that bad to get some parasites inside? I really don't know.

I eat the innards from my mom's chickens too, raw and fresh. We just slaughtered 3 this weekend.
She gives them grains. In summer they are free, outside all day. I guess the positive outweights the negative.. at least in my mind..
Here a pic from the chicken- innards I enjoyed, they do taste great I have to say!



Inger

[awesomeame]

Yeah, I'm wondering  about the same thing, Adora.  I got some wild venison from a friend at work, and then he told me "yeah, it tastes really great because practically all they eat is the corn from the corn-fields around here!" 
...which I don't think is so great :-(

HAHA yup.  My extended family on my dad's side are all farmers and peg about $30k worth of soybeans and corn lost to wild animals every year.  I'm not sure what this is as a percentage of overall yield though...they have about a dozen farms  so I'd think this is on the smaller %%.  Still though, that percentage would be similar in any other farming area.

I don't have a problem eating wild game if it comes from up north, where there are no people and the animals are truly eating their natural diet   But around farmed areas...ughh ya just never know!

Matt

[Wattlebird]

I still eat game, of course. I am not neurotic. You can only do the best you can anyway.

But, I have had parasites in my fresh wildcaught Atlantic cod from Norway too.. I just realized the living,  brown worms after I already tasted the meat. Same in herring.
 I still see no worms when I go to the toilet.. so I dunno. And I am feeling great.. not too thin or anything. I easily put on weight if I stuff myself too..
 Maybe it is not that bad to get some parasites inside? I really don't know.
Inger

Hi Inger
Yes, I agree, there is much to be said about a relaxed attitude to life (and however one eats). One does what one does, and utilises to the best of ones ability the foods one can reasonably acquire and then eats with grace and gratitude.
In addition, the stress hormones  from being hyper-obsessive can also be detrimental to a persons wellbeing.

Regarding parasites, I was flicking through an old National Geographic Magazine the other day and came across an article which was about microbes and parasites, and stated that there are more of these in the body than cells.
Furthermore the article went on to say that we co-evolved and that we have a strategic alliance, a symbiosis and that the human body is like a complex biosphere or ecosystem. These microbes and parasites help digest food, produce vitamins, fight disease and more.
And further postulates that human evolution is a side effect of the requirements of certain microbes.

No doubt there are some parasites and microbes which are more problematic than others, but I think in general with many people, the words 'parasite' or 'microbobe' carries a whole host (bad pun) of associated negative scenarios and imaginings that is not balanced by the beneficial aspects and possibilities.
Kind wishes, J