I love my chicken very much and consider it a partner and a pet with me at home and not just a bird that I fatten just to slaughter. I usually give them some of the meals that I eat as a form of reward and entertainment for them. But in fact, I don’t know if this harms him or not, but I have a background that chickens eat everything.
Some chicken breeders want to diversify their food and try new foods for them to break their usual dietary routine and desire to provide them with a variety of nutrients. This is good, but not everything that humans eat is suitable for chickens.
Some people think of offering vegemite to chicken because it contains a high percentage of nutrients. Is this a suitable choice for them or not? We will discuss the matter in more detail to make it clear to you in the coming lines. Let’s go.
Can Chickens Eat Vegemite?
Yes, but it has to be subject to restrictions that include being offered in chicken food in very small amounts and at intervals.
Vegemite is a thick, black, salty concoction that is made from leftover brewer’s yeast and mixed with several ingredients. Concentrated yeast is mixed with malt, salt, and other plant extracts such as onions and celery, with large amounts of B vitamins dipped in the mixture.
It is a very popular food in Australia, where it is used as a dip on bread and incorporated into soups and sauces as a kind of seasoning.
Nutritional Value Of Vegemite For Chicken
Vegemite contains a wide variety of nutrients with one teaspoon of standard Vegemite providing the equivalent of 5 grams per serving
- Calories: 11
- Protein: 1.3 grams
- Fat: from 0 to 1 gram
- Carbohydrates: 0 to 1 gram
Good Source Of Vitamins
1. Thiamine (Vitamin B1): Responsible for supplying the body with energy by converting carbohydrates into glucose. It also has a role as a nerve booster as it works to maintain the health of the cells of the nervous system.[1]
2. Folic Acid (Vitamin B9): One of the types of vitamin B, which regenerates red and white blood cells and speeds up the metabolism.
3. Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): An important element that acts as an antioxidant that leads to cell degeneration. It also works with other B vitamins to produce energy in the body.
4. Niacin (Vitamin B3): Niacin helps increase energy and promotes a healthy digestive and nervous system. In addition, it lowers cholesterol levels.
5. Niacin (Vitamin B3): Vegemite contains such high levels of B vitamins that doctors prescribe it as a health supplement. One teaspoon of Vegemite provides about 25 to 50% of the recommended daily intake for these vitamins.
Minerals
It provides a good percentage of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and iron.
How Do You Serve Vegemite To Chicken?
Vegemite has a strong, salty, and slightly bitter flavor that may be pleasing to some while others may not like it.
In general, if you want to serve vegemite for chicken, it should be in small, calculated quantities. because chicken may not taste good and it also contains large amounts of sodium, which is harmful to chicken.
Vegemite should not be fed to chickens as it is in its thick, concentrated form, but should be mixed with chicken feed. You can put a spoonful of Vegemite and mix it with chicken feed, it will be very sufficient.
It is recommended to test the susceptibility of the chicken to the Vegemite and whether there are any side effects from eating it or not. so it is preferable to put a small spoon of feta in the chicken feed at the beginning.
Risks Of Feeding Vegemite To Chicken
As you may be thinking, feeding vegemite to chicken carries some risks with it. One of the biggest risks is sodium poisoning. Let’s learn more about it:
Sodium Poisoning
The biggest problem that chicken faces when eating Vegemite is that it contains a high percentage of sodium. A small spoonful of Vegemite (5 grams) contains 165 mg of sodium! Which is a higher level for chicken needs.
Like humans, chickens need salt as they have an innate need for salt to maintain an adequate level of sodium. Sodium is an important electrolyte that controls the amount of water in the body. It also has an important role in muscle contractions and nerve impulses.
But certainly, too much of everything would be bad even if it was a nutritious ingredient like Vegemite. It should be borne in mind that the amount of sodium found in Vegemite far exceeds that needed by chickens. Sodium is added to chicken feed in various proportions, but it is on average about 0.15% to feed only.
The Dangers Of Eating More Sodium In Chicken
- Hypertension
- loss of calcium
- Salt poisoning:
Symptoms of salt poisoning include depression, increased water intake, respiratory discomfort and wet litter, foot pedaling, neck twisted backward, incoordination, difficulty walking, diarrhea, weakness, eating of feathers, convulsions, and swollen limbs.
- Malformations of the eggs:
This occurs in laying hens where deformities appear in the eggs such as deformation of the shell and an increase in shell-less eggs as a result of calcium deficiency.
- Liver dysfunction:
Vegemite is made from brewer’s yeast. The cracking of the yeast results in another concentrated yeast extract rich in natural glutamate that enhances the flavor of the vegemite. Which is not very harmful to the body.
However, additional flavor enhancers such as monosodium glutamate MSG and some stabilizers are usually added to improve its texture and taste. These substances represent a great burden on the liver, as it cannot get rid of them, which may lead to an imbalance in liver functions.
What Is The Appropriate Frequency Of Feeding Vegemite To Chickens?
If you only offer the chicken Vegemite from time to time, then there will be no problem or possibility of the occurrence of the above risks.
You can offer the Vegamete once every week or two to the chicken in small quantities. So that the chicken can benefit from its benefits and at the same time avoid the high levels of sodium that may kill the chicken.
