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What’s in Bethesda Farm’s Soy-Free Hen Feed?

Bethesda Farm Soy-free Eggs

Introducing Bethesda Farm Soy-Free Eggs has been a real eye-opener for fans of organic pasture-raised eggs. Most people do not realize that virtually all eggs produced for sale contain soy because the hens that lay them eat soy as their primary source of protein.

Instead of soy protein, Bethesda Farm hens receive a soy-free diet made from wild-caught fish,  crab and alfalfa as well as grass and bugs from the pasture. Below are some more details regarding the wild-caught marine sources of protein. As always, Bethesda Farm seeks to provide the best quality feed for our hens; we know it makes a difference in the eggs that they lay.

A Word on the Wild-Caught Fish and Stone Crab Used in Bethesda Farm Soy-Free Feed

Animal proteins are a very important part of a laying hen’s diet. Chickens are omnivores and the amino acids in animal proteins ensure the hens receive the methionine, cysteine, and tryptophan they need to effectively produce eggs.

When soy is eliminated from a hen’s diet, the hens tend to become deficient in the amino acids listed above even when they are raised on pasture. One way producers fill this void is by utilizing DL methionine from the oil industry, which is simply a cyanide capture from oil wells.

Wild-caught fish in soy-free eggsOur menhaden fish meal supply is sustainable harvest certified, and it must be wild caught for it’s use in certified organic products. The meals are tested for toxins and more intensively, for mercury. Neither our fish nor our crab have ever had mercury levels of more than 0.01ppm by wet weight. The Stone Crab meal sources range from Nova Scotia to Mexico. The meal is produced from crab that didn’t pass the visual test for human consumption, however it is nutritionally equivalent. This “sustainable reutilization process” uses stone crab that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Both the fish and the crab are cooked, dried, and then milled into meals.

Fish meal can have higher levels of mercury, but that largely depends on what type of fish is used to produce the meal. The soy-free feed consumed by the hens at Bethesda Farm only use naturally preserved menhaden fish meal. Very few feed mills use menhaden fish meal, and even fewer use naturally preserved fish meals. Typically, cheap white fish meals are used and they tend to have much higher levels of mercury.

Not all fish meal is of the same quality. In menhaden fish meal, mercury is not a concern. Mother Jones states, “If you’re concerned about high mercury levels in farmed salmon or tuna, menhaden may start to sound more appealing. Unlike most fatty fish, plankton-swilling menhaden eat near the bottom of the food chain and have low mercury levels, 0.01 ppm (wet weight).” The Greenpeace Research Lab routinely publishes identical findings.

Beyond mercury in the fish, a big concern with fish meal is how the product is preserved. Most fish meal are been preserved with ethoxyquin or other highly toxic preservatives. Our fish meal is preserved with Naturox IPO antioxidant. It has an organic sunflower oil base carrier.

Filed Under: Blog, Questions about Bethesda Farm Pasture-Raised Eggs Tagged With: mercury, protein, soy-free, wild-caught

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judy J. says

    November 22, 2018 at 4:35 pm

    Best eggs I’ve eaten since I was a kid with farm raised chickens and eggs. Congratulations!! I’ll be buying them exclusively now.

    Reply
    • bethesdafarm says

      November 22, 2018 at 5:06 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  2. Paula says

    February 3, 2019 at 4:46 pm

    When Whole Foods was out of my favorite egg brand around the holidays I asked a nice young man working there for suggestions. He gave me excellent information and after a few questions pointed me to the Bethesda Farm soy free eggs. What an excellent choice. I am thrilled with the quality and have been using them ever since! And they’re local to boot since I live in Florida

    Reply
    • bethesdafarm says

      February 3, 2019 at 5:43 pm

      I am glad you are enjoying Bethesda Farm soyfree eggs. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts.

      Reply
  3. Kasi says

    March 5, 2019 at 1:00 am

    wOw ! simply sensational. I will NEVER eat any other eggs again. BETHESADA FARMS eggs are the most premium tasting eggs I have ever eaten. I was quite amused upon opening the cartoon to find that the dozen eggs were all different sizes with different coloured shells. On cracking one open I was blown away with such gorgeous, big bright yellow yolks I definitely felt that the eggs were “alive” and having devoured a couple I felt totally nourished with no residual nasty after taste I have experienced from other organic “free ranged” eggs. wOw ! all I have to say is SIMPLY SENSATIONAL….. will be buying your eggs from now on. Thank you for such a wonderful product.

    Reply

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