Archive:000/Feed

Myth: Farm animals mostly eat stuff that humans can't eat.

Fact:

• Chickens and pigs don't.
• Cows, sheep and goats can, but that alone can produce only a limited amount of meat & milk globally. Hence human-edible food is added to their diets.
• Details:

	Can it be digested and absorbed by		Notes
	Non-ruminants such as humans, chickens, pigs	Ruminants such as cows, sheep, goats
Products such as grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts	Yes	Yes	The grains fed to animals are the same grains that could be ground into flour and used in baking. This includes corn.
By-products such as wheat germ, molasses, soybean meal	Yes	Yes	Soybean meal is 52% protein, and it can be ground into soy flour and used in baking. [read more]By-products often contain more nutrients than the main products. ~ When wheat is processed into white flour, nutrient-rich wheat germ is left behind.Note: It's called "germ" because it's the part of the grain that germinates; it has nothing to do with infectious "germs". ~ When sugarcane or beets are processed into white sugar, mineral-rich molasses is left behind. ~ When soybeans are processed to make soybean oil, protein-rich soybean meal is left behind.
Crop residues such as peanut shells, straw, husks empty corn cobs	No	Yes	Fibrous parts left over from food crops. For example straw is left over from grain crops such as wheat and rice. Ruminants can digest fiber and use it as a source of calories. Non-ruminants cannot.
Grass	No	Yes	Pasture