You might think that there's no way soy, in any form, whether it be soybean or soymeal can be bad for your birds. After all, it is in almost every single conventional feed formula. But think about why it is part of every single formula. Yes, it does provide a lot of protein, and therefore is supposed to cover most of the nutritional requirements for your pets or livestock. However, there's another, perhaps more important reason why it is in almost every single feed formula, and it's the fact that it is the cheapest form of protein you can find on the market. No other protein beats soy in terms of price. And that is what allows for soy to be part of most animal feeds, whether it be for birds or other pets (livestock as well).

And we are not even bringing up raw soybeans, which under no circumstance should be fed to poultry or any birds. This is because soybean seeds contain a trypsin inhibitor, which, to put it simply, makes it difficult for the ingested protein to be broken down and absorbed. And if something can't be broken down and absorbed it means that it may lead to a host of digestive problems. Staying far from raw soybeans is a smart choice for this reason.

Now back to heat treated soy, which is part of most feed formulas. While some people may be for or against GMO, it is worth pointing out that most of the soy in the US is GMO. And even chickens which are certified organic are fed soybeans or soymeal, again simply because it's cheap. Organic soy is no better, since soy in general is known to be a common allergen and these allergens will transfer to the meat or eggs produced from the chickens that are fed soy-based feeds. Soy is simply not a natural or a healthy source of protein for chickens regardless of it's GMO/Non-GMO or Organic/Non-Organic status. Chickens are known to eat everything but even as non-picky eaters, they wouldn't touch soy seeds if you were to put them in a soy field. 

Although from a macro-nutritional standpoint soy is perfect, with a high ratio of proteins, good fats and complex carbohydrates, it's the micronutrients that present a problem. A feed that is heavily reliant on soy can cause iron, zinc, manganese, calcium, vitamin E and other deficiencies and a lot of it is due to the fact that soy is very high in phytic acid, which blocks the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals. This will result in health issues, a compromised immune system and problems with bone & cartilage formation, egg production, growth and susceptibility to diseases. Aside from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and even though it is one of the rare vegetable sources of protein with a complete amino acid profile, it still lacks methionine and cysteine, which are very important to enable healthy growth in chickens and recovery.

The last on the list of negative influences of soy is that soy contains micronutrients called phytoestrogens which mimic the hormone estrogen, and as such can negatively impact bird's endocrine system. Any introduction of hormones is bound to cause problems for the birds, just like it does for humans, unless it is addressing a deficiency and is carefully supervised by specialists. 

While we are no enemies of soy, in minimal quantities, here's our view of soy as a feed ingredients in bird formulas.

Positive aspects of soy in feed formulas:

- Price. World's cheapest form of protein.

- Macro-nutritional profile. Defatted version can have up to 50% of protein, and about a 30% of carbohydrates. 

Negative aspects of soy in feed formulas:

- Anti-nutritional properties. Raw soy prevents protein breakdown and absorption. Heat treated soy prevents uptake of essential minerals and vitamins such as calcium, manganese, iron, zinc and vitamin E.

- Lack of essential amino acids. Soy is low in methionine and cysteine, both promoters of growth and feathering.

- Soy is not a natural choice for chickens. Chickens would never go after soy seeds even if they were on a soy field.

- Most soy on the market is GMO and especially the one used in feed formulas.

To conclude, we hope to have given you something to think about when you are choosing your next feed. In times to come, we are certain that the ingredient which will replace soy in commercial formulas is going to become insect-based protein such as the one from black soldier fly larvae and/or mealworms.

Lets limit ourselves to the topic of backyard chickens and not some large scale operation of running a commercial chicken farm. What leads to a hard decision to stop raising chickens?

Just like with any hobby, because raising backyard chickens is a hobby, it comes from the misalignment between initial expectations and reality. Some of us do not really have clear expectations of how raising chickens would look like, how much time and effort it would require and also what the economics of raising chickens would look like.

Other reasons which may lead to a decision to stop raising chickens may come from unexpected changes in life, such as getting a job in a new place, physical injury, or simply old age (the last of which may not be such an unexpected change but is also one of the important factors).

Since changes in life's circumstances is not something that can be foreseen or changed, for the purpose of this article, we are mainly focused on the first aspect - that of the misalignment between expectations and reality, as a root cause of abandoning the hobby of raising backyard chickens.

The first and the most important thing is to be very clear on the reason that led to your decision of keeping backyard chickens. If your main driver to keep chickens is pure profitability, at a scale of 10-50 chickens, this is very unlikely to happen. The main driver has to be beyond the financials. It should be your eagerness to take up a new hobby, one that will also provide psychological benefits, beyond getting the actual product from your chickens - be it meat or eggs, or both.

Just like any hobby, chicken keeping requires time, but the time invested in a hobby should not feel like a chore, if it is an actual hobby. You will want to subscribe to magazines and engage in forums to learn more about chicken keeping. You will constantly be learning and trying new things and you'll be switching between a wide range of topics from construction and mechanical work that can be done on a coop, to more bio-scientific topics such as tweaking your birds nutrition and optimizing their health. If this sounds about right, then you're ready to get into chicken keeping.

Here're some of the most frequent misalignments between expectations and reality:

1) "I eventually got kind of sick of eggs" - This has nothing to do with your love for chickens. There's such a thing as too much of a good thing. And even having free-range, healthy and tasty eggs in abundant supply is something one can get too much of, especially if you don't have anyone to gift it or sell it to.

2) "I am not able to commit as much time anymore" - Chickens do not require that much time commitment but they do require constant commitment. Beyond a daily minimum of 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening, you'll be researching various topics, fighting occasional diseases, cleaning the coop (The amount of time cleaning the coop requires depends on the coop structure and bedding, so it goes from a weekly task to semi-annual for some) and over a long period of time, this kind of lifestyle becomes unsustainable for some of us. If you are thinking of taking a long holiday, it may not be easy to find someone willing to take up the daily tasks of letting chickens out in the morning, checking in on the water, feed, eggs, throughout the day, locking them up at night, followed by checking in on the coop daily and cleaning it over the weekend. If you add up baby chicks to this, the task becomes even more difficult and the time required to be put in gets even longer, but this is why getting a few pullets instead can get the job done instead of raising small baby chicks.

3) "I have a problem culling my chickens" - Chickens will not be laying eggs for their entire life. They will live for about 10 years, depending on the breed and living conditions, but they will lay eggs only for about 2 or 3 years, after which they may stop laying eggs completely or their egg production will decrease. If you are able to look at it rationally, the best time to cull a chicken would be around the age of 3 or 4 years old but many find it very hard to do so. And not just because the process of doing so is emotionally draining for some but also because at first the task of de-feathering a chicken and preparing it doesn't just come naturally but has to be learned.

4) "When we got our baby, we became more afraid of the diseases chickens might carry" - Although not very likely to happen, Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria can be transmitted from chickens to babies and kids. Younger kids below 5 are at a higher risk of contracting diseases from chickens. Besides these, chickens, like any other animal carry other diseases which are spread around through their droppings, feathers etc. It does not help that chicken feed is also a magnet for rats, the extent of which also depends on the area where you live.

5) "Whatever I did with my coop, predators would find a way to get in and kill my hens" - This is very unfortunate, and depending on where you live, store-bought coops may not suffice. You might need some improvisation skills and you could use a handy man in your home for this. Racoons seem to be quite skillful in digging tiny holes into your coop so your coop needs to have extra protection.

**Having a good coop is so important because apart from keeping predators away it can help you protect your birds from wind, rain, sun and cold (though some believe heaters are not needed, this depends on the breed). A good coop can also prevent your chickens getting sick because of poor ventilation, the frequency of which is often underestimated.

6) "They poop everywhere!" - Chickens do poop everywhere and this is not something that can be changed. If you have free ranging chickens there is not much you can do about this besides ensuring that at least your house doors are closed.

7) "The chickens destroyed my garden" - Yes, chickens will not be as proud of your garden flowers, herbs or vegetables and fruits you planted. They will peck holes in stems, eat the plants, dig out seedlings. And maybe you are ok with this, but if your chickens go to your neighbors' and destroy their garden, your neighbors may not have as much understanding for your birds. You can however try and treat them with some eggs. Speaking of neighbors, we didn't list down noisy roosters as one of the reasons people stop raising chickens but the relationship between your neighbors and your rooster is definitely something to think about.

Seasonal variations occur in many locations, affecting all living creatures, including chickens. These months of fluctuating weather conditions make birds more sensitive and vulnerable to a variety of factors.

To keep our birds healthy and comfortable throughout the year, we must be aware of what each weather brings with it as well as how to best support our birds throughout it.

tl;dr version of the article in three bullet points below :) 

1) Rainy weather – pay attention to the bodies of stagnant water which can result in pathogen infection.

2) Cold weather – while chickens are quite resilient to low temperatures, weather below freezing will need some sort of heating setup in your coop. Shorter days may also impact egg production negatively.

3) Hot weather – ensure plentiful cold water and even frozen treats for birds to refresh themselves as well as a cool place in a shade where they can spend their day.

Rainy Weather

Rainy weather brings with it a great shift in birds’ eating pattern as temperature cools down. The birds usually prefer to remain hidden during this season as they will be trying to avoid the rain. The most critical thing to be on the lookout for is that your birds may encounter bodies of stagnant water which could be harmful if ingested. This is because drinking stagnant water can result in pathogen infection.

The best thing to do during rainy weather is to keep your birds away from the rain in a sheltered area and ensure to clean up any stagnant water that might have accumulated from the rain.

Cold Weather

What we consider to be cold weather may not be so for chickens. Chickens are fairly resilient to cold as long as we are talking about temperatures above freezing. Anything beyond that means that you need to invest in a solution to ensure comfortable temperature is maintained in your coop and there are plenty of heaters that can help you to achieve this. 

Both the low temperatures and shorter days coupled together may cause your chickens to produce less eggs so providing them with essential nutrients and adequately warm shelter will help to address this problem.

Hot Weather

Chickens, just like us, can get more easily agitated during hot weather so don't stress your birds too much :) Unfortunately hot weather is the time during which lice and mites strive and they can pose a threat to your birds.

The things you can do are to ensure your chickens have a place to wash and cool down and provide them with plenty of water bowls refilled regularly. For mice and lice, you may increase the frequency of coop washing as well as add some garlic to your birds diet in an effort to avoid your birds being attracted by these parasites.

What You Can Do Outside of Seasonal and Weather Extremes?

Spring tends to be the most pleasant season for your birds, a season when both your birds and your garden is thriving. This is also the season which marks the best time to hatch and raise chickens as the temperature is just how it should be. When the days lengthen again in the spring, chicken production will increase compared to the dark winter days. Since the weather is considered ideal not just for chickens but for us as well, it also makes for a good time to do some work in the garden, as well as to clean up the mess that autumn and winter have left behind, with no distractions such as falling leaves or rain pouring into your backyard.

However, it is also the season for your flocks to suffer from broodiness. So try to get them out of their nesting boxes as much as possible and ensure they get more light to help end the bad case of broodiness.

Conclusion

Each weather and season bring with it a set of unique challenges and things to look out for. To keep your flock healthy and comfortable throughout the year, be aware of all seasonal situations and keep observing them for any unexpected behavior. They, too, have their mood swings which are both hormonal and affected by weather. Your birds will go through various challenges and behavioral changes, and while we most of us are not trained psychiatrists, you are likely going to be able to help support them through these different phases.