Does anyone know if it is safe to feed Vegemite to chickens? I just ordered a jar from Amazon and in anticipation of being unable to stomach it, thought it might be good for my chicks. Very high in vitamin Bs.
I will do my best to eat it first....buttered bread, scrape of Vegemite. Yum?
Vegemite and chickens?
Can you sing the Vegemite song?
If I may ask what is Vegemite? I have heard about it in a song, thats about all I know.
"We're happy little Vegemites
As bright as bright can be.
We all enjoy our Vegemite
For breakfast, lunch, and tea.
Our mummies say we're growing stronger
Every single week,
Because we love our Vegemite
We all adore our Vegemite
It puts a rose in every cheek."
I have grave doubts about its edibility....
It's like Marmite, a spreadable yeast extract...only Australian and purported to be unspeakably nasty unless you were raised on it.
The high sodium content may argue against feeding it to chicks....
Thank you for the lyrics. We had an Australian house guest who used to sing the Vegemite song - in fact put it on our answering machine, but I couldn't get past the second line. I also couldn't get past the appearance of the Vegemite. Let me know how you like it.
I do not anticipate that I will. But life is full of challenges...and I like to pick my own.
Most Europeans can't stand peanut butter. Thus, if I can learn to like Vegemite I will have transcended mere mortal acculturation and can laugh derisively when the French correct my pronunciation.
Vegemite is said to be good with cheese. The trick seems to be to use it very, very, sparingly.
Here chickie, chickie.....
I seem to remember it came in a small container. A little bit goes a long way?
A veeeerrrrrry loooong way.
Apparently one of the main obstacles to non-Australians tolerating Vegemite is that impulse to apply it liberally. Bad idea. First butter or margarine and then the merest scrape of Vegemite across the surface.
It may also be necessary to be exposed to it in infancy.
I should have it by the 16th.
Men at work the song Down Under
Buying bread from a man in Brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscles
I said, Do you speak-a my language?
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich
Yep, MissJestr. Very Oz.
Here is the commercial song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yA98MujNeM&NR=1
This message was edited Apr 13, 2010 2:53 AM
The little girl eating it at the end seems to have spread it a bit too thickly judging by her expression after the first bite.
It's an aquired taste. Growing up it was a required taste, either that or the wooden spoon LOL
I guess that is the real mystery, AnnieBBB. How do they get babies to start eating it? I mean babies are generally drawn to sweet foods, not salty.
Apparently yeast extract is heavy in umami...that savory taste that is associated with meat and glutamate. Tomatoes have a fairly high level of glutamate. MSG is monosodium glutamate...glutamate intensifies the perception of flavour.
Help me, I'm floundering!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast_extract
Sorry, LOL. There has to be lots of things that are just as healthy that don't taste as gross as that stuff! Blechh!
I'll stick with peanut butter - in all senses of the phrase.
(I always wondered how to spell blechh.)
Just a guess if it was with an "h" or a "K" but the taste is still the same. I still remember my mom spreading it on a piece of bread with a layer of jam over it (yeah, like even jam could hide that taste), cutting it in 5 pieces and telling us "it's only one bite, plug your nose and swallow it." We always wondered (later) why she would want her 5 hellion children to have even more energy. We were very bad, but healthy.
So far as I can tell, only the Swiss, the British, the Australians and New Zealanders have some sort of healthful yeast spread, all eaten in a similar way.
Here is a blogger comparing them:
http://www.justhungry.com/2006/11/marmite_vegemite_andcenovis_a.html
I just received a notice that mine has been shipped!
I do think Vegemite on bread could be healthful for chicks......
Catsy, I take it that you're embarking on the Vegemite experiment for health rather than gustatory purposes? From that link it looks like Marmite might have been a better starting point! Me, I'll stick to Nutella, thankyouverymuch! But do let us know what you think. Even if your tongue explodes, you'll still be able to type....
Maybe I should try Amazon for Ras el Hanout.
we love Nutella, use it way more than peanut butter..
But it lacks the protein. Peanut butter has 8 grams per two tablespoonsful and Nutella has only 3. No wonder we like it better - it's not as good for you!
Chocolate is full of antioxidents! You give up a little protein, you gain a little (very little) epicatechin....
Protein is grossly over rated.
Even the name smacks of nutritional chauvinism.
LOL!
Speaking of Protein.. (Please excuse the slight interruption to your thread Miss Catscan) Could you give your chickens too much protein? I mean the turkey feed I am getting is at 20% and the chicken feed is 17%. What would happen if I was to feed my chickens the turkey feed?
Now taking you back to the regular scheduled Vegemite Thread..
I don't think a brief interlude of higher protein will cause a problem...but you wouldn't want to keep them on it long term.
"It puts a rose in every cheek!"
Thank you Ma'am....
MissJ, I give my chickens sunflower seeds, which are higher in protein, as scratch, and I swear they lay better when I do.
(Ducking and trying to avoid Catsy's ire....)
Gee thanks, Catscan, I've had the Vegemite tune swirling around in my head since it was posted, that and the taste in my mouth that goes with it. LOL
I was actually hoping to consolidate bags of feed, I got the higher protein turkey crumbles, Chicken Crumbles, Oyster Shell, Chick starter and grower... LOL Chicken feed everywhere...
The chick starter may be medicated so you wouldn't want to give that to laying hens. Something to watch out for...
It is not good for the chicks to have too high a calcium level. That is why the starter is lower... The formulations are pretty well worked out. Of course that is just for chickens that are not free ranging.
This is an interesting site for formulating your own:
http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html
Interesting site. All the feed options sound better to me than Vegemite - well, with the exception of the grow-your-own-worms.
AnnieBBB I'm with you; the stupid jingle just keeps going in my head.
What? You mean:
"We're happy little Vegemites,
As bright as bright can be.
We all enjoy our Vegemite
For breakfast, lunch and tea....?"
My only problem with the delightful ditty is this:
I assume the writers were relying on the association between "VegeMITE" and a wee little child or "mite" and possibly the hope of being "mighty" through its consumption...but for me the more obvious association is with the "ite" suffix meaning "an association with", as in, "Luddite" or the very naughty group who were destroyed in Gomorrah's sister city.
Oh, that didn't help at all. Now I'm stuck with the ditty and the new association. Thanks, Catscan!
You are welcome!:0)
It's HERE!
O joy! Check in often so we''ll know that you are OK.
Opened it. Smelled like yeast...not unpleasant. Took a very, very minute, pin head-sized taste. Salty, savoury, slightly beer-ish. Strange, rather buttery texture.
Thought all was well.
But the taste lingers...not sure. Probably not fair to judge it out of context.
Going to the store to buy bread.