Iterations are fine, we don't have to be perfect
"may your experience be fruit for all those who follow"
Lorne Martin wrote:I suggest a nice scoop of whole corn every morning before they go foraging.
I also noticed your location and are you close enough to the coast to smell the ocean. If so then the plants probably absorb more of that taste than normal.
Most likely you will eventually find the taste normal to your liking.
The first person I talked to at Scratch and Peck ended up referring me to their animal diet expert, and she explained a bit more about what was going on with the flavor. Here's what I understand so far. The fishy taste and smell comes from trimethylamine, which is caused by the oxidization of choline. When a fish rots--and it's choline oxidizes--the lovely rotten fish smell of trimethylamine comes about. Foods that contain high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids--such as oils and meals derived from fish, linseed, camelina, and rapeseed--also have choline. And, when a bird digests that choline via bacterial fermentation in their guts, trimethylamine is created. Many (most?) poultry can convert the trimethylamine in their livers into a nonodorous form. Others, such as 5-10% chickens that lay brown eggs, and supposedly my ducks as well, cannot convert the trimethylamine in their livers. So, that delightful off flavor is passed onto my duck eggs (and meat as well). In the case of the chickens (couldn't find anything about ducks), there is actually a gene responsible for their ability/inability to transform the trimethylamine, and you can actually get your chicken tested to see if it has the desirable gene or not. You can also, supposedly, smell their breath. Those with fishy breath cannot do the transformation.
There's also things that can make it more difficult for poultry's livers to process the trimethylamine. The tannins in rapeseed and linseed interfere with the liver's ability to transform it to it's nonodorous form. Wheat, barley and leguminous plants help the gut ferment more choline into trimethylamine.
ASIDE from the trimethylamine issue, the fishy-flavor can be caused simply by polyunsaturated acids (such as linseed and fish oil).
Here's the sources I used for wrapping my brain around this: Wikipedia on Trimethylamine, Omega 3 Fatty Acid Research, pages232&233, ISA Genetics, "'Fishy' Taint in Brown Eggs ", and Do Your Eggs Taste Fishy, Curse of the Omegas
So, my eggs are fishy because my ducks eat lots of Omega-3 rich foods, and cannot transform some of the compounds into non-stinky forms. I wonder if, by fermenting their feed, I am helping pre-digest that choline into a non-odorous form? Also, wonderful woman at Scratch and Peck (who pointed many of the above research out to me), said that she noticed that poultry that get lots of water are less likely to have the fishy taint, and that she tastes it the most in poultry during the summer heat when they aren't drinking as much. This makes a lot of sense, really, since water likely really helps the liver function.
She also suggested that I could cut back on their feed and substitute about 1/3rd of their feed for scratch (such as a mix of barley, wheat and oats), and that reducing the amount of omega 3s should reduce the fishy flavor. I almost wonder, since the transformation from stinky to not-stinky form of trimethylamine takes place in their livers, if having too much is actually taxing to their livers?
~ Dragons, Fairies and even a Mini-Paul! ~ You Know You're a Permie When...~ All About Permies, including tutorials ~Herbal Hugel Spiral of Randomness!~Tricks to Keep the Dirt from Sliding off a Hugel~List of Cascadia Bloggers and Facebook Pages!~
Lorne Martin wrote:I suggest a nice scoop of whole corn every morning before they go foraging.
I also noticed your location and are you close enough to the coast to smell the ocean. If so then the plants probably absorb more of that taste than normal.
Most likely you will eventually find the taste normal to your liking.
List of Bryant RedHawk's Epic Soil Series Threads We love visitors, that's why we live in a secluded cabin deep in the woods. "Buzzard's Roost (Asnikiye Heca) Farm." Promoting permaculture to save our planet.
"may your experience be fruit for all those who follow"
It's never too late to start! I retired to homestead on the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano. I relate snippets of my endeavor on my blog : www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com
You may have just won ten million dollars! Or, maybe a tiny ad.
Food Forest Card Game - Game Forum
https://permies.com/t/61704/Food-Forest-Card-Game-Game
|