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> that's incredible to consider, 1.6 pounds of feed turns into 1 pound of chicken! I find that hard to believe. Corn is 86kcal/100g while chicken breast is 165

by tomp 6y ago

> that's incredible to consider, 1.6 pounds of feed turns into 1 pound of chicken! I find that hard to believe. Corn is 86kcal/100g while chicken breast is 165kcal/100g (according to a quick Google search). So you're saying that a chicken is a machine that converts 137kcal from corn to 165kcal of meat, while ... living?

unnouinceput 6y ago
It doesn't just eat, it also drinks water. And while water is not something that has calories, by using it will break down, oxidize and produce different compounds that can hold an even bigger kcal than the initial compound (corn in this example) it started with. Isn't organic chemistry amazing?
- tomp 6y ago
  Can you give a more concrete example? I think that water is already accounted for in calorie calculations. 100g of corn is 19g of carbs (76kcal), 3g of protein (12kcal) and 1g of fat (9kcal - honestly I thought it was more fat). 100g of chicken breast is 3g of fat (30kcal) and 31g protein (124kcal) - and that's not even the most calorie-dense part of chicken (not a lot of fat)! I realize there's some discrepancy here (I guess nutrition isn't an exact science, there's variation in living beings, and different counting techniques (count fiber or not)), but the numbers roughly match.
  - ac29 6y ago
    Animal feed is a bit more complicated than just "corn". For example, the below source indicates poultry food is around 20% protein and 5% fat - significantly more than the numbers you cite for generic corn (which I assume is the sort of corn people eat, not animal feed). https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C954 https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C9...
  - unnouinceput 6y ago
    <Can you give a more concrete example?> Yes, I can. Try to have a chicken raised only with corn, and don't give it water. See how long it will last.
- deleted 6y ago
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by tomp 6y ago

unnouinceput 6y ago

It doesn't just eat, it also drinks water. And while water is not something that has calories, by using it will break down, oxidize and produce different compounds that can hold an even bigger kcal than the initial compound (corn in this example) it started with. Isn't organic chemistry amazing?

tomp 6y ago
Can you give a more concrete example? I think that water is already accounted for in calorie calculations. 100g of corn is 19g of carbs (76kcal), 3g of protein (12kcal) and 1g of fat (9kcal - honestly I thought it was more fat). 100g of chicken breast is 3g of fat (30kcal) and 31g protein (124kcal) - and that's not even the most calorie-dense part of chicken (not a lot of fat)! I realize there's some discrepancy here (I guess nutrition isn't an exact science, there's variation in living beings, and different counting techniques (count fiber or not)), but the numbers roughly match.
- ac29 6y ago
  Animal feed is a bit more complicated than just "corn". For example, the below source indicates poultry food is around 20% protein and 5% fat - significantly more than the numbers you cite for generic corn (which I assume is the sort of corn people eat, not animal feed). https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C954 https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=C9...
- unnouinceput 6y ago
  <Can you give a more concrete example?> Yes, I can. Try to have a chicken raised only with corn, and don't give it water. See how long it will last.
deleted 6y ago
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