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Does anyone have experience with chicken necks for a protein source. Im looking at places to get affordable meat to feed raw. I watched the vidoes on feeding raw. Id like to give it a try. I was also looking at organ meat. Livers, hearts etc as another source. Anybody out there have experience or advice on this?
Do you hunt or know anyone that does? If you do, getting the inner organs of wild game is perfect for the dogs. I always use them sparingly and try not to over do it with that stuff. It is very rich. You can also buy beef/calf liver and kidneys fairly cheap at most grocery stores.
As far as chicken, I've never fed the chicken necks. I always used the leg quarters and bought them when they went on sale. The bone to meat ratio seems to be good and I can get them anywhere from 29-39 cents/lb when they go on sale. Don't forget about feeding eggs. They seem to be a very under rated food source.
I’ve done the raw and fed the necks. They are cheap, you just gave to dial in the percentages of bone to meat. Buy bulk from a local meat market or grocery store. When I fed raw I actually worked at the grocery store and had them order me 40# cases of chicken necks, backs, and feet, feet I think were 20# boxes. I also ordered turkey necks. I feed chicken, beef liver. I feed chicken heart, gizzards. I ordered beef from Pet carnivore and picked up 100# of their beef chunks. I looked all over the internet for freezer burned meat and became friends with a local show rabbit breeder who gave me her culls. I also found a guy that had a rabbit problem with his garden and borrowed him a BB gun he returned me over 20 whole rabbits for the gun and ammo. I got into fishing and caught my dog wild fish and hunted squirrel when I could. If I ever got lucky enough to get a deer which I got 2 deer when I was feeding raw, I kept a majority of the good stuff the dog got the rest.
i was thinking about the deer route. I was going to ask a place around about getting deer seconds. Theres a bunch of places that process the stuff. The rabbit cull avenue was as good idea. Ill have to look into some of these. They seem happy when i give them a steak that is too old for me to eat. Ill prob start off in the beginning by supplementing the kibble i'm feeding.
Lots of deer hunters have extras, meaning they only keep the back straps and some keep the hams and shoulders. There are lots for the dogs left over.
I have a couple of buddies that hunt and I get a bucket full of scraps a couple times per week. The dogs ravage right thru. It is cheap (free) and it is good for them.
I also buy the chicken by the case. I get #40lb cases of chicken backs, chicken necks etc....I have never put a lot of thought into the bone/meat ratio. I like using the backs because they have some fat content. I like the necks for the dogs too.
Like said above I also use leg quarters when they are on sale. Here lately I think $0.49/lb is about as cheap as I have seen. When they drop that low I jump all over them.
When using the raw meats as a supplement look for cow cheek. It is a really fatty cut.
I'm looking for a higher fat content.
EWO
thanks
I made some progress on the diet and it continues to evolve. Hopefully I can be completely off kibble in the near future. So far the cost equals a good bag of diamond or a premium bag. I have been using chicken gizzards as bulk meat, pig feet, and pork tails. The pork tails are packed with fat and should have a lot of calcium. Those plus a slice or two of bread. I boiled pinto and lentils today. Hopefully adding that will give some protein and carbs and some bulk at .25 cents a pound. Im working on some bulk sources of meat and a deep freezer. The coats seem shinier, and the dogs are happier and healthier. The poop volume is a lot smaller and firmer. Does anybody see any holes or problems with this. The pig feet and tails don't have to be daily things. I was thinking they can be given a few times a week for some calcium and all the goodies in the bone marrow.
If you have a local type butcher market in your area hit them up. Sometimes they will give you their scraps to get rid of them.
Worst case pennies on the dollar.
The deep freezer is the best tool for feeding a raw type diet. Passing up deals because of not having storage is one of the killers that switch people back to the bag.
EWO