A few questions re: processing

[jenny_kap]

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yes, of course, and a lot of people are living on credit cards. in america. we are a poor country and we don't afford to waste things as you do over there.

Feeding animals to your dogs is not wasting it. First of all, I can feed my animals meat for less than I would spend on dog food. Second of all, twenty grown roosters is more than my husband and I want to eat. These are surplus animals.

i apologize if i said something wrong. we have different mentality here, including about food and our pets. i have 3 dogs as well and i told you just what i would do if i would be in your situation. you asked our opinion and i told you mine.
aaaa, we are 4 people here and i have butchered about 65 ducks and 65 chickens and i'm thinking to buy half a veal and some pork for holidays. it seems we eat a lot more meat than you do

 

[watchdogps]

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Actually, my question was about scalding and eviscerating, I didnt ask for anyone opinions on what to do with the meat.
But, if you could spend $10 on a bag of dog food, or $5 on feeding your dogs chickens, would it not be wiser to feed them chickens?

 

[happyhens120]

Not that I mind either way, but I would buy the dog food. When I consider the amount of time it takes to process the chickens, it's not worth it to me. Plus I have two small children and time away is difficult sometimes. Just sayin'.
I know lots of people who raise their own livestock to feed their dogs. I think it's great if you can do it, but it's not an option for me.

 

[watchdogps]

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If I went to get dog food, it'd be a two hour excursion, plus $10 in gas. So, I figure once I get it down a little better, I wont spend that much time processing the birds. Esp since they are for the dogs I really dont have to worry about getting every little feather or making it look pretty!

 

[MeatKing]

I betcha your dogs love getting them!! Great job learning how!! Can't wait till I'm Brave enough

 

[watchdogps]

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Actually only two ate them easily. Two others ate them after they were convinced I wasnt giving them anything else, and three dogs simply went hungry rather than eat rooster. But, I asked some other friends who feed raw and have had fresh birds and they said their dogs wont usually eat stuff till it sat in the fridge a few days.

 

[LittleDarlings]

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Actually only two ate them easily. Two others ate them after they were convinced I wasnt giving them anything else, and three dogs simply went hungry rather than eat rooster. But, I asked some other friends who feed raw and have had fresh birds and they said their dogs wont usually eat stuff till it sat in the fridge a few days.

I don't currently have a dog or dogs, but I like the idea of biological food versus chemically created food. I love all the learning I get from here. So, basically the dogs are preferring it cooked over raw? Does raw or cooked effect their digestion in different ways? Do you give them the bones in or de-bone it? Hope I'm not over doing it with the questions.

 

[watchdogps]

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No, they just didnt like the freshness, the game-ness, I guess. The stuff that we buy for them is human grade, so I imagine it has been aged, like we would normally do for ourselves. I've been feeding raw for over ten years, so only two that I have now have ever eaten cooked or kibble.

How does it affect digestion..well, there is often some upset to begin with. It doesnt mean its bad, it just would be like if you ate hot dogs and mac and cheese all your life then ate a filet mignon with asparagus. Just not used to it.
Its best not to feed both foods or to go back and forth between kibble and raw. Some dogs can handle it, but there are some PH issues within the gut that can make for problems if you dont just stay with one.
How does it affect digestion eventually? Well, it is a LOT less poop, even less than the "best" dog foods. The poo dries and crubles away in a matter of days. No more yard scooping needed. It wont even stick to your shoes. My 120 lb dog turds are smaller than the average cocker spaniel poops.

More than digestion, it keeps their teeth spic and span, they clear chronic skin and ear infections (b/c these are usually caused by yeast, fed by carbs in kibble), and they smell a million times better. I actually didnt notice that my dogs smelled better until I realized everyone elses dogs now stunk! LOL!

RAW bones are digestible and needed for proper nutrition. I do not grind or add supplements, I just give my dogs as close to whole animal proportions as possible. Approx 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organ. It doesnt have to be perfect every day. Our diets arent and we dont go stressing about "oh no, I didnt get enough niacin today!" Right? Balance over time. Some dogs need things tweaked a bit. my dad's dog needs a higher proportion of bone in his diet or he gets the runs.

Another beautiful thing about this diet is that you are in complete control of it. If you suspect food allergies, you can put your dog on a 100% sure diet that wont aggravate food allergies. In kibble, you have 40 ingredients that may irritate them.

I could go on a lot more, but check this out www.rawfed.com

If you want more info, PM me.

 

[LittleDarlings]

How does it affect digestion eventually? Well, it is a LOT less poop, even less than the "best" dog foods. The poo dries and crubles away in a matter of days. No more yard scooping needed. It wont even stick to your shoes. My 120 lb dog turds are smaller than the average cocker spaniel poops.

Well that right there cinched the deal! LOL We had a 140 pound Rottie and people always wanted to know where our horse was!! It definitely makes more sense. The more their bodies use for nutrition, the less waste.

I'll take a look at that site after the sun comes up here.

I also like the allergy info. It's amazing to me how much stuff is common sense but gets overlooked regularly. I had heard a little bit about raw feeding dogs, but with 6 kids it just didn't make sense at the time to buy/give them food that my family could eat when there was food "made" for them that was cheaper. Seeing now, how adding a few chicks to my order here and there doesn't make that much difference to my food bill, but makes a big difference in the way my family (pets included) can benefit. hank you so much for taking the time to explain it for me.​

 

[Oregon Blues]

Well, my dogs don't eat Old Roy. Feeding home cooked costs no more than feeding quality kibble and the dogs are healthier for it. They don't actually eat much pure human grade food. None of it is wasted, so they need very little of it.

The dogs get the parts of the animal that my family doesn't eat. They get the drumsticks, the back, neck and giblets of the chickens. They get the giblets from the ducks. They get shin bones from beef and sirloins and shanks from pork.

I'm buying grain. That's where the money goes, and I'm feeding meat to the dogs. The birds convert the grain into meat for the dogs. I can't feed the livestock feed to the dogs, but I can sure feed them meat.

I'm curious about what dogs in Romania are fed.

By the way, I don't buy anything with credit cards. I get a 20% better standard of living by not using credit cards, because none of my money is going to pay interest. I know very few people who live off of their credit cards. Don't buy everything the press feeds you.