Raw Feeding Thread

[clickchicks]

I used to feed raw exclusively for years

I've done all kinds. For a while, I was able to do whole prey-- whole rabbit, fish, and few types of poultry depending on the season (always excited for turkey season, for the dogs and myself). I knew several hunters, so I would get all kinds of neat things, including the occasional deer carcasses which were about as good as it gets for excellent free dog food.

Sadly I moved and lost all of my hunting contacts, so I haven't been able to do whole prey nearly as often.

Over the years I would adjust my meal plans and incorporate various odds and ends to achieve good nutritional balance. If you're not feeding whole prey you need a way to get a good balance. Many things are being lost with the "franken prey" model that's become popular.

This spreadsheet is the holy grail for people like me who really like to crunch numbers:
https://www.packlunchraw.com/spreadsheet/

There are lots of websites that provide nutritional information on raw ingredients, so plugging in your dog's info and getting a baseline for what they need, then cross-referencing against nutritional data can help you formulate some very balanced meals.

Also, if you're going to do mixtures, making in batches is a good idea:

I can't remember exactly how much this was by weight, but I have 3 German Shepherds and a Lab mix, so I'm sure it only lasted about 4 days :/

 

[Sally PB]

This is so intriguing! Very interesting thread.

Since I know nothing about this, is the advantage of raw the freshness? The DIY with no additives aspect? Similar to me eating fresh vegetables versus canned soup?

I saw my chickens catch and eat a small mouse that made a wrong turn into the run to get away from me. I hope I can fashion a live mouse trap to give them some more. I have plenty of mice in the winter.

 

[DobieLover]

This is so intriguing! Very interesting thread.

Since I know nothing about this, is the advantage of raw the freshness? The DIY with no additives aspect? Similar to me eating fresh vegetables versus canned soup?

I saw my chickens catch and eat a small mouse that made a wrong turn into the run to get away from me. I hope I can fashion a live mouse trap to give them some more. I have plenty of mice in the winter.

My cat, Mogwai, is now nearly 18.5 years old. She can't even keep the grain free cat food down any longer. She can only eat the raw diet I make her.
Some animals are very sensitive to the preservatives in processed foods. Some commercial foods are just terrible nutritionally. The more processing, the lower the nutritional quality.
This is Mogwai at just over 17.5 years old. The Doberman, Bella, came to me eating Purina One and was overweight, stinky and had a dull coat. With proper diet and exercise she has since transformed into a much healthier and happier dog.