Vegetarian looking for local meat source near Wallingford, CT!

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

I've been doing a lot of research on raw prey model diets and I'd like to switch my dogs and cats. I have just begun looking for a local source of meat (Including, but not limited to muscle meat, necks, organs, connective tissue, meaty bones, whole small carcasses) and I thought this may be a good place to look and ask a few questions. I'm hoping to be able to get some of these parts inexpensively, as I assume there isn't a huge market for a lot of it. Where else might I try? Would a local processor have a bunch of this stuff laying around to sell? Where can I even find a processor? Would a small butcher shop carry only factory farmed meat or would they more likely have local meat? My goal is to stay far away from factory farmed and as close to organic (and more importantly, HUMANE) as possible while still being able to afford feeding five dogs and four cats! I do not eat meat, so any suggestions from knowledgeable people would be very much appreciated!

 

[annageckos]

I feed three dogs, six cats and three ferrets raw. I get most my meats from the grocery stores and wholesalers. Have you checked out the website rawlearning.com? It is the best site for info and help. And it has links to a lot of other sites. Including a couple yahoo groups that are very helpful and full of great people. There is also a group for suppliers too. Good luck, your pets will be much healthier on raw, I will never ever go back to kibble after seeing the health benefits in my animals.

Edited to add...

IMO, 'organic' is just a label and is no better then factory farming, unless it is by a small farm that cares. Even then organic isn't always better/healthier. I can't afford to free ranged meats or from smaller farms. Any meat is going to be better then kibble or canned foods though.

 

[Boyd]

feeding raw meats..

now this a serious comment and I am not joking, google barf feeding.. bones and raw foods. Commercial rabbit breeders sometimes sell the petfood route because there are less regulations regarding pet food.

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

Yes, I have been to that site quite a bit, great info!

When I say "organic", I don't mean that's what the grocery store label reads. I mean truly organic, or as close to it as possible, from a small family farm. If I ate meat I wouldn't eat it all pumped full of hormones and raised on feed covered in pesticides, so I certainly won't pay extra money to feed it to my animals. Yes, I want to see the health benefits of feeding raw, but I also want to see the health benefits of not feeding all that crap that isn't meant for consumption, otherwise I'd just go to the grocery store and buy whatever is on sale. I'm a vegetarian for both ethical and health reasons, and until recently I never really thought about how hypocritical it is not to apply the same logic to feeding my animals. So the search continues...

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

LOL Boyd, yes, I have read about BARF. I'm going to follow prey model feeding instead, because BARF uses a lot of unnecessary vegetation and supplements.

I'm not so much looking for info on raw feeding. All I've been doing is googling and reading for days. I'm looking for good places to purchase the meat itself. I figure if I can find local rabbit and quail, that will be a part of their diet and I'd likely feed it whole. However they need more variety, so I'm wondering about processors and butchers. I've also emailed two local farms, one of which I adopted a sweet pittie to recently.

 

[koop]

I feed my dogs organic meat, It is just as "a little extra", but they do get nicer coats and just look better eating the meat. Where I get the meat is I go hunting and all the trim I don't use goes to dog food, you don't get more organic then that. Fall is coming, you could take out an ad asking for meat trimmings and carcasses.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

1. You can get chicken gizzard, innards, etc. at Wal-Mart fairly cheap.

2. You can get the rest of the stuff, usually, at a local processor (look up meat processors in your area, butcher shop, etc.). They take all sorts of meat, and generally do not ask questions regarding the meat because the person processing the cow a. already has people lined up to purchase it, b. are using it for their own consumption or c. the butcher purchased the animal and is going to eat it themselves.

I'd give a call around and find out. If you have a local grocery store with it's own butcher shop, you may be able to call and ask if they'd sell those parts.

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

Wonderful suggestions, thank you! Keep 'em coming!

 

[wildeflowers]

well, i know there are a couple of buffalo farms in CT, plus there are a few organic cattle farms in Woodstock. Although that is far from you, you could call and ask for their trimmings, get a big load at one time and freeze, maybe?

 

[annageckos]

Have you checked out the links on the rawlearning site? There are a couple list for suppliers. All I meant by my comment is that even grocery store meat is better than feeding kibble. But if you have the means to get truly organic meats and local/humanely raised meats go for it. I can't, but I am still doing better then kibble. Also look into deer possessors during hunting season. Some will give you scraps, and if you can handle it, heads. My shepherd loves deer heads.