I have recently gotten some surplus meat from a friend who's a chef and heard I was going raw. Here's a list of what I got...are any of these things better for the first week or two or are they all okay?

*Chicken breasts with ribs included.
*Cornish Game Hens
*Chicken Wings
*Chicken Thighs

I got some beef liver, too, but I heard I should wait a bit on that. True?

For those that don't know, I have a 5 month old GSD and a 2 year old Corgi.

Thanks all!

 Quote: Amber Morgan

I have recently gotten some surplus meat from a friend who's a chef and heard I was going raw. Here's a list of what I got...are any of these things better for the first week or two or are they all okay?

*Chicken breasts with ribs included.
*Cornish Game Hens
*Chicken Wings
*Chicken Thighs

I got some beef liver, too, but I heard I should wait a bit on that. True?

For those that don't know, I have a 5 month old GSD and a 2 year old Corgi.

Thanks all!

I would use the wings to start out and quite possibly the game hens.
The breasts have alot of meat compared to bone so I trim some of the meat off (great for chicken strips and give the rest), some people just do not feed the breasts at all.

I feed leg quarters but add calcium if I find I am feeding alot of those. So the thighs I would add in later.

I fed organ meat my first week, but in a very small amount at first.

I ordered a case of game hens, my dogs think they scored big when they get one of those. Don't know what the difference is but they like them alot. I use them as a treat once a week because the little buggers are spendy....

Now they get it two to three times a week.

Yea Amber!

I stuck to chicken backs at first...I used the backs since they were recommended by Connie and others. I did go on and give an intact half chicken (recommended by Yuko) and True handles that with no problem. I didn't overload him with too much organ meat at first...I guess it can cause diarrhea...but he also handles it with no problem.

I've never given wings alone...True is a gulper and I was told it might not be a good idea.

Carbon is a gulper as well, Sarah. I figure I'll give him one and see how he does.

Carol, how do you add calcium? I'm starting to be confused again.

Experts recommend adding a little calcium if you are using a lot of leg quarters. (Those weight-bearing bones again......)

I'd rather not use a lot of weight-bearing bones, especially in view of the MUCH lower price of backs (a terrific raw ingredient, IMHO).

But if I had free ones, like you do, I'd use them.

I think it's really important to note that calcium supplementation is hardly ever needed or desirable..... because the meat-bone (phosphorous-calcium) ratio on the whole small prey animal is what it should be.

So...I can use them and I should add calcium, or I can use them and not worry about the calcium as long as it doesn't remain a staple for my dogs? It's approximately a 6lb package (the thighs) The breast are about the same.

If I do need to add calcium, in what form do you administer it? I'm assuming it's a powder?

 Quote: Amber Morgan

So...I can use them and I should add calcium, or I can use them and not worry about the calcium as long as it doesn't remain a staple for my dogs? It's approximately a 6lb package (the thighs) The breast are about the same.

If I do need to add calcium, in what form do you administer it? I'm assuming it's a powder?

Well, here are two conflicting opinions, if that helps.

QUOTE: Weight-bearing bones can also be given (chicken legs/thighs), but they are a bit more difficult to chew (especially for a small animal). When giving chicken legs/thighs, remember to supplement with eggshell powder or bone dust, to even out the calcium/phosphorus ratio.END from
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm#rec

and

QUOTE: The evening meal is meat with bones, which is important for balancing the calcium/phosphorus ratio in your dog's diet. These must be raw and do not use weight bearing bones of large animals (this does not include poultry). Leg bones of large animals are hard and most dogs have difficulty chewing them and getting the calcium for bones.END from
http://b-naturals.com/natural.php

So I have the legs ground up. If I didn't, I personally would probably not buy them unless they were young small birds (as Alice mentioned). (That's just me.)

If I had free poultry legs, I woull probably strip off the meat and use it with particulary boney parts (maybe backs that were not meaty, which I have occasionally encountered).

Okay. But what confuses me is this: Aren't chicken leg quarters (thighs and legs, right?) a staple of the Leerburg sample menu?

I honestly don't mean to sound like a moron, but everytime I think I know what I'm doing, something confuses me. And I have to cut up and freeze these chix parts so I'm trying to figure out what I should leave out for today and tomorrow!

Sheesh.

Thanks for walking me through this. Again. And again.

 Quote: Amber Morgan

Okay. But what confuses me is this: Aren't chicken leg quarters (thighs and legs, right?) a staple of the Leerburg sample menu?

I honestly don't mean to sound like a moron, but everytime I think I know what I'm doing, something confuses me. And I have to cut up and freeze these chix parts so I'm trying to figure out what I should leave out for today and tomorrow!

Sheesh.

Thanks for walking me through this. Again. And again.

Your not sounding like a moron at all. I think that leg quarters are a staple for adult dogs and not pups (I could be ,istaken though).
I would start by leaving out chicken wings and the game hens, and freeze the rest.

I usually grind up 4 or 5 whole chickens a month and feed that intermittentley with whole quarters. My Bloodhound, Dutch and Lab chew thoroughly but my Mal gets all of her bones cut into bite size chunks or ground up as she does not chew her food thoroughly.

You could cut the rib part of the breast off and use those as well.

I should add that I put calcium supplement in my veggie glop and also feed whole eggs with meat meals.

Why the calcium? How much?

I'm asking this because I really don't want anyone to think that calcium supplementation is normally required or even beneficial with raw feeding.

Bones and meat "come" the way dogs need their calcium-phosphorous ratio.

I'm with Carol that I don't think legs are the perfect mainstay for pups or for dogs who are just starting a raw diet. (I have read that the enzymes that digest raw bones slack off when a dog's on kibble and probably take a while to resume the normal supply.)

And in fact, as I mentioned, I have legs ground up.

Then Alice mentioned that small young birds are probably fine, as opposed to big hard thigh bones in older birds.

I'm going to go get the books out again.