For many reasons, primarily allergies, I am switching Faroh to raw.

However, I live in an area with very limited, and expensive supply. A lot of these things I read about on the board, I couldn't special order here, never mind pick up for $.30/lb.

I have found a source to purchase:
chicken leg quarters $13/11lbs (cheap grocery chain, not free-range or anything), and free-range, organic-fed chicken necks and backs @ $1.09/lb, but I have to buy 33lbs at a time (from the only butcher in town). They will also order in organ meat for me, but I can't specify what type or size.

The butcher has no scraps, as they make their own sausages. I have been to every grocery store, and some of them occasionally have organ meat in small packages.

I have been on the look out for good deals on frozen fish, no luck. I can't even find canned mackerel. There are some places that sell pre-made frozen raw diets, but they are outrageously expensive... with the exception of 1 - http://www.mountaindogfood.com
You can buy 19lbs of a full meal (without organ meat), for $31.99. They woman at the store said that they sell that brand to a lot of working dogs, because they have "stronger stomachs". I think she meant sled dogs.

Anyhow, due to Faroh's sensitive stomach, his allergies, and being new to raw, I would prefer to do it myself.

The thing is, I have heard that some dogs don't tolerate certain cuts (necks, legs) as well as others. Can this issue be eliminated by chopping everything up?

What do those of you with a limited supply do for variety? What is the bare minimum I can get away with for rotation? I have had feelers out for a while to hunters and farmers with not much luck.

Right now, Faroh is eating a home cooked diet (as of a week ago), comprised of:

chicken thighs
quinoa
broccoli
green beans
squash
yogurt
eggs
canned tripe
salmon oil+E
calcium

I want to continue this diet for maybe a week and then switch over to raw. He is doing really well on the diet (stomach wise), and has already gone from pooping 3x a day to once every 24 hours, and his poops are much smaller, and better!

Plus, he LOVES his food. The one downside, is that now he knows yummy things come from the kitchen, and he harasses me a bit more. Before his food just came from a bag in the closet.

I don't think it is a problem with certain cuts. I think the problems arise when those "problem" cuts are fed over and over again with no cut or protein variety.

Even if you can only switch up chicken cuts between necks, backs, and leg quarters. Those 3 in rotation are better than one cut alone, day after day, every day, every meal.

So, you got organs lined out. Liver is the largest in the body, so it usually receives the most attention. If you can get others, GREAT! If you can't, it is OK. If you find some, buy them and feed them when you can.

Got chicken parts. What you listed sounds wonderful, IMO. I can't get free range birds, either.

You've got canned tripe. You don't have to feed it all the time if it is expensive. Fed once a week or two goes a long way into breaking up dietary monotony.

Can you get any beef or pork cuts? Most of Turbo's beef and pork cuts come from the soon-to-expire section in the meat dept. That knocks a lot off the price. If you could get ONE of these semi-regularly, I would call you golden.:smile:

That would be all your available organs, chicken, tripe, and beef and/or pork. Most tripe is from cows, but whatever. For the sake of variety, we're letting it have it's own place in the menu.:smile: I said it was OK.:smile:

For the most part, that is all I feed, too. Some weeks, even months, there may be a lot of chicken. That time may be followed with variety galore.:smile: Point is, feed what you can when you can.

Even with chicken, beef, and pork, STILL look for fish. If you get to feed it once every month, great. Every 2 months, great. Get it and feed it then.:smile:

You don't sound too terribly limited, IMO.:smile:

Thanks, Michael. As the seasons change, I think I might have more luck with certain things. I DO live right on a lake, and though I personally don't fish, I'm sure I can try my darndest to find some people who do, and might have extra (or extra bits) occasionally.

I do have the name of one private slaughterhouse and a farmer, who may let me come collect, before he tosses stuff to the "gut bucket".

We do also have this thing where you can purchase roadkill here, but haven't the foggiest idea how to do anything to it.

I'm glad to here you think it'll be ok between those items. I can also buy venison and lamb tripe, they are a tad more pricey than the beef tripe, but only by about $.50/can (beef tripett is what I get, for $2.25/can).
Do you also add eggs to the diet? I saw that in the other thread recently about "staples". If so, hardboiled, like he gets now? I would think that would be ok...

I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to feed him chicken. I had done 2 food trials with him as a pup, and he seemed to be intolerant to it (stomach wise), but now he's fine.

Are you of the "add veggie every day" school, or no?

When you get box from your butcher look for lables. I found that my 18kg box of chicken neck came from 45 min away from me. Now I can have it at 1.50/kg! I check all the flyers any thing under 1.50/# will be concider, I can find chicken quarter leg for 0.99/# once or twice a month.
I have to go to 3 to 4 shop but it is all worth it

Look into semi-local farmers too. Lots of them come into the farmer's markets. I do that and I am lucky that I can get ground chicken for .85/lb and ground turkey for 1.19/lb (both include bones and organs). Chicken necks and backs are .55/lb. All are already portioned into 1-2 lb, vacuum sealed packages. I do have to buy in bulk, but I also feed 3 GSDs, a Cairn Terrier and a Shih Tsu so it goes fast lol.

I agree that you should be fine with this availability. One thought: the butcher that makes sausage from scrap--ask him to make (save) you a batch of sausage meat with no seasoning. That should be an easy cheap source for muscle meat.

Phaedra, those prices are in line with what I pay around here (Nanaimo, BC). And buying 33 lbs at a time? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that will be eaten up pretty quick!
Where in BC are you?
My husband works for DFO and we are just about to start a 6 week herring laboratory sampling contract - after stats are taken all the herring are thrown away, and so free to anyone who wants to come at the end of the day to collect them for freezing. THis would be in Nanaimo. PM me if interested.

Oh yeah, check out these members of the Canadian Association of Raw Pet Food Manufacturers

http://carpfm.ca/members.html

Many of them have just chicken or other parts in addition to pre-made stuff. I found a dealer for Mountain Dog food on the island here - their chicken necks are the same price as store bought, but they have free delivery, and availability at the grocery store is unreliable...

Hi Cindy, that's an awesome offer, but I live in the Kootenays. If I lived on the Island or the Coast, I don't think I would have such a problem.

Thanks for the links too!