[anifunk1962]

My Jack Russell weighs about 15 pounds and would require about 1/2 pound of raw food a day. If a chicken back weighs about 1/2 pound and a drumstick weighs about 1/2 pound, then when I'm on the second week and adding the chicken quarters to the backs, how do I do this? I'm thinking it's going to be hard to cut a chicken back or leg in half. Any suggestions? Maybe I would feed a chicken leg every other day? (Am I making this harder than it really is?)

 

[RawFedDogs]

I don't think a chicken leg weighs a pound. Maybe a quarter pound but thats a guess. Buy a package of legs at the grocery store. Look at the weight on the package. Count the legs. You should be able to figure how much a leg weighs that way. You will get larger and smaller backs and legs.

Backs are easy to cut in half using some gardening shears. Kitchen shears may do the job.

one thing you are doing is making things harder on your self by trying to feed exactly the correct amount each meal. Don't worry about each meal. Worry about over time. If you need to feed half a chicken leg, feed it every other time. Or maybe you will need to feed 2 legs every other meal and one leg the other meals. I don't know but it's not hard to work out if you just sit down and think about it for a few minutes.

We just don't use exact measurements in raw feeding. You might figure by the dog's weight he needs 1.2 lbs each meal. What that means is somewhere between 1 and 1 and a half pounds/meal. Maybe a little less than one pound and a little over a pound and a half. Just don't try to be exact. You will drive your self crazy and work yourself to death. I'm sure you don't take such pains to measure your own meals. It's not necesssary with dogs either.

Just watch your dog. If he starts getting fat, feed less and vice versa. Stop worrying and have fun. :smile:

 

[ImWithThePyr]

I got a kitchen scale at Kmart for 4 dollars. Works great. I use regular scissor to cut up chicken.... again.. works great.

 

[jdatwood]

I agree with RFD. Watch your dog's weight and see how they deal with the amount you're feeding it.

If they always seem hungry, try feeding a little more.

I've never weighed our food and all of our dogs are at a nice lean weight. Just eyeball it and go with your gut feeling.

 

[RawFedDogs]

Its so nice you agree with me except you made one statement I just can't go along with. My dogs always seem hungry. I think they would eat 3 whole chickens or 2 whole rabbits if let them. Don't judge how much to feed by whether the dogs act hungry. So stricktly by their build (fat or skinny).

 

[jdatwood]

Good point. I suppose some of ours would always eat given the chance.

 

[rannmiller]

Mine certainly are! I have one who ate 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters in one sitting and then was still happy to eat more afterwards! I definitely don't let her tell me whether or not she wants more food :smile:

 

[ImWithThePyr]

I must have the only self-regulator. Maxwell always stops eating when he is full... very rarely does he actually finish his food. If he eats all of his food and asks for more, I know he actually is still hungry and I will give him more... but this is very rare for him.

Maxwell is a Pyr and has an extremely slow metabolism. He easily maintains his weight on 2 or less pounds of food a day. He is also fairly active... he goes for a bike ride in the afternoon and a walk in the evening.

 

[EnglishBullTerriers]

I must have the only self-regulator. Maxwell always stops eating when he is full... very rarely does he actually finish his food. If he eats all of his food and asks for more, I know he actually is still hungry and I will give him more... but this is very rare for him.

Maxwell is a Pyr and has an extremely slow metabolism. He easily maintains his weight on 2 or less pounds of food a day. He is also fairly active... he goes for a bike ride in the afternoon and a walk in the evening.

WOW! Your dog can ride a bike??? :wink: You have yourself a great dog if he knows when to stop eating. My dog will eat till his guts pop and then will sit there and ask for more! Even I don't always know when to stop eating. You should clone him. You could make millions!
My horse on the other hand will stop eating when he is full. He won't touch grain unless he is hungry enough. Good for your dog!!

 

[ImWithThePyr]

WOW! Your dog can ride a bike??? :wink: You have yourself a great dog if he knows when to stop eating. My dog will eat till his guts pop and then will sit there and ask for more! Even I don't always know when to stop eating. You should clone him. You could make millions!
My horse on the other hand will stop eating when he is full. He won't touch grain unless he is hungry enough. Good for your dog!!

LOL... no, he can't ride a bike, but he can run along side one like a champ Have you seen the video on youtube of the Dalmatian in Japan that actually CAN ride a bike, though?

Maxwell is a great boy... all the benefits of having a giant breed... but none of the taking out a second mortgage to feed one. I know Labs who require more food than Maxwell does.

 

[anifunk1962]

Did I get ripped off on chicken backs?

Thanks for all the good advice. I thought I was making this too hard but my personality makes me do that . . . I'm anal. I hate to call myself that but that's what I am, besides a redneck. I guess I'm an anal redneck. :biggrin:

On another note, I think I just got ripped off on chicken backs. My husband was told by the meat cutter at a small meat market that the chicken backs (which were ordered last week and ended up being necks instead ) would cost about the same as the chicken necks (.59/pound). They were in today, so my husband went to pick them up. The meat cutter wasn't there at that time.

For a 40-pound box, they were $107.00!!!! That's 2.69/pound!!! My husband didn't even question them; he just whipped out the plastic and paid for them.

I don't get it - there's not much to a chicken back. Who would pay 2.69/pound for them? Oh, yeah . . . we would.

 

[jdatwood]

For a 40-pound box, they were $107.00!!!! That's 2.69/pound!!! My husband didn't even question them; he just whipped out the plastic and paid for them.

I'd followup with them and let them know you were overcharged. $2.69/lb is way too much to pay for chicken backs

 

[anifunk1962]

That's what I thought. I couldn't wait to get on here and find out for sure, though. My husband is going in on Monday to talk to the meat cutter he had talked to earlier in the week and find out what's going on. Thanks for confirming my thoughts about getting ripped off.

 

[RawFedDogs]

I pay about $13.50 to $14.00 for a 40lb case of chicken backs.

 

[anifunk1962]

WOW! I REALLY got ripped off! I was expecting them to cost about 25.00 because that's what the necks cost and they said it would be about the same. I was shocked when I found out it was 4 times that amount! I would love to get them for 14.00. :smile:

 

[ImWithThePyr]

Good deal, RFD! I pay 30 dollars for a 40 pound case of chicken backs :frown:

 

[RawFedDogs]

Good deal, RFD! I pay 30 dollars for a 40 pound case of chicken backs :frown:

Today I paid $22 for 40lbs of chicken quarters. :smile:

 

[rannmiller]

If I bought my leg quarters by the case, I would pay about that much too. But I buy them by the 10 lbs bag at WalMart for about $.50/lb. It's quite nice!

 

[ImWithThePyr]

I pay 6 dollars even for 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters. So 24 dollars for 40 pounds... not bad at all

I do buy whole chickens (usually 5 or so pounds) for 3 dollars. :biggrin:

 

[jdatwood]

Here's where we buy most of our meat from
Welcome to Harvest Meat Company!

They have other locations so it might be of use to some of you...