question for all RAW feeders

[dog123711]

Would a hacksaw cut through chicken and turkey

[dinah_kay]

Why would you need to? The larger the cuts you feed the better, since that way you get the teeth cleaning benefit. I try to stay away from the "cut" bones since they can be super sharp. Best of luck!

[Samismom]

Actually all you really need to cut a chicken into pieces is a good sharp knife and maybe a pair of kitchen shears. I agree with Dinah_kay about feeding larger cuts. I usually feed chicken quarters to my dogs. If the quarters are large I will separate the leg from the thigh at the joint using a sharp knife to get the amount of food I need.

[BayouBCR]

I'm wondering if the question was maybe for WHOLE turkeys or chickens? I know that buying the whole bird is MUCH cheaper per pound than buying the pre-cut pieces. I would think it might also be better since then the dog is getting all the different areas of meat.

Personally, while I don't feed raw exclusively but instead just as treats or supplements, I'm a bigger fan of a good meat cleaver. Just make sure you have a good cutting board that can handle the chopping.

[Seelie Fey]

I use poultry shears - they seem to work just fine, except you have to touch the icky dead chicken. If I'm feeling prissy, I just get leg quarters and throw those at the dogs.

[D. Shank]

If I get a whole Chicken or turkey (which are much cheaper) I just let the dog do the hacking. Thats what their teeth are for Once I feel he's eaten enough for the meal I take it away and wrap it up and put it either back in the freezer of fridge until the next meal

I find that the bigger the piece and the more Chesney and Tucker have to think about and work for their meal the more satisfied they seem after eating.

[BayouBCR]

If I get a whole Chicken or turkey (which are much cheaper) I just let the dog do the hacking. Thats what their teeth are for Once I feel he's eaten enough for the meal I take it away and wrap it up and put it either back in the freezer of fridge until the next meal

I think if I tried that with Pith, I'd turn around to feed the other dogs and come back to an empty crate and a grotesquely fat dog! Sometimes it seems like he literally inhales food, raw, kibble, whatever.

[dog123711]

Thanks for your replies. I guess I need to clarify.

I am talking about whole turkeys I can get for $.39 a pound. They are about 25 pound. Cutting up a whole raw turkey is an experience

Of course I leave the pieces big (drumsticks, wings and so on) but what about the stripped carcass? Maybe I need a chainsaw

[Sandy]

If you know where to cut, a good solid *sharp* kitchen knife will do the trick, and it's really not hard. Remove the thighs and wings from the body at the joints, then cut along the middle of the ribs to separate the breast from the back. The back is easy to cut in pieces. I break it with my hands and then cut the tissue still holding it together. The breast is harder, but if you put it meat side down and stick the point of your knife into the widest part of the breast bone, then use the blade like a cleaver to push down through the bone and meat it usually goes pretty easy.

That's an awesome price for turkeys... I can't even find hindquarters for that any more.

Sondra
(and Skye)

[BayouBCR]

The meat I have the most trouble cutting is pork or beef, especially things like roast. I have some pretty heavy duty, sharp knives, though I won't sacrifice my cooking knives to cutting up meat for the dogs. But the other knives...even with those they take a LOT of effort to cut through the bones of a roast.

[PiperTim]

So when you guys give them chicken or turkey, are you removing the bones or leaving them in?? I couldn't tell from the post. I was curious as I have always been taught that poultry bones can be dangerous for dogs?? But then, BCs tend to be almost a species unto themselves

[Samismom]

I feed with bone in.

Raw bones are not usually dangerous. It is the COOKED bones that pose a problem as the cooking process makes them hard and brittle and they will splinter easily. It is NOT recommended to feed your dog any cooked bone.

I do understand your concern though. I still remember how nervous I was the first time I fed Samira a raw piece of chicken. All I could hear running through my head was "Never feed your dog bones!" I always qualify that now by saying to others that question my choice of food for my dogs, "Never feed your dog COOKED bones." A word of caution though. If your dog tends to be a gulper and not chew much, I would watch him carefully when he eats, in particular smaller things like chicken necks, till you are certain that he knows how to handle them. I love the look of concentration Samira gets on her face when she eats. She is very careful. Dart eats with gusto and usually finishes before Samira, but he does chew. I'm amazed he hasn't accidentally nailed his tongue yet.

[bobbie]

How about huge smoked beef bones?

[bobbie]

How about huge smoked beef bones?

[Samismom]

I've never tried the smoked bones. I would think the smoking process would actually cook the bones. That would rule them out for me right there. I am also afraid that they would give the dogs gas.