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Post by bitbyter on Jul 1, 2013 22:03:38 GMT -5
This is an example of what I do when I prep a bulk purchase of meat for my girls diet. This all goes into a freezer in plastic containers for each day (about 4 oz). Each meal contains bone in meat, boneless meat and heart in the proper ratio. I also have containers for their organs (weekly amount) but I still have tons in the freezer so I didn't have to purchase more. NOTE: DO NOT mix all your meat types together as I did in these pictures. This ended up causing a lot of problems for me as one of my ferrets developed a food allergy and because everything was mixed together, it took a LONG time to be able to figure out what it was without wasting a lot of food. Stick to packaging your meals or days food as the frankenprey menu suggests. Use labels to indicated the meat variety (chicken, beef, pork, ect) and type (bone in, muscle, organ, heart). STEP 1: Clean your work surface thoroughly with soap and hot water. STEP 2: Organize your tools (cutting board, kitchen scale, plastic containers, cleaver, boning knife and shears). STEP 3: The meat I am preparing (chicken wings, rabbit, pork belly, Cornish hens, chicken gizzards, chicken hearts). STEP 4: Separate each meat type (type by bone in, boneless, heart) into it's own bowl in order to be able to mix them into the containers in the right ratio. NOTE: THIS is why we advise having a freezer. This took my 1.5 hours to fully prepare from butchering to final packaging but will last my girls for about 3 months and cost me $101.32 (Canadian). I can usually manage to get it cheaper but it was a long weekend in Canada and there weren't any sales on unfortunately. STEP 5: What a full day's food looks like for my girls.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2013 22:06:25 GMT -5
Bitbyter I am impressed with your organizational skills. Were you ever a chef? I know a guy who is all organized like you in the kitchen and he was a chef at one time.
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Post by bitbyter on Jul 1, 2013 23:07:04 GMT -5
Lol, for 6 years. So, yes I have professional training.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2013 23:15:36 GMT -5
Are those cutco knives I see?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2013 23:15:50 GMT -5
You should see my kitchen you would probably pass out and die. My family says I am a good cook but that I need a scullery maid. I make a pretty big mess when cooking.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2013 23:26:36 GMT -5
Great pictures! And a wonderful explanation. This is my goal now...I just can't seem to find the 1.5 hours needed to do the butchering. But it sure does save you time and money in the end, doesn't it. I now have a new goal.....this I will do the next weekend! Thanks!!!
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Post by bitbyter on Jul 1, 2013 23:56:41 GMT -5
Yes, I use Cutco knives at home. Reasonably priced and great quality for home use. It also helps that the Canadian office is about 1/2 hour from home so that I can go and exchange them for new ones whenever I want. I usually do that about every 6 months.
In a professional kitchen I'd probably use something else but they are great for home use.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2013 23:59:23 GMT -5
I actually have a friend who just got a job selling cutco, she did her first demo with me. I wasn't able to buy anything because I was originally planning on moving soon so I was saving my money and didn't want to be making payments from across the country, but now that I'm staying here I might consider investing in some knives. Any recommendations?
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Post by bitbyter on Jul 2, 2013 0:00:29 GMT -5
Also, as most chef's I am horribly messy in the kitchen but I know how to clean up when necessary. In a professional kitchen that is someone elses job.
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Post by bitbyter on Jul 3, 2013 15:33:54 GMT -5
The Cutco's are great for home use but have a few drawbacks in a professional kitchen where they are used continuously every day.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2013 15:39:40 GMT -5
I'm very impressed! You are definitely an organization guru. I don't like cleaning much (i do it, but reluctantly) however, I love organizing.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2013 21:07:53 GMT -5
Is there a particular reason that a raw newbie shouldn't feed "complete" daily meals like this versus the weekly menu? I realize there would be some more complicated percentages involved, but I would think that has more to do with mathematical skills than raw feeding experience. I'm curious because I think I would prefer to feed using this method instead of the weekly menu plan if possible.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2013 21:34:35 GMT -5
Besides the percentages being harder to get right, it also has to do with not being able to identify sensitivities/allergies to certain foods when it's all mixed together. If it's all separate, you can just eliminate a protein source if they're having an issue with it
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2013 21:37:06 GMT -5
Hmm I hadn't even thought about mixing protein sources. My initial thought was to keep them separate. So it would sort of be like feeding a frankenprey version of a whole prey meal.
Of course, the organs would probably be mostly chicken.
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Post by bitbyter on Jul 17, 2013 21:39:28 GMT -5
and ferrets are notoriously picky eaters. I would only mix their meats like this if you have one or two ferrets and KNOW they have no problems eating their bones and organs. Organs are notoriously difficult to feed for some ferrets. I KNOW that both my girls have no problems with eating their liver, bones, heart and kidney. If you have a large business and mix everything up like this it would be impossible to know if everyone is eating what they should.
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