Big Country Raw?

[Deleted]

Has anyone here used Big Country Raw to feed their ferrets with?

I'm a little confused in regards to planning out my own menus, and have started leaning towards a commercial raw diet formula(s)

If you are not familiar I will as a quick blurb of information about them as well as a link to their website. Just wondering if I could feed this (with supplementing Omega 3's with fish oil) exclusively to my 2 ferrets.

The following information is in regards to their feline formulas!!

No sugar, salt, veggies/ fruits/ plants, grains, or starches
No hormones or anti-biotics, CFIA inspected human grade. 

3 feline formulas available:
Farm Fest: turkey (meat and bone), beef (meat) lamb organ meat (liver and heart)
Field + Stream: chicken (meat and bone), salmon (whole), beef (liver and heart)
Wild Game: rabbit (meat and bone), pheasant (meat and bone), duck organ meat --did not mention which organs on website!

they come in 8oz or 1lb frozen containers

website said feline formulas are made with an 80% muscle meat, 10% organ, 10% bone ratio. 


there are also some dog (pure formulas) --> aka no veggie/fruit, etc. additives unlike rest of dog formulas

PURE FORMULAS (dog) 
Beef: Beef Meat, Beef Organ Meat (Liver, Kidney, Spleen), Finely Ground Beef Bone
Chicken: Ground Chicken (Meat and Bone)
Duck: Duck (Meat and Bone), Duck Organ Meat (Heart and Liver)

Lamb: Lamb Meat, Lamb Tripe, Lamb Organ Meat (Liver, Heart), Finely Ground Bone
Pork: Pork Meat, Pork Organ Meat (Liver, Spleen), Finely Ground Pork Bone
Rabbit: Rabbit (Meat and Bone), Rabbit Organ Meat (Liver)
Salmon: Pure Salmon (Meat and Bone)
Turkey: Ground Turkey (Meat and Bone), Turkey Liver

in regards to cats eating the pure formulas...
"Cat’s dietary requirements differ only slightly from canines due to their increased requirement for muscle meat and organ meats. Big Country Pure Formula’s & Blends can be fed to your cats however we recommend choosing pure formula’s with a bone content of 15% or less to prevent constipation in your cat. Best choices include Big Country Raw red meat formulas such as beef, lamb and pork. For cats with protein allergies we highly recommend pure rabbit & pure duck." www.bigcountryraw.ca/cats.php

"Raw Meaty Bones

We recommend offering your cat raw meaty bones such as our chicken necks or duck necks as a raw meaty bone choice for your raw fed cat. You can also try chicken wings, chicken thighs or other soft raw meaty bones such as whole quail or Cornish hens with your cat." www.bigcountryraw.ca/cats.php



does any of this seem appropriate for a ferret's everyday diet? 
ideally I may give the occasional day of having chicken wings or turkey necks or something like that (edible bone in), but the majority of their diet would be a rotational diet of the 3 feline formulas (which each have 3 sources)

I am curious about the Pure Formulas to for the sake of being able to buy in bigger frozen bulk (2,4,8lb containers rather than just the 1lb cat containers), but I don't know if they are all appropriate, or if certain ones would go best with others in a week (because of lack of organ meat, and heart formulas) 


www.bigcountryraw.ca


Any and all advice and experiences with using this company would be greatly appreciated!!! 

[raynebc]

Based on that information, it doesn't sound like those prepared meals are quite balanced. That information doesn't indicate whether they count heart as a muscle meat or an organ, so at a bare minimum they'd have to be contacted for more information. Heart should be 10% of the diet, and another 10% should be organs (half liver, half another secreting organ). 10% bone would be OK.

[Klarissa]

I feed Big Country Raw! I love their products for a long list of reasons. The packaging is as convienent as raw gets. Reputable, responsible, Ontario company. Most of the meat is Ontario raised, all natural, no GMO feeds, free range/pasture raised, etc. The exceptions are some of the "novelty" proteins. It is cost effective & easy way to increase protein variety. However:

For starters, the dog formula is better then the cat formula as it contains more bone. On its own, it is NOT balanced enough for ferrets. Heart is considered an organ in the mixes, and it is usually 5% heart, 5% liver in most blends. It is NOT enough heart or liver!

I use it as part of my frankenprey menu, as a bone in meal 2-3 meals a week. Last week was Rabbit grinds, this week was duck, and next week is pheasant/elk.

It is also doesn't require any chewing on the part of the ferret, meaning you will have to brush your ferrets teeth. It's a scarf & dash meal - ferrets will eat more grinds, then whole meats purely because its easy. Whole pieces make eating an event which is great for their brains too!

Big Country Raw also carries chicken necks, duck necks, chicken backs, and rabbit ears. I also have their pumpkin powder for blockage protocol which is way better then opening a massive can of pumpkin & only using a few spoonfuls

[Klarissa]

The cat formulas have more heart then the dog (to meet the taurine needs of felines). However!

They are all blends - so if you're ferret develops an allergy it will be harder to identify when you use a lot of blends.

It doesn't have enough bone. Ferrets require a shocking amount of bone, and the dogs has a better bone content.

[Deleted]

what if I were to supplement a meal of heart and liver into the week to supplement the lack in the grinds? I would also supply some edible bones..

Im not sure how to make a menu of it though. any suggestions?

[Klarissa]

I only use it a few times a week, so I'm not comfortable suggesting what would be a balanced menu.

Have you signed up for a mentor? They are excellent, and would be able to help you create a balanced meal from BCR, edible bones, and organ meals.