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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2012 22:55:05 GMT -5
Dare I say, you are plotting a turducken? ;D
Anyhow as to cuts that are more muscle and less bone... pork belly [unsalted] is great if you can get it cheaply. (over $4 a lb here) Chicken (or turkey or duck) breast of course would work but that's more expensive. I tend to use chicken thighs or legs with the skin on, since they can't eat most of the larger bone. Gizzards work great too. I occasionally find a cheap cut of pork I can use- the bone in or boneless chops are usually $2 a lb or so here, you can sometimes find a large roast for cheap money. If I was able to use beef in my house I'd probably go with the only cheap cut we have here- top/bottom round steak. That's about $3-4 lb.
While a cornish game hen does have lots of bones, it has lots of meat too and that could last a couple of ferrets a day, possibly more. Rabbit is great if you can get it and it's affordable in your country. I'm not sure how kangeroo is, I hear some people down there use it. Mice are great or pinkies/baby chicks if you have a supplier.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2012 17:57:06 GMT -5
haha YES! I'm mad I tell you maaaaaad  I'm a bit squimish about using pinkies or baby chicks since I used to raise both haha haven't seen any cornish game hen in my area at anytime of the year so best bet is to pick up some more chicken legs then love shredding the meat then tossing the bone around the cage. Last time I used kangaroo my girls were throwing up on and off for the next week don't worry I don't like kangaroo either  Well I've got to pick up more hearts this week anyway so I'll look for a cheap cut of something other then chicken at the butcher  Oh and for a bone in meal or maybe even a muscle meal I'm swapping out Chicken frames for some lamb cutlets there's a good amount of meat buuuut I don't seem them getting through THOSE bones anything soon |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2012 18:55:18 GMT -5
I've never had kangaroo so I couldn't give an opinion.  Had ostrich though and that was delicious. Beaver's pretty good too as is anything with hooves... mmm, boar. And elk. And caribou. And venison. And moose. I'd love to be able to give mine lamb more, but it's less popular here and very expensive- $5-6 lb starting range for less desirable cuts. Nothing wrong with giving them large bones to gnaw at and play with. ^^ |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2012 20:05:43 GMT -5
Wow just went through the freezer and I'm running low on stock o.O ..only have some liver,kidneys, drumettes and chicken frames left hmm..TIME TO GO SHOPPING What should be on the list? I know hearts are needed..maybe some lamb cutlets hmm what else? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2012 22:12:55 GMT -5
Here's a good list someone from Australia posted a while back on what they find is available for meat. I'm not sure what part of the country they are in though. holisticferret60.proboards.com/in....lay&thread=9571It sounds like you need some muscle meat to add to that shopping list. Maybe some more of your minced turkey or some lamb.I always cruise the meat section of my local markets to see what's new and available. Sometimes they surprise me. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2012 4:08:11 GMT -5
Aw the link didn't work and I think I recall seeing that list a few days ago while I was surfing Holistic Ferret at work But it seems the only proteins I have access to are your standard pork,beef,lamb,chicken occasional cuts from turkey and of course ducks for Christmas and boxing day lunches. I'm waiting for word from my local feed store and regards to getting some rabbit they seem quite popular with local raw feeders got to be quick ;D And there goes THAT plan not only did they TURN their noses up at the mince beef I bought as did the cats and the dogs so basically the whole household LOL the fuzzies NOW refuse turkey mince soo seems mince is NOT welcome in the house ahahahaha Okay how's this for a shopping list not sure how many weeks it'll cover probably just the one but here goes: - this is all to rotate through what I also currently have on hand- Lamb Hearts Chicken Necks Lamb Cutlets Turkey Wings Pork Belly/Pork Chop |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2012 8:48:44 GMT -5
Sounds good, and you have the liver and whatnot already as I recall. I suffer from the same lack of variety as you do, I have to feed my group commercial grind for balance until I can find a slaughterhouse or something that sells organs and bones.
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Post by Sherry on Dec 13, 2012 9:25:17 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2012 3:47:35 GMT -5
Well that was a quick pay check spent LOL ok we now have beef porter house steak, lamb chops, pork schnitzal and chicken drumsticks ;D just need to buy some more heart and all set How much should I be feeding? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2012 12:36:08 GMT -5
Question about the pork schnitzal, is this basically just a plain cut of meat you would normally use for frying or is this actually breaded etc? Or just something else entirely? Going off of a quick google search here since it's not something that is cooked where I live. As for feeding you have noticed I'm sure that it varies by season how much they will eat. My rule of thumb is to give me kids as much as they will eat in a sitting and to leave a little bit out to munch on in between meals. If my guys immediately clean both bowls out and look at me for more, I give them more. Generally for 9 ferrets 12 ounces of meat per meal is usually enough, sometimes with leftovers. (Plus I put out RMB) Some of my ferrets only eat an ounce a meal, some of the others probably eat two to three times that. Where you only have 2 ferrets, putting out 6 ounces a meal is likely plenty. Trial and error is the best way to figure it out so that you are not wasting extra food and they are not going hungry. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2012 21:31:35 GMT -5
Yeah my rule has always been all you can eat LOL seems to work any leftovers become daytime snacks when they wake up  As for the pork yeah it's just a plain cut I picked up discounted but looks like it's used for frying Grrr waiting on hearts -.-; |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2012 22:22:18 GMT -5
Don't feel bad, the only heart I can get here is chicken, mixed with gizzards. (Like 3 hearts in a package, grrr) Going to be checking in with some slaughter houses down in MA sooner or later to see if they can accommodate me.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2012 9:07:07 GMT -5
Well these guys are an absolute dream to switch to raw so far they only reject mince anything else muscle meat, organ, bone in is gone in minutes or by morning/night  ahhh so glad i did this switch they have never looked so GOOD ...put on a lot of weight and their fur is SOOOOOOO soft i can cuddle them all day my big fluffy babies <3 |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2012 12:09:28 GMT -5
What's in the mince exactly? Is it just chopped up meat/organs? Odd that they don't like it, but hey if they will eat organs and meat pieces hole, it renders itself unnecessary for the most part. How are they looking/smelling right now? I think you had yours on partial raw for a while didn't you? If so the detoxing shouldn't be so bad and they shouldn't be too yellow or smelly. The raw does so many wonderful things for them. It seems to make them bond even more closely to you as well. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2012 6:58:26 GMT -5
What's in the mince exactly? Is it just chopped up meat/organs? theml. Hey sorry it's been a hectic week at work so home life was pretty much on the back burner lol but I'm back and ready to get the girls back on track with their raw As for the mince no it was organ and bone free and not even the cats or dogs would touch it so i knew it wasn't welcome lol |
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As for the pork yeah it's just a plain cut I picked up discounted but looks like it's used for frying