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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2015 21:23:44 GMT -5
Vet tomorrow she got snow bound. My school had only a 1 hour delay. He ate another 2 oz of pork mush this evening. Even got a little bit of liver in him. I have been reading other people's switching threads and decided I have been a very bad student (teachers are notoriously awful students) and I sincerely apologize. I've been monitoring my babies but not truly listening to your nicely worded pleas to tow the line. ?. I need to do a 180 in the communication department so you are better able to help me..... So with this being said, here is what is in my freezer; 1. Chicken: wings, thighs, backs, hearts, livers, necks (everything chopped into 1/2 inch cube, portioned into 4 ounce bags, and separated according to meat type such as "bone in thighs" and for now, the liver its slurried. 2. Whole Cornish game hens chopped whole including all organs and frozen into 4 oz bags. 3. Turkey necks, cut into 2 inch slices, and frozen in 4 oz bags 4. Beef: steaks, shoulder, bottom round, chuck roast (I cut off a slab of human meat and set aside for ferrets) Entire beef heart, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, makes a LOT of 4 oz bags , liver, kidneys 5. Pork: ground and frozen (don't know what part of pig) pork chops, pork steak, all either portioned or cubed. 6. Rabbit whole balanced commercially ground, comes bagged in little cubes. 7. Freeze dried raw whole: duck, chicken, goose, lamb, chicken and duck hearts, liver Whew that's a whole bunch of hand labor. Thank god for my wooden mallet, sharp chaphlon knives and hubbies strong arms. So I don't have weekly menu worked out yet until you look over all I have and give me suggestions. But I started today 2/2/2015 - morning; bone in cubed chicken wing 5 oz, 4 oz eaten . Evening; liver and hearts 2 oz, no measurable amount eaten. Notes~ morning; three only ate the 4 oz. the leftovers were gone by this afternoon. Grizzly ate separately. Morning; He ate 2 oz ground pork, eggshell, taurine. Evening same but added some liver he ate 2 1/2 oz. clap, clap, clap. The organ and heart meal, was tasted and Possum ate a few chunks, Snicks and Sidney licked and tried to grab and stash across my furniture!!!! I'm thinking organ meals will be in their cage. What ha think?
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 2, 2015 23:07:16 GMT -5
That's a great amount for Grizzly. Right in the ball park of what he should be eating. I'd actually stick to pork or beef with him until he has put more weight on. Both are higher in fat which he needs right now. I tend to buy pork shoulder as it is a good mix of meat an fat. Yes, beef heart does go a looooong way which is great if yours will eat it (mine never really liked beef much). On a side note. Save chicken breasts for you and your family. They are to lean for the ferrets. Same with pork loin (to lean). Nice score on CGH with organs. I've never seen them with organs before. You've got great variety there currently. You mentioned stuff portioned into 1/2 "cubes". Try portioning stuff into "strips". I usually go for the size of my pinky finger or thumb. The rectangular shape is much easier for them to eat since the chew with the sides of their mouths. Don't beat yourself up. You haven't been a "Bad" mentee (I've had worse). A little disorganized maybe but we can work on that. If you want an example of a very well organized switch, take a look at this one (she really starts reporting things well at about pg 8: holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/12262/audreyswierczynskis-switching-thread-bitbiter?page=8As for the menu. Look at the one here and just follow it with whatever you have and whatever they are used to eating. I "think" you are still trying to get them on bone in meats but organs seem to be readily accepted at this point?
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 2, 2015 23:12:01 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 9:23:48 GMT -5
Son, (said in Morgan Freeman's voice) I've been using a cleaver since before you were a twinkle in your mamas eyes. ?Alan cleavers, my arthritis prefers big butt caphlon knife and the wooden mallet I used back in art school for chiseling 4 foot hardwood sculptures. We work as a team. Great videos. But I want you to come down here and take my photography class, so we can work on getting your thumb off the lens and using a mini tripod to hold your phone. Or even better... Tripod with decent camera ??. But really, you do such an awesome job creating digital show and tells. I really like the sharpening your knife videos. I was trained by my father to use sharpening stones. I've never perfected the art, generally waiting for my bro (foodie and chef... He's now working as a computer tech) mot take pity on me. Fortunately he comes to my home to cook family dinners very often, so my knives stay sharp. But, I know know why I've never perfected the art. I've been holding my knives at about a 30degree angle! I do have one question. When you cleaver the chicken bone in meat the slices appear to have skin wrapped around the entire section. I'm terrified of skin, for obvious reasons. Do your girls ever have issues working that much skin off the bones? On the furry front. I added liver back to Grizzlies pork meat, he refused to eat it. But I will try again with more one on one time. After last nights organ failure dinner... The other three plowed their way through 6 ounces of bone in chicken thighs and wings with liver and heart. Heart is again untouched. I'm going to put the heart into the blender and try that for a bit. They will eat beef heart dangitall.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 9:25:20 GMT -5
*Remind me not to use smilies, I always get the same one with a "?" Mark after is.
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 3, 2015 10:49:48 GMT -5
I have a tripod. The problem was there was no way to mount my phone to it. In the later videos I bought an adapter that allowed me to use the tripod. It has helped tremendously.
My girls don't get poultry anymore but when they were, if the skin piece was overly large I'd cut it up smaller. If it was really thick (like from the back of the chicken or between the body and the thigh, I'd discard it). The skin on wings is fine. Didn't have any issues with it once the wing is cut up.
Yeah, you want about a 20 to degree angel (25 at most).
As for using a cleaver, whatever works for you. Most people don't have one and don't realize how much easier it is to deal with bone in meats when you do.
When you get back from the vet, let me know what he said about Grizzly.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2015 18:13:39 GMT -5
We just got back. You will be very proud of me. I went in armed with: poop charts, Raw menus. Poop photos, and samples. Light reading for my vet if she was interested (she was). You are right I am her only raw fed ferret. And she knew nothing about it. So yeah me.
She looked at a new set and the old set of xRays and bluntly said she didn't see the heart issue. Had it been there at all it's gone now. His bowel looks much better. She didn't even draw blood. And his fabulous poops this morning were so awesome (they were!) she didn't see any reason to stick him with a needle. Just keep an eye on him. Whoot Whoot.
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 3, 2015 22:28:50 GMT -5
:banana: (dance) AWESOME!! Great news!!
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 4, 2015 9:16:48 GMT -5
So, in follow-up. Did your regular vet confirm that there was indeed some inflammation in the bowels? If so, you should probably keep a really close eye on him when he eats poultry (chicken especially). Make sure to check his poops and energy levels after poultry meals. He may have a sensitivity to poultry. Depending on how bad it is, you may just have to feed it once or twice a week and use other things for the rest of the meals. You might have to do less or you might be able to get away with more. We'll just have to see.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 11:57:22 GMT -5
2/2/15 am Consumed 3.5 oz Bone in - chicken wing, thigh, <10% liver, heart (working on it) comments- (Snickers, Possum,Sidney, no grizzly) I have been adding a little bit of Cornish game hen to each meal for past 3 meals) 2/2/15pm Consumed < 1 oz organ meal, liver and heart (Snickers, Possum,Sidney, no grizzly) -AM/PM Grizzly ate 1oz of ground pork with egg shell, taurine powder. Tried to sneak in 3rd meal, wasn't interested Comments I gave them nothing else after their evening meal... I've got to get them eating more organ/heart... They licked all the liver up but left the heart. 2/3/15am Consumed 4 oz Bone in - chicken wing, thigh, <10% liver, heart (working on it) + Cornish game hen comments- (Snickers, Possum,Sidney, no grizzly) Grizzly ate 1oz of ground pork with egg shell, taurine powder liver 2/3/15pm Consumed 3.5 oz Muscle- ground pork, 1oz Cornish game hen < 10% liv/heart Grizzly ate 1oz of ground pork with egg shell, smidge of heart liver Comments Pulverizing the liver works pretty well, although Sidney does his best to lick all the liver up before eating meat 2/4/15am Consumed 3 oz balanced Cornish Game Hen (all parts and organs included) licked bowl clean. Grizzly ate 2oz of the pork menu, he sure doesn't want to be around any chicken
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 12:01:29 GMT -5
How is this method for menus work? I didn't give the, a full portion of game hen because I wasn't sure I'd they would eat it all. They did and are looking for more, so gonna give it to me. Forgot to add, I added half an egg to morning menu as a bribe.
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Post by bitbyter on Feb 4, 2015 12:11:14 GMT -5
Looks great, much easier for me. Maybe add a bit of spacing to make it easier to read? Other than that, MUCH better.
Did you read my follow-up questions to Grizzly's vet appointment?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 12:11:57 GMT -5
I am now ?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 12:18:58 GMT -5
There was no inflammation present with this set, yesterday's poops were perfect (pork). This morning he licked the game hen some egg and picked up the meat but didn't eat it. I will work on the spacing. I'm using "Pages" and the original was in really nice grid. Color coded an everything ... But when I copy and pasted the grid didn't transfer in the paste? This is my first time working with grids in Page. I will figure it out (first of my degrees was in graphic design... And I teach photoshop yard think I could figure it out.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2015 12:57:30 GMT -5
Have to update today's menu. Three ferrets ate a total 6 oz balanced game hen and 1 egg
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