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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2015 16:19:07 GMT -5
That's great, they're already munching bone! (dance) Do you have a cleaver and kitchen shears? I wouldn't attempt to cut up that pork shoulder without a cleaver, it doesn't have to be the top knotch ones but a decent one (one that isn't from the dollar general, lol) will do. Oh yeah, its all I have been using for any of their (or my) food. Cut up one chunk today, rest is staying in the freezer until I have more time (got a case of 8 3.5kg chunks).
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Post by katt on Aug 19, 2015 19:04:07 GMT -5
Just skimming here and need to make a few notes. First of all, chicken and pork are NOT red meats. They are both white meats. Red meat is stuff like beef, goat, lamb, bison, venison, moose. Typically animals with hooves are considered red meat - with pork being the exception (pork has hooves but is considered a white meat). Also, while bonemeal IS better than eggshell NEITHER should be used long-term. The goal should be to get them on whole bones, or failing that on grinds that contain whole ground bones. Since they are already eating bones, there should be no need for any calcium supplement as long as you are offering 7-9 meals a week containing edible bones (chicken wings, cornish game hen, etc).
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2015 19:45:54 GMT -5
Everything that is official that I have read claims that Pork is a red meat, but I have always counted it as white (and everyone on here does too also). katt she will be feeding bones, but giving a grind a few times a week that has bonemeal powder for more ease due to her schedule and so on. So they will be getting whole bones, just not for every single meal.
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Post by Celene on Aug 19, 2015 20:52:46 GMT -5
@julesalot, (and @sirrush!) - the "red meat" requirement isn't so much about the colour of the meat, but the variety of nutrients. Some meats are very low in one type of mineral, but quite high in another and vice versa. By feeding a variety of meats, it helps "fill in the gaps".
For example, chicken, turkey and quail would technically count as 3 different proteins and fulfill the requirements, but are still relatively similar nutritionally. Duck and goose, although also winged and feathered, are quite different in nutrition. However, it's also good to have your ferrets used to at least one non-feathered meat source in case a sensitivity is developed.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2015 23:40:24 GMT -5
Just skimming here and need to make a few notes. First of all, chicken and pork are NOT red meats. They are both white meats. Red meat is stuff like beef, goat, lamb, bison, venison, moose. Typically animals with hooves are considered red meat - with pork being the exception (pork has hooves but is considered a white meat). Also, while bonemeal IS better than eggshell NEITHER should be used long-term. The goal should be to get them on whole bones, or failing that on grinds that contain whole ground bones. Since they are already eating bones, there should be no need for any calcium supplement as long as you are offering 7-9 meals a week containing edible bones (chicken wings, cornish game hen, etc). The bonemeal is meant as a supplement, as I am having problems getting a decent variety of bone-in meats due to how remote my location is, and I had heard that it was the variety more than whether its red or not that's important. If it helps, I will be moving somewhere a bit closer to civilization in just over a year from now *sigh*. Everything that is official that I have read claims that Pork is a red meat, but I have always counted it as white (and everyone on here does too also). katt she will be feeding bones, but giving a grind a few times a week that has bonemeal powder for more ease due to her schedule and so on. So they will be getting whole bones, just not for every single meal. He* (but no worries, you aren't the first to do that, and I don't actually mind either way) @julesalot, (and @sirrush!) - the "red meat" requirement isn't so much about the colour of the meat, but the variety of nutrients. Some meats are very low in one type of mineral, but quite high in another and vice versa. By feeding a variety of meats, it helps "fill in the gaps". For example, chicken, turkey and quail would technically count as 3 different proteins and fulfill the requirements, but are still relatively similar nutritionally. Duck and goose, although also winged and feathered, are quite different in nutrition. However, it's also good to have your ferrets used to at least one non-feathered meat source in case a sensitivity is developed. Thank you, that's what I had heard before, and was hoping my choices were varied enough.
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Post by Sherry on Aug 20, 2015 10:56:59 GMT -5
Okay, now for MY two cents lol.
2 Meals Heart
One meal Half Liver Half Kidney
One meal Liver
One meal Kidney
4 meals red meat
7 Bone-In
3 Proteins
Your red meat meal works for now with it being beef heart. Heart is technically a muscle meat, so that amount is good. Organ meals should only be 1.5 per week COMBINED. So one full meal liver/kidney(you can add the bonemeal to this to bring the amount up), and 1/2 meal of liver/kidney. Make the other half what you prefer. 4 meals actual bone in(wing) when combined with bone meal portions on the liver/kidney will bring it to 8 consumable bone/bonemeal a week. And the rest muscle. So now it will look more like this:
Monday: Beefw/bonemeal, pork
Tuesday: Liver/kidney w/bonemeal, chicken wing
Wednesday: Beefheart w/ bonemeal, pork
Thursday: 1/2 liver/kidney, 1/2 pork w/bonemeal, chicken wing
Friday: Ground beef, pork
Saturday: I'd make this a lean day and give smaller portions of just wings/pork
Sunday: Beefheart, chicken wing.
Again- the menu above would only be until you can access more actual bone meals. Eggshell powder should only be used during the transition period, or to supplement maybe one or two meals a week at most. Bonemeal powder while much better still lacks many of the micronutrients of actual bone due to it being cooked.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 16:26:16 GMT -5
Okay, now for MY two cents lol. 2 Meals Heart One meal Half Liver Half Kidney One meal Liver One meal Kidney 4 meals red meat 7 Bone-In 3 Proteins Your red meat meal works for now with it being beef heart. Heart is technically a muscle meat, so that amount is good. Organ meals should only be 1.5 per week COMBINED. So one full meal liver/kidney(you can add the bonemeal to this to bring the amount up), and 1/2 meal of liver/kidney. Make the other half what you prefer. 4 meals actual bone in(wing) when combined with bone meal portions on the liver/kidney will bring it to 8 consumable bone/bonemeal a week. And the rest muscle. So now it will look more like this: Monday: Beefw/bonemeal, pork Tuesday: Liver/kidney w/bonemeal, chicken wing Wednesday: Beefheart w/ bonemeal, pork Thursday: 1/2 liver/kidney, 1/2 pork w/bonemeal, chicken wing Friday: Ground beef, pork Saturday: I'd make this a lean day and give smaller portions of just wings/pork Sunday: Beefheart, chicken wing. Again- the menu above would only be until you can access more actual bone meals. Eggshell powder should only be used during the transition period, or to supplement maybe one or two meals a week at most. Bonemeal powder while much better still lacks many of the micronutrients of actual bone due to it being cooked. Sorry Sherry, looks like you are quoting the meal plan I messed up the formatting of, the one I actually meant to post is a few posts down, and I am actually going to repost it here... www.dropbox.com/s/3g2r6g3yxk0vb5t/Meal.PNG
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Post by Sherry on Aug 20, 2015 18:19:29 GMT -5
Great minds
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2015 14:49:30 GMT -5
So, I noticed something over the past few days...
Since I have put the food bin back into their cage, I have noticed whenever the fuzzies are 'done' with a chunk of food, they put it back in the dish. I have now seen them do so with some chewed on bones, a chunk of heart (2 days after I fed them heart) and a chunk of pork fat with the meat chewed off. Its kind of funny actually.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2015 12:59:13 GMT -5
Haha, silly ferrets! it's so funny the things they do sometimes.
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