Help for a beginner menu

[happykell]

We will be brand new ferret owners in a few weeks.  I am trying to prep and have meals frozen and ready to go for our new little guy.  So far I have found these items in local groceries:  chicken gizzards, chicken livers, chicken drumettes, chicken gizzards/heart mix pack (for the hearts) and pork necks.  From what I’ve read, I’ll need more variety, as well as another organ at the very least.  I think I will order, probably from mypetcarnivore, to help balance out what I have. What are some suggestions for a good variety?  There is so much to choose from, it’s a little overwhelming. So far, I have duck hearts and ground goat pancreas.

[abbeytheferret6]

Hare today has some Pork kidney and lamb kidney for that other organ. 
hare-today.com/category/meat_proteins_or_packaging_types/organs

Have to buy 10 lbs worth of foods though--- can be a variety things. They have ground cavies(guinea pig).

You can get frozen quail at about any Asian store --even at the small Asian stores--- about $11.00 or so for 6 quail.

Although you would have to consider shipping, you can order mice online and small rats (Perfect Prey).

Don't know if you have read this info. If you r getting babies, you will not generally have to make soupies.
holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/raw-diet-the-meat-of-the-site/

 

[happykell]

Ok, I checked out the hare-today site and came up with this, if anyone can check it over and see if they think it would work. Or if this is way too much to buy/prep. Our guy will be about 9 weeks when he comes home, already on a raw diet. I used the frankeprey sample menu as a guide, along with what I read about kits needing more food, and minimum of 3 different proteins/week.

I went through 3 days, with 4 feedings each at 2 oz and if this looks good, then when I actually have everything I would use the same menu pattern and prep portions. Since I have to buy so much, I was thinking I could portion everything into 1 or 2 oz sizes and freeze. Having never done any sort of raw feeding and having so much variety, though, how feasible is that plan? Is this just too much food to prep and store? My thinking was to get a good variety since the minimum order is 10 lbs.

List of foods: chicken drumettes, chicken heart/gizzard mix, chicken gizzards, chicken livers, pork chunks, pork necks (all local).
To order
Ground turkey-68% meat, 27% bone, 5% liver. To be used as a bone in meal
Ground rabbit organ-50% liver, 25% heart, 25% kidney
Ground goose- 80% meat, 16% bone, 3%kidney. To be used as bone in meal
Ground beef organs-60%meat, 40% organs. Even mix of ground beef organs (heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, gullet and trachea]
Lamb hearts
Turkey liver
Bison kidney

Day 1
2oz ch, drumette
2 oz ch. giz/heart mix
2 oz ch. drumette
2 oz pork chunks
Day 2
2 oz ground goose mix (bone in meal)
2 oz lamb hearts
2 oz ch drumette
2 oz ch drumette
Day 3
2 oz ground goose mix
1 oz lamb hearts, 1oz Rabbit mix
2 oz turkey mix (bone in meal)
2 oz pork chunks

[raven]

Have you seen this yet? It helped me when I had some questions about grinds(alternative meals).

holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/raw-diet-the-meat-of-the-site/balancing-frankenprey-with-alternative-meals/

[happykell]

I had not seen that, thanks.  So a mixed grind including bone doesn’t count as a bone in meal?  

[raven]

happykell From my current understanding (i'm not an expert at all), a grind (mixture of bone,organs and muscle) is an alternative meal. It can't count as just your bone meal because although it does have bone it also has heart and livers etc. So depending on how often you feed grinds you would have to cut back on how much you feed the other things to maintain a balanced diet.

So if we refer to the charts in the Frankenprey Menu and from the Balancing Frankenprey with Alternative Meals. A Basic raw diet (Just the individual parts on their own no grind) plan for the week would have 9 bone meals (chicken necks for example), 2 muscle meals (any gizzards for example), 1.5 heart meals (any heart for example), 1.5 organ meals (livers and any other organ for example) making 14 total meals for that week Mon-Sunday.

Now if you wanted to add a goose grind(alternative meal) for example then that would change. A Basic raw diet with alternative meals plan for the week, assuming we do 2 meals that are grinds would have 2 alt meals (Goose grind for example) 8 bone meals (chicken necks for example), 1 muscle meals (any gizzards for example), 1.5 heart meals (any heart for example), 1.5 organ meals (livers and any other organ for example) making 12 total meals for that week Mon-Sunday.

The more alt meals you add the less part meals you provide. Also when feeding grinds it is advised to make sure they are balanced. I'm not exactly sure how that goes that was just advised to me when I was asking about grinds. Also Grinds seems to be the most expensive way to feed in case that matters.

If you scroll down towards the end a mentor in trianing LindaM gave me some help information on grinds:
holisticferret60.proboards.com/thread/24295/unofficial-switching

[happykell]

Very helpful thanks raven . I‘ll do some more reading and planning what will work best. It‘s pretty overwhelming, but really seems like the healthiest thing for our little guy, so I want to get it right.

[raven]

happykell Glad to help it is daunting lol, but at least your ferret will already be used to eating raw so that's a plus. You'll get things figured out. You may want to start with food you already know your ferret will eat by the way, some can be stubborn when trying new things even if they already eat raw.