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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2011 17:28:24 GMT -5
My brother is a big hunter but he doesn't always use 100% of what he kills, deer legs as example have meat enough for a ferret but for a 20 year old guy not so much.
I'm thinking wild: rabbit, pheasant, duck, goose, turkey, and deer bits. Is it safe to feed these raw since I will know next to nothing about the animals health? What about the organs?
and what would be a definite no-no protein? I assume other carnivores? Wild Boar? Raccoon? Opossum? Ground Hog? Those last three are hunted a lot for their fur where my mom lives so I could have all the not-fur bits I wanted.
If I can use hunting castoffs I can greatly increase my available proteins but I'm nervous about it not coming from a nice, sterile looking package. I like sterile looking.
~Kelli
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2011 18:10:16 GMT -5
They can eat every thing you listed but you need to freeze it for 3 weeks to kill any potential parasites. So freeze raw then thaw and its safe. make sure to throw out the intestines and gallbladder asap so the meat doesn't spoil. Be very careful not to puncture them.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 21, 2011 19:05:47 GMT -5
Good advise ! As long as it's a deep freeze 3weeks to a month should be plenty. If it's a fridge freezer, you're looking at closer to 2-3 months. That's just to make sure any parasites that are there are killed. And yes, They can eat any part of it that they are willing to As for a "no-go" protein? I've heard some say not to feed carnivores to other carnivores, but a dog or wolf doesn't stop from eating a cat
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2011 21:16:50 GMT -5
Our deep freezer is in the garage and currently full of free thanksgiving turkeys and the last 1/2 beef I bought from my mom but I'm sure I can make room Thanks for the advice! I'm gonna go hit my brother up now ~Kelli
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2011 8:09:36 GMT -5
I was actually wanting to learn to hunt so I can hunt for my little carnivores. Any particular reason it is recommended not to feed carnivores to carnivores? Meat is meat, right? (Sorry dont' mean to hijack the thread)
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Post by Sherry on Nov 22, 2011 11:54:46 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, there was a theory that the flesh of a carnivore wouldn't have the same nutritional benefits as feeding flesh from grain/grass fed animals. But again, that is why feeding a wide variety is essential- to make SURE those needs are met.
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Post by Heather on Nov 22, 2011 12:29:18 GMT -5
I know that is the theory....and I'm not sure why...you're right wolves and coyotes prey on our dogs and cats....but aren't they grain fed Sorry, that was in bad taste I have heard that you're not to feed the liver of a carnivore (seemingly vit a is supposed to be through the roof) but the reference for that was polar bear...so you've got me. Guess it will make an interesting google search ciao
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Post by Sherry on Nov 22, 2011 12:45:45 GMT -5
THAT'S what it was- the liver!
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Post by Heather on Nov 22, 2011 13:25:34 GMT -5
Seemingly, oz of polar bear liver has enough vit a to kill a man....should snopes that ;D I'm going to guess that carnivores know enough to leave the livers of preditors?? ciao
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2011 15:45:37 GMT -5
I assumed it was top of the food chain syndrome: toxins build up in the dominate predators to the point they aren't safe to eat. (i.e. mercury in fish)
BUT if it's toxic levels of vitamins instead... I'm questioning organs from factory farms since those animals are fed meat by-products. So our cattle and chickens could have built up toxicities in them, especially considering their bodies aren't designed to eat the crap they are?
~Kelli
*edit: how would the jerkifying process effect the potential parasites? If I could jerky lung for example would I still need to freeze it first?
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Post by Heather on Nov 22, 2011 16:18:28 GMT -5
Theoretically, I would think that the parasite would dry up...constand heat for however long, but you could always freeze your jerky afterwards as a storage method Are you thinking lungworm? You can see that though, it shows up as gray circles or marks on the lungs right?? ciao
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2011 16:33:27 GMT -5
It's what I know I don't know that scares me!
In theory, if you freeze it for a while and then jerky it than it would be safest right?
Wish I could freeze dry at home. Time to hit up Google!
~Kelli
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Post by katt on Nov 22, 2011 17:55:39 GMT -5
IMO wild meat is by far more "sterile" than store bought! Go watch Food Inc and you'll think twice about those little sterile packages. Wild meat is not fed a species-inappropriate diet of primarily corn derivatives and grains. It is not injected with antibiotics leading to higher rates of antibiotic resistant bacteria (so say your ferret gets an infection from eating contaminated meat...would you rather it be a bacterial strain you can kill with basic meds or one that is already resistant?) Wild meat is not flushed and sprayed and cleaned with harsh and toxic chemicals to "sterilize" it after the contamination it picks up from the processing plants. (oh yes they rinse the meat, but do you honestly think that gets all ofthe chemicals off?) The biggest risk with wild meat is parasites, but as mentioned above that is relatively easy to take care of with a few months in a freezer. Don't feed the intestines (where intestinal parasites will primarily reside), most ferrets will eat around them anyways. Gotta love feeding whole prey and finding little mouse bowels trailed across the floor and left uneaten to dry as part of their cage "decor." Otherwise, in my humble opinion, the more wild meat you can feed the better! It's better for them, they get more variety and more of those hard to find organs that are so important, and it's that much less meat beig bought from big-company @ holes. Btw Velvet antler is a great chew toy and has important minerals that help prevent nail splitting and improve hair etc. So if your brother ever gets a deer with velvet antlers that he doesn't plan on mounting... Also, hooves can be scraped and dried out to make a great foraging toy. Drill holes in the top and place two hooves hollow-side in facing each other and hang them from a single hook. Hide food in the hollowed out portion - Tada! Foraging toy! All head parts are highly nutritious. The brain is high in many nutrients and high in taurine. Dried ears/feet can make gold chew toys, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2011 19:02:43 GMT -5
I remember reading that about polar bear liver too! But wasn't it injections of Vitamin A that just helped some of the distemper ferrets pull through? (Or was that E?) It seems like they may be much less susceptible to Vitamin A poisoning than was believed, and definitely less so than humans. In my experience, liver should be fed in small amounts anyway, if only to make litter box cleanup easier... Katt, I dunno what regulations are up in your neck of the woods, but bagging a deer in velvet around here would mean you're poaching well outside of hunting seasons. Too bad, given the price of that stuff! A few weeks ago I nabbed us a freezer full of free venison... with my car
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2011 19:58:34 GMT -5
Heres a thought. Certain snakes eat other snakes. Wolves eat foxes, like 90% of fish eat other fish, people eat shark, alligator and so on.
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