Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2012 10:30:57 GMT -5
I really want to switch my cats, dog, and ferrets back to a raw diet in the next year or so but I want to do it correctly and in a way that is easy for me and them. I really like the idea of individually portioned, pre-packaged meals. I was going to try and develop my own mixes, form them into portioned pucks (portion size being determined by the species and weight of animal. For example, the size of my 16lbs cat's portions will be significantly larger than the portion for my 1.5lb ferret).
My question is, what is the best way to go about doing this? I plan on doing a lot of reading and research about animal nutrition and raw feeding. I plan on using normal sources of meat like beef, chicken, and turkey, but also incorporating protein sources like mice, rat, cornish game hen, etc. I would also need to not only research nutrition needs, but also how to go about processing the whole prey and meat into these foods in a safe and sanitary manner.
For example, how would you incorporate bones into a ground meal so that it is safe for the carnivore to eat. Or do you use calcium supplements (like calcium powder) instead? I suppose I would also need to invest in a good grinder.
Just some thoughts I'm tossing around. I have a few career goals and I'm not sure which one I want to go with yet. One of them is to start a Holistic Animal Food business. I would provide whole prey items like mice, rats, quail, etc. as well as offer pre-packaged foods. I would provide food for a number of pets including cats, dogs, ferrets, snakes, lizards, etc.
Anyone have any experience in this or have any advice, thoughts, suggestions? I will not be able to begin breeding my own feeder animals until I actually own a home with some land, but I can begin by doing my research and some experimenting with meats and feeder animals I can buy from the store.
My question is, what is the best way to go about doing this? I plan on doing a lot of reading and research about animal nutrition and raw feeding. I plan on using normal sources of meat like beef, chicken, and turkey, but also incorporating protein sources like mice, rat, cornish game hen, etc. I would also need to not only research nutrition needs, but also how to go about processing the whole prey and meat into these foods in a safe and sanitary manner.
For example, how would you incorporate bones into a ground meal so that it is safe for the carnivore to eat. Or do you use calcium supplements (like calcium powder) instead? I suppose I would also need to invest in a good grinder.
Just some thoughts I'm tossing around. I have a few career goals and I'm not sure which one I want to go with yet. One of them is to start a Holistic Animal Food business. I would provide whole prey items like mice, rats, quail, etc. as well as offer pre-packaged foods. I would provide food for a number of pets including cats, dogs, ferrets, snakes, lizards, etc.
Anyone have any experience in this or have any advice, thoughts, suggestions? I will not be able to begin breeding my own feeder animals until I actually own a home with some land, but I can begin by doing my research and some experimenting with meats and feeder animals I can buy from the store.
for some reason that phrase always comes out sounding wrong 
) I have to admit having a grinder (industrial) would help. I make my own grinds. I use chicken bone as a base (ground necks and backs, I buy this). It's too high a bone content on its own so I have to add meat but it works very well as a base. I then add what ever meat is going to be used that week (actually I make for 2 weeks) This time it was fish (they got sole, they prefer whitefish). I used turkey hearts and chicken livers. The last time I used pork but all the offal was rabbit. The time before that it was beef, with beef liver and beef heart (hit pay dirt that week, managed to actually stay bovine all the way 
) I would love to use bone appropriate too, but it is very, very difficult if not impossible to get bone grinds of the large ungulates. The bone is just too hard for most grinders. I almost always add pumpkin to the mix for the roughage. This seems to work well for my grinds. I've been happy with what I created the recipe has changed little over the time that I've been making it except I don't do a lot of the vitamins and supplements that was considered necessary when I first started feeding raw.
it's approximation. If you're going to make a business of it you will have to know. If feeding just your own, then you understand the need to always add different proteins to cover those lost bases. Even though mine have ground available they also get whole meats and prey. So, I'm not that hung up about amounts. Most of my guys hate the taste or the texture of liver, so that's why it was originally ground up in the mix. After feeding raw for so many years, I don't really pay that much attention to the amounts (I usually can tell by colour and consistency). I mix in 10 lb batches....so I start out with 10lbs of bone and meat and work from there. 
If I ever get this going, I'll be sure to post of my experience and success (or lack of, if it be the case).