Thinking about RAW...

[blynn03]

$150 for 2months on kibble? So 75 a month. Hmm. I pay 37 bucks for 40lbs of organic chicken quarters/backs and I spend about another 25 bucks on tripe, another 25 -35 or so on offal and or muscle meat and another 10-20 or so on suppliments. Sometimes I splurge and buy other meats like pork. lamb or other premade mixes. I say I spend well over a 100 bucks on 2 dogs. Lately a lot more as Strummer is eating like a piggy lately.

So basically....the "better" a raw diet you feed, the more your costs are going to sky rocket.  Variety gets expensive!!

[Bumpy]

no doubt. There is ways to save.....but to bring in True variety it does cost, unless you hunt or know a hunter that does not eat their own kills.

[aquagirl900]

well, 90% of hubby's family hunts...so we could most likely get a lot of deer meat scraps and stuff...so that's one thing I was looking into...then was thinking about stocking up on some turkeys at $.78 a pound...I"m gonna look into some local suppliers before I make any decisions and see what i can find...someone around here suggested a chicken farm called otto's...

[Bumpy]

One thing to consider with hunter donations and things like buying a bunch of whole turkeys..... lots of prep will be needed. Hacking into meals size portions, portion it out, adding offal. It saves but it makes alot of work too.
 the chix farm might sell bulk cases of necks etc.

[aquagirl900]

well, I am not going to school from januray through next september at the earliest, so i'll have time to do prep...I plan on buying a big meat grinder and food processor if I do decide to do raw...

does raw help put meat on dogs who are too skinny, or am i barking up the wrong tree

[Bumpy]

If digestion is the issue it may. Raw is way easier for them to break down in the gut. But in the mean time give the probiotic a shot...... I bet it helps even with kibble.

[Bruins_Boxer]

I have been told by some long time raw feeders that a raw fed dog will grow more slowly . So feeding raw should not be used as a quick fix for weight gain .

[ibox]

It is definitely worth shopping around for where to buy your meat. I pay on average .35/lb for all natural chicken backs. So about $14 for 40lbs. I have gotten them for as cheap as .17/lb, but that place no longer supplies chicken backs. I think all organic chicken backs is running around .75/lb here. Since turkeys are cheap right now, I'm paying around .33/lb for whole turkeys (lol, lots of work to cut those suckers up)! I know I pay high prices on green tripe, liver, etc but that's because I need even more freezer space to buy those in bulk.

Here's a great yahoo group to help you find local places near you to buy raw meat in bulk:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/

[Sophia Sadeyes]

It is definitely worth shopping around for where to buy your meat. I pay on average .35/lb for all natural chicken backs. So about $14 for 40lbs. I have gotten them for as cheap as .17/lb, but that place no longer supplies chicken backs. I think all organic chicken backs is running around .75/lb here. Since turkeys are cheap right now, I'm paying around .33/lb for whole turkeys (lol, lots of work to cut those suckers up)! I know I pay high prices on green tripe, liver, etc but that's because I need even more freezer space to buy those in bulk.

Here's a great yahoo group to help you find local places near you to buy raw meat in bulk:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivoreFeed-Supplier/

I rechecked my boxes of organic chicken backs/quarters. It's a 50lb box so I also get them for .75 a pound. Puppers eat better than me. 80-90% of their diet is organic- mine only about 65- 75% HA.

[Hobo]

My 2 cents:

Hobo 75lbs (intact) Max 65lbs (neutered)

Hobo eats about 28oz a day.  Two meals 14oz at each. (self limiter)

Max eats about 20oz a day.  Two meals each at 10oz.  (piggy)

Max is a bit chunky I think the neuter lets him carry a bit more weight. 

Anyways.  I hooked up with a local meat packing place. 

I get Chicken banks for 59 cents a lb, offal 49 cents a pound, and deer for 1 dollar a lb (he sells me what customers dont pick up from processing.)

Total they eat about 3 lbs a day.  I usually buy 80lbs of each.  So 240 lbs total and that will last me approximately 80 days and cost me about 168 dollars.  Now do keep in mind I throw in mackeral, veggies, green tripe, pork, ground beef, and what not also.  Basically whatever else I can pick up on sale. If it is less then a dollar a pound and they can eat it it goes in the cart. 

Hope this helps!