turkey necks

[addiebee]

I have checked with a couple of upscale grocery stores here including Whole Foods and no one has chicken necks. Can I cut up some turkey necks to give to the boys or are the bones too big?

I want to proceed with mixing some raw into their diets. Started back with this today with bits of raw chicken breast. Wow! Even fussy Rex ate some! So we will see how it goes.

 

[sharky]

should be fine ...

 

[auntie crazy]

I'd think if you cut them up small enough for the cats to break them down, they'd be acceptable.

I can't remember if you've ever fed raw or bones before, but just in case you haven't - it's important to start small and slow, because commercially-fed cats have to both learn how to actually chew their food as well as gain the necessary strength to scissor through meat, tendons and bones... and you don't want them to try and fail and become discouraged enough not to try again.

How's it going so far?

 

[addiebee]

They really like raw meat... but only doing small bits every once and a while... I have noticed on the days that they get raw their poo is a little bit less smelly.

I would love to give them meaty bones for their teeth and may just use chicken wings. What I should do is buy whole chickens for US and get the necks and other giblet parts out of there if they have been left behind. Some do, some don't.

The local grocery does sell gizzards. Would that be ok, too?

 

[auntie crazy]

Gizzards are very tough to chew (ever try to cut one up?, *whew!*), so I'd offer them only when the cats are really good at chewing and scissoring through good-sized meat chunks. Ditto offering bone-in meals - not until the cats have gained some solid expertise and strength cutting through meats.

In my own menu, I only feed gizzards as half a meal twice a week (the other half is either liver or kidney).

I feed chicken wing meals twice a week (and chicken ribs on Wednesdays). I cut the wings into three pieces and give the cats the wingtips and middle parts, and keep the larger portion for my own meals. Baked in Honey-Barbecue sauce and served with corn-on-the-cob and baked potatoes, they are AWESOME.

Hmmm, I think I'm going to defrost some right now.