Want to add some different proteins

[auntie crazy]

Just be careful when shopping for pork. I have difficulty finding unenhanced pork.

This is good to keep in mind every time you pick up a package of meat intended for your cats - even if it's the same thing you always buy. Check those sodium contents and skip on anything with more than 100 mgs of sodium per serving. 

AC

 

[peaches08]

I totally did not look at the Butterball package for the turkey, but I bet it is enhanced. I notice that the cats drink a LOT of water when I feed it. I won't be bying it again. The beef is not enhanced and they love it, thank goodness! I need to make food in a few days, so to spare myself some headache I'll just get stew beef to add to their chicken thighs recipe.

Also, I've noticed some mild constipation in all 3 of them. It's not bad, but I've caught them straining occasionally in their litter boxes. I think it may be a combo of increased bone and increased sodium. The recipe already seems a little bone-heavy even when I remove 20% bone, then add the fact that I remove 75% or more of the skin...anyone have an idea how to figure out the petcentages of meat/fat to bone?

 

[vball91]

I think the only accurate way to measure it would be to debone everything and weigh the bone and the meat separately before grinding. PITA for sure. I think there are averages for bone to meat somewhere for chicken wings, but I'm not sure I've seen that for chicken thighs. I suppose you could just weigh one average looking thigh and base your percentages off that?

 

[peaches08]

I think the only accurate way to measure it would be to debone everything and weigh the bone and the meat separately before grinding. PITA for sure. I think there are averages for bone to meat somewhere for chicken wings, but I'm not sure I've seen that for chicken thighs. I suppose you could just weigh one average looking thigh and base your percentages off that?

Very good idea! I keep looking at recipe and thinking, if I have 10 thighs and remove 2 bones (leaving 8 bones in)... that's 80% meat and 10% bone? Just seems like more than 10% bone...

 

[mschauer]

According to the USDA database a raw chicken thigh with skin and bone  is 60% meat, 25% skin and 15% bone. I've tested these values with a package of thighs and found them to be pretty darn close.

 

[peaches08]

According to the USDA database a raw chicken thigh with skin and bone  is 60% meat, 25% skin and 15% bone. I've tested these values with a package of thighs and found them to be pretty darn close.

Thanks! I can work with that!

 

[harleydiva]

I mixed 24 pounds this weekend.....rabbit, chicken, and guinea hog (pork).  Pork was a new protein for the guys, so I figured they would take a few times before they got used to it.  Wrong....all three scarfed it.....even Mr Picky.  Guinea hog was from MPC....so no enhancements to worry about.  

 

[vball91]

Pork is generally well-liked by most kitties. Mine of course is meh about it.

 

[harleydiva]

Pork is generally well-liked by most kitties. Mine of course is meh about it.

Vball.....thought about you while mixing up another 24 pounds this weekend...lol.  Got my roommate to put the lids on all the containers for me as I measured the portions......knocked it out in 50 minutes!  Good for 2 more weeks now.  Takes 12 pounds per week to feed 3 cats and 3 dogs.  

Roommate was complaining because half the big freezer in the shed, and a quarter of the freezer on the refrigerator is filled with dog/cat food.  I reminded her about the stinky litter boxes we had prior to raw....she decided it wasn't so bad....lol.  

 

[vball91]

LOL my husband complains too about how much room the cat food takes in the fridge and freezer and jokes that she eats better than we do!

50 minutes for processing 24 pounds is amazing. You have your system down pat.

 

[harleydiva]

LOL my husband complains too about how much room the cat food takes in the fridge and freezer and jokes that she eats better than we do!

50 minutes for processing 24 pounds is amazing. You have your system down pat.

Yeah, I'm getting much faster.  I buy 8 pounds of each meat, and mix 3 meats at each session, so I always have 3 in rotation. (I try to make sure they never have the same meat 2 meals in a row so they don't get attached to a particular meat.)  I have a HUGE metal bowl that will hold 8 pounds with mixing room (Walmart...cheap).  Dump it in, mix in the alnutrin dissolved in water, and start measuring.  I can come pretty close "by eye" now, and just have to do some fine tuning.  I have collected a bunch of the little containers over the last 4 months.  Having someone sit there and put the lids on makes a huge difference.  

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I mixed 24 pounds this weekend.....rabbit, chicken, and guinea hog (pork).  Pork was a new protein for the guys, so I figured they would take a few times before they got used to it.  Wrong....all three scarfed it.....even Mr Picky.  Guinea hog was from MPC....so no enhancements to worry about.  

So, what is MPC and why would that mean no enhancements to worry about? 

 

[Willowy]

MPC is My Pet Carnivore. . .an alternative to Hare Today. No enhancements. . .because it's whole ground animal? But I would probably still add extra taurine.

 

[vball91]

Yes, MPC is My Pet Carnivore, and I believe HarleyDiva was talking about the pork that is "enhanced" with a high sodium solution that is so prevalent in grocery stores these days.

 

[Willowy]

Oh, yeah, it is hard to find pork without a salt solution. I didn't think of that.

 

[harleydiva]

MPC is My Pet Carnivore. . .an alternative to Hare Today. No enhancements. . .because it's whole ground animal? But I would probably still add extra taurine.

That is correct.  I add Alnutrin to all my mixes....so no worries about the taurine.  (Alnutrin actually contains twice the recommended amount.)  MPC is in Indianapolis, but does monthly deliveries around the midwestern states.  I have been very pleased with their products and service.  They do ship....but I have not really compared the shipping prices as I can get a monthly delivery about 20 miles from home.

 

[ldg]

MPC costs more than Hare Today for shipping.

 

[harleydiva]

MPC costs more than Hare Today for shipping.

I know they have been working on getting their shipping costs down....but I think you need to build to a higher volume to negotiate the rates.

 

[ldg]

:lol3: I don't plan on becoming a distributor.

 

[harleydiva]

I know they have been working on getting their shipping costs down....but I think you need to build to a higher volume to negotiate the rates.

I'm talking about their total shipping distribution to negotiate with UPS/Fedex by the way....not an individual's volume.  I used to run a retail website, and was able to get UPS to lower my rates after I consistently shipped specific amounts for several months.  I'm sure Hare Today has a larger customer base, having been doing this much longer.