Where to buy chicken/ turkey thighs and chicken livers in Indiana?

[blakat]

Hello. We recently moved just south of Indianapolis, IN and I am having troubles finding a good and natural source of chicken and turkey...not to mention chicken livers! All I found in here is just local brands but they're not from cage-free raised animals. I can "hardly" find Perdue chicken and turkey....although Miller Amish chicken claim  to supply some stores around me but, in reality, it is not! Nobody has it.

P.s.: I usually buy chicken hearts (and sometimes livers)  and rabbit from HareTodayGoneTomorrow.

Does anybody live in this area? Any suggestion will be appreciate it.

thank you

 

[ldg]

I think you can get deliveries from http://www.mypetcarnivore.com ? :dk:

...and I can't find turkey thigh or leg locally (even bone-in), so I just buy the turkey thigh chunks from Hare Today. That's also where I get turkey hearts, duck hearts, and beef kidney.

 

[blakat]

Thank you very much LGD...you're a jenius! It looks like they do delivery in several locations in Indiana! I am going to call them soon. Thanks again

 

[blakat]

Well, I just  talked to the owner of MPC (myPetCarnivore); sounds like nice people and good customer service. Not quite sure about their products since their meat source is from several " local farmers" so he couldn't really tell me if the animals are cage-free, antibiotic and hormones free and vegetarian feed....I'll try to find some reviews about this company.

Have you personnally ever had any issues with your cats while eating that meat?

and also, I always feed my cats chicken or/and turkey (many times mixed together) recepie and by only using the chicken hearts and livers....should I try something different? I've been using the Cat Nutrition recepie for over one year now....

Do you think the "course ground" turkey and chicken or other source of meat already grounded are ok for the cats ....sometimes? Are those a complete meal where I don't have to add anything else ( beside Omega3 oil and some Taurine here and there)?

 

[ldg]

I live in NJ, so I've never used MyPetCarnivore. But I do order the whole ground animal (goat, llama, rabbit and sometimes pork) from Hare Today. If they're part of a diet and not the sole food, I'm sure they're fine. I used to feed that pretty much exclusively with Alnutrin mixed in, but my cats decided they prefer chunks, so I moved to frankenprey. I still include some ground though, because it's how I get egg yolks into them. :lol3: I mix the egg yolks into the ground food, because most of them don't like eating them plain.

 

[blakat]

I'll give MPC a try, thanks again.

 

[harleydiva]

I'm in very southern Michigan.  I just picked up my first order from My Pet Carnivore in January at their South Bend delivery point.  I was extremely happy with the product I received.  I got the fine ground turkey, rabbit, duck, regular grind goose and pork, as well as a beef supermix with green tripe (which the cats went crazy over).  I have communicated with the owners several times and gotten quick response.  I plan on using them as my major supplier after trying their products.  If you poke around their website.....you will find a link to a farm in Michigan which appears to be their primary supplier.  

 

[blakat]

Hi, thanks for the reply.  How do I know if I'll feed my cats, for example, the MPC's  finely ground  whole turkey that they're having a balanced bone-to-meat ratio?

 I usually  take out 25-30% of the bones when I make cat food by using chicken or turkey' s tighs....but I am not familiar with the whole bird.

 

[harleydiva]

Many of the raw feeding sites quote a meat/bone/organ ratio of 80/10/10.  Some of the cat sites recommend a lower bone ratio, around 7%.  I have been feeding Bravo Balance for several weeks, and recently switched to the MPC products.  I haven't had any issues with constipation, which is apparently the major problem with too much bone.  My cats are nuts over green tripe.  My plan is to buy the ground green tripe, and mix some into the meat mixes when I am preparing it with the Alnutrin supplement.  This will lower the bone ratio a bit, as well as provide a natural probiotic and lots of great enzymes.  I also feed 1-2 chicken hearts for taurine most days.

Here is the quote from the MPC site:

The average prey animal has about 10% to 15% bone, about 10% organs, and the rest muscle and fat and connective tissue.  That is Mother Nature's model and therefore our model ratio for all of our Whole Ground  products.

 

[ldg]

Mixing in the ground green tripe is an excellent solution. :nod:

The whole prey animal grinds do tend to be a bit bone heavy, and that works for some cats, and doesn't work for others. When I was feeding only ground that I didn't make myself, I had to give the cats a meal of just meat several times a week, or they'd get constipated.

 

[blakat]

So...ok 

, I am going to put all of your info and suggestions together....

I could choose either to continue to feed my cats with the same "Cat Nutrition's" recepie ( I grind the meat and add all the supplements needed) OR I buy the pre-ground meat ( MPC or HARE TODAY GONE TOMORROW) - the whole animal AND I add ALNUTRIN FOR MEAT AND BONES, (in order to make sure I give my cats all of the nutrients?!) PLUS I add the GROUND GREEN TRIPE ( my cats tend to e constipated).......is that correct?

Wich of the 2 diets do you think is more balanced?

Thanks again 

 

[ldg]

Well, being a fan of variety, I'd do both.

In fact... that's pretty much what I do. I feed mostly frankenprey, but I include some whole ground animal. I can't source much in the way of organs other than liver and kidney, so I like giving them some whole ground animal. I figure that over time, they get little bits of all the organs I'm not giving them with the frankenprey diet that way.

 

[harleydiva]

In all honesty....probably not a big difference.  I think it is more a question of convenience, and maybe confidence.  I used to grind my own for a dog whose life was pretty much saved by a raw diet. It was a project, and I really hated the cleanup part.  Cleaning and sterilizing a grinder is not fun, but not doing it is risky.  Now, I would have a hard time finding the time and space to do it.  

The Alnutrin has twice the required amount of taurine required, but I also give them the chicken hearts (which they love) for taurine, as well as chewing for their teeth.   I also give them a shot of salmon oil several times a week for omegas.  I like having the supplier tell me the proportions of meat,organ and bone so I don't have to guess.  I like being able to offer a variety or meats in rotation and get them at a reasonable price.  So, I guess I choose the easier method, and like knowing someone has figured out and tested the supplement levels for me.  Alnutrin pretty much replicates Dr. Pierson's supplementation protocol by the way.  After doing a lot of reading, I'm feeling like the green tripe is a really good addition for several reasons.  It also gets my cats to eat their food without having to resort to toppers or other enticements.

It's really up to you....which method are you most comfortable with.  Both are excellent and great for your cat(s).  

 

[blakat]

Thank you guys!!!

 

[blakat]

Hello and thanks again for answering my questions. I am willing to try the Alnutrin as a supplement for raw meat. 

Snce you're using it I'd like to make sure I agoing to do the right thing; this Sun. I am going to pick up my first order from MPC at the Indy warehouse, but right now I do not have the Alnutrin yet  'cause I cannot decide if I want to get the one for bones, meat and organs or the one with calcium.

If I feed my cats, for example,  a whole ground turkey (from MPC) I still need to add either Alnutrin for meat, organs and bones OR I add all the supplement I usually use when I make raw food with bones (vitamin E dry, B50, glandular....), is that correct?

ALSO, because of the ground turkey, chicken....from MPC contains the whole animal carcass, feet included, don't you think it will be too much bone? I usually take out 25-30% of the bone when I make food.

i would love to know how exactly you personnally feed your cats, since you're using MPC and Alnutrin! 

And, by the way, are the Alnutrin  or Hare Today Gone Tomorrow the only web sites where to get the supplement from?

Thanks again!

 

[harleydiva]

I buy the alnutrin for meat and bones ( http://www.knowwhatyoufeed.com/alnutrin_for_meat.html ) since I am using the whole ground products.  I mix it with only about 25% of the water since I add warm water to the food when I serve it (as suggested by another raw feeder who helped me out).  The other products are for ground meat without bones. You would be adding too much calcium on top of the bone if you used those with the whole ground mixes.   In terms of too much bone, I have been watching closely for any signs of constipation, but have not observed it.  I will be using the ground tripe to mix in to the meat/bone/organ mixes to reduce the percentage of bone, provide a natural probiotic, and make the cats happy because they like it so much.  The beef/tripe mix I am giving them now is 50% tripe.  I am planning on mixing it into the chicken, duck, or turkey mixes at about 20-25%,  The rabbit is such a big hit with the cats that I don't have to mix anything in to get them to eat it with enthusiasm.  The Alnutrin is a complete supplement, so I don't add anything else.  I do give them a squirt of salmon oil several times a week for omegas, and feed a chicken heart most days.  

Marta, the owner of the company that makes Alnutrin (see link above) is very nice and responds quickly to email with questions about their product.

 

[blakat]

Hello Harley Diva, sorry for keep asking you lots of questions ( english is not my mother tongue and I want to make sure I fully understand your directions...).

Two things weren't quite clear to me : you said you're adding only 25% of the water to the recipe....you meant, you're adding 25% out of the 4 cups suggested on he Alnutrin recipe, right?!

Also, when you stated "the beef/tripe mix I am giving them now is 50% tripe.  I am planning on mixing it into the chicken, duck, or turkey mixes at about 20-25%".....this to me means you're adding 20-25% of beef/tripe into the recipe WHICH 50% of that mix is tripe...correct? 

I ordered the green beef tripe, is this one what you're talking about that has 50% of tripe?!

Thanks again....

 

[harleydiva]

The beef/tripe supermix I get from My Pet Carnivore is 50% tripe.  With the chicken or turkey, I process 8 pounds of poultry, and add 2 pounds of green tripe....which means the tripe is 20% of the total 10 pounds.  

When I mix with alnutrin....instead of 4 cups of water to 32 grams of alnutrin, I use only 1 or 2 cups of water depending on how dry or wet the meat is.. When I serve the food, I add some hot water to take the chill off the food without "cooking" it.  This way I get lots of moisture in the food, but don't make it too "watery".  (Got this suggestion from a guy on the natural cat blog who has used alnutrin for a while.)  I am pretty comfortable with the Alnutrin after doing some research.  Only other thing I am adding right now is a chicken heart most days (for taurine), and a squirt of salmon oil a few times a week for Omegas.

My guys really like the rabbit...so I don't mix any tripe into that one.  They are not so excited about chicken or turkey, so I do add the tripe to those.

No problem with the questions...keep them coming.  I am certainly not an expert.....my past experience was with rawfeeding my dog.  I'm learning about the cat thing too.  I'm an obsessive reader, so constantly collecting information wherever I can.  This forum seems to be a great place for information.  Some of the other sites I looked it don't even want to talk to you if you are feeding ground food.  

 

[blakat]

  

  

 

[harleydiva]

Blakat....did you get your stuff from My Pet Carnivore?  What did you think?