Chicken Bones Raw

[Guest Greyeminence]

Think i read somewhere that raw chicken bones are ok to feed them...

Want to be safe!

[Neighsayer]

Raw is fine...just not cooked!

[Guest wylie_coyote]

Raw is fine...just not cooked!

Yup Raw. Our pups eat mainly raw and they love it.

[vjgrey]

Raw is fine...just not cooked!

 

Unless you cook them for a LONG time (24+ hours) on low. I make crockpot chicken for our hounds every two weeks, and if you cook the bones long enough, they become so soft and powdery, you can crush them with a fork.

[FiveRoooooers]

Unless you cook them for a LONG time (24+ hours) on low. I make crockpot chicken for our hounds every two weeks, and if you cook the bones long enough, they become so soft and powdery, you can crush them with a fork.

/Would you mind sharing how you do this? What part(s) of the chicken do you use and what else goes into the pot? Tx!/

[vjgrey]

/Would you mind sharing how you do this? What part(s) of the chicken do you use and what else goes into the pot? Tx!/

 

Not at all! It's super easy - we buy whole chickens from Costco (they come in packages of two) and stick one in the crockpot with a little water - maybe half a cup? You don't need a lot because it'll produce its own juice. When I first started cooking this regularly (two years ago?) I removed the skin, but I've found that leaving it on doesn't bother any of my hounds. If your dogs have sensitive stomachs, you may want to take it off.

 

I turn the crockpot on low and set it for 24 hours. Sometimes that's enough, and sometimes it needs a few hours more, depending on the chicken. You'll know it's done when the bones are "mashable," with a fork. They turn to almost a paste with just slight pressure.

 

When it's done, I'll fish out all of the bones I can see and mash them with the fork and put the "paste" back in. Then I go over the whole pot with a potato masher just to make sure I haven't missed any bones. Sometimes i add cooked brown rice (about half a cup), sometimes I don't. You could also add veggies (e.g. green beans) if you wanted to.

 

I package it up in small tupperware containers and stick most of them in the freezer. For meals, I heat up about a 1/4 cup of the chicken with a little water and use it as a kibble topper/gravy. One chicken lasts us about two weeks (two meals per day for three hounds).

Edited January 25, 2013 by vjgrey

[FiveRoooooers]

Not at all! It's super easy - we buy whole chickens from Costco (they come in packages of two) and stick one in the crockpot with a little water - maybe half a cup? You don't need a lot because it'll produce its own juice. When I first started cooking this regularly (two years ago?) I removed the skin, but I've found that leaving it on doesn't bother any of my hounds. If your dogs have sensitive stomachs, you may want to take it off.

 

I turn the crockpot on low and set it for 24 hours. Sometimes that's enough, and sometimes it needs a few hours more, depending on the chicken. You'll know it's done when the bones are "mashable," with a fork. They turn to almost a paste with just slight pressure.

 

When it's done, I'll fish out all of the bones I can see and mash them with the fork and put the "paste" back in. Then I go over the whole pot with a potato masher just to make sure I haven't missed any bones. Sometimes i add cooked brown rice (about half a cup), sometimes I don't. You could also add veggies (e.g. green beans) if you wanted to.

 

I package it up in small tupperware containers and stick most of them in the freezer. For meals, I heat up about a 1/4 cup of the chicken with a little water and use it as a kibble topper/gravy. One chicken lasts us about two weeks (two meals per day for three hounds).

Thanks!!!

[Guest WhiteWave]

Raw chicken bones are fine. Mine eat raw chicken, turkey, pork, beef, etc. It helps keep their teeth clean and is cheaper and healthier than rawhide chews.

[Guest Greyeminence]

Thank you everyone for your help, much appreciated.

the Hound thanks you even more!

[Guest LauraB]

I have some pork bones. they are kind of small. Are they ok?

[dixidoll]

I tried this the other day. I put 6 chicken legs in the crock pot and left it cooking for 30 hours. Started it on high for about 3 hours then on low. After 30 hours, the meat was falling apart. that was very nice. The leg bones were hard. Why didn`t they get mushable ???? I took the meat out and continued to low cook the bones, They stayed hard. Can you tell me why they did not get mushable .

[Guest rennina]

I have some pork bones. they are kind of small. Are they ok?

Neck bones maybe ok, but I wouldn't feed small "sliced" pork bones.

Raw chicken leg quarters are the safest. Turkey necks also safe.

[vjgrey]

I tried this the other day. I put 6 chicken legs in the crock pot and left it cooking for 30 hours. Started it on high for about 3 hours then on low. After 30 hours, the meat was falling apart. that was very nice. The leg bones were hard. Why didn`t they get mushable ???? I took the meat out and continued to low cook the bones, They stayed hard. Can you tell me why they did not get mushable .

Not sure...Maybe the initial three hours on high did something to the bones? I cook mine entirely on low. I've also never cooked it more than 26 hours.

[forevergrey]

I feed raw, (a meat and bone grind) but I always add chicken parts like legs, backs, wings, etc so that hounds have something to chew on. I also add raw beef bones with meat on them. I personally never had any problems with this type diet.

[BatterseaBrindl]

We get chicken backs from a local butcher and feed tham raw...straight out of the freezer!

Mmmmm.

[Guest 2greys2cats]

So I have a question.... There are so many recommendations about washing meat and fully cooking it to avoid salmonella, etc. Why is it people feed their dogs raw without worry? I was just asking my husband about possibly adding something raw, especially something with bone to help clean their teeth, but he's concerned about germs (concerned for the dogs, not us).

Edited February 5, 2013 by 2greys2cats

[Guest Celestrina]

Dogs have a much higher resistance to Salmonella than humans.

[RobinM]

You still have to be careful with the handling and counter tops for you! We feed raw chicken, duck, turkey in its entirety, We don't ground it up. I want to start adding pork- just the meat. Waiting to hear what cuts are best.

[Guest k9soul]

I'm just starting to transition my new boy to raw. Glad to see other raw feeders here. Started with wings, he chews them up nicely and hasn't had any stool problems. I'm glad he seems to enjoy it as I've read some hounds don't take to it. I've fed my 2 mixed breeds mainly raw for several years now, and it makes such a difference. I'm really a believer.