Home made dog food...

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Does anyone make there own dog food from scratch?

 

I'm thinking about getting a mincer when I move house and giving it a bash.

 

I can easily get hold of lamb ribs, fatty beef scraps, offal and tripe.

 

I would add to this a decent chicken mince, cooked brown rice and fresh veggies.

 

I would aim for bagging up something like a rack of ribs, a handful of fatty scraps, a handful of tripe, a handful of offal, 2 handfuls of rice and a handful of veggies to give a 2lb bag or there abouts. And then feed this over 2 meals.

 

What do people think? Would I be missing anything?

 

At the moment I feed mostly raw but supplement with dry food.

 

Gaz

[Lab 10,979]

Thought about it myself. Best of grub really, only down side is the electric mincers that you'd need to crush bones is not that cheap....

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Not looked into it that much but your looking at about £600 for a decent mincer.

 

Would be a worthy investment I think though.

[Moll. 1,769]

I do Gareth.

 

Instead of bagging it get yourself some of these....

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100-Microwave-Safe-Plastic-Food-Containers-Lids-1000ml-/220425150928?pt=UK_HomeGarden_Kitchen_FoodStorage_GL&hash=item33525ce1d0

 

You can store more food as they stack neatly, no sticking together like bags do, and although they will cost more initially, you can re-use them time and time again.

You get them in all different sizes

[Moll. 1,769]

I think you will find your idea's may not work out in practice though.

Your handfull's of this and that, would mean multiple containers of different foods, and loads of time taken up tying to get the right amounts of everything through the mincer.

 

I have pre soaked dog food, mixed with peas, broccoli, apple, elder berry, black berries and wholewheat pasta in a huge container.

My home made food is mainly rabbit based, i also buy and add chicken wings, and anything else i may have about the place, hare, venny, fish.

 

On the mincing pan i have a pile of the (non meat) mix. A rabbit goes through the mincer followed by a handfull of mix shoved down, another rabbit, another handfull, a load of venny scraps, chicken wings followed by the mix, then a rabbit...etc etc.

If the dog food is for your dogs only it will not matter if one bag of the stuff has more rabbit than veg, as the next bag may have more veg...get my drift. Plus it all gets mixed together in the collecting container under the mincer anyway

Unless you are only planning on doing a little at a time, and you will sharp get sick if you do (Mincers take loads of cleaning after each time) You will need 2 chest freezers to collect all your rabbits/meat to make the mincing day worthwhile, and to put the food in once bagged.

 

I'll add some photos tonight if i get time

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

That sounds brilliant moll. Thanks. Them tubs would be a lot better than bagging I'm sure!

 

Any reason why you use Pre soaked dog food? I assume you mean a mixer biscuit of some sort?

 

Thanks.

[Moll. 1,769]

Some photos from the various mincing days...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Head and legs for the dogs....

 

[breeze 1,219]

Great post that Moll Just a question on one of the pic's that as Mince in the big fridge tray's, do you leave the mince in them or was that just before you packed it into the smaller plastic tub's

[Moll. 1,769]

Great post that Moll Just a question on one of the pic's that as Mince in the big fridge tray's, do you leave the mince in them or was that just before you packed it into the smaller plastic tub's

 

I had ran out of the smaller tubs that day Breeze, so it had to be frozen like that them hacked off when needed

I have bought in a shed load of tubs since then, to make sure it never happened again

[whippet 99 2,613]

that is quality moll, really is

[Tiny 7 1,694]

Certainly look handy bits of kit

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Awesome Moll. Thanks very much for sharing those.

 

Made me definitely want to give it a bash now

[moonlighter 1,160]

Good set up moll, and dogs look great on it. How much in weight do you give them a day and do you mix it with anything, as in to add a bit of crunch?

[moonlighter 1,160]

Also, why do you soak the biscuit, as this would only add to the weight. Could you not just add biscuits to the meat/veg mix just before feeding?

[Moll. 1,769]

I used to weight it out, never do now, i just feed by eye, whatever the dogs do or don't need, but roughly 1/2 lb per terrier, 3/4 lb whippet and up to 2lb for the lurcher. I don't add anything for crunch, they don't need it. They also get lamb bones at other times, dry food, tinned food, bought in raw food...tripe etc. But their main diet is home made and other raw, mainly tripe.

I soak the biscuit as i do not like what dry food does to dogs....makes them drink constantly, puts extra work on kidneys and internal organs. Plus when soaked it mixes up with the rest of the food better and does not block up the mincer. I could add it later, but might as well just mix it in all together whilst i am doing it, that way i know everything i want is already in each tub