dog food

[dwbonfire]

im hoping this is the correct section to post this under..
i am wondering if anyone out there makes thier own dog food? i am trying to find a cheaper way to feed multiple dogs, while feeding a good diet. most dog foods have corn as thier first ingredient, so in order to feed a good quality dog food you have to spend alot! then feeding multiple dogs, its quite costly. id like to make my own dog food so its much cheaper.. any ideas?
thanks

 

[Wannabefree]

Go raw and raise coturnix quail as the main protein source. There are lots of threads to make homemade dog food if you know how to do a search. Look at the blue bar above your sign in name, 4 th choice from the left, click on that and search the forum for "dog food recipe" and you should get A LOT of hits.

Oh and

 

[pinkfox]

well there are ways to go Good quality without breaking the bank...
look into Diamond Naturals line (no corn no byproduct), if you have a costco kirklands also has a corn free food, and Tractor Supply has 4-Health.
youll pay $28-$32 for a 40lb bag in chicken or lamb and rice
its not as great as going completly grain free but its much more affordable than most good foods
i feed diamond naturals chicken and rice, and a 40lb bag lasts a little over a month right now with a a 5 and 10lb adult dogs and a 40lb growing (4 1/2month old) puppy.

Raw would 100% absolutly be the best choice, if going raw id go prey model...quail and rabbit are nice choices.

if you want to do home cooked the key is balance...dogs are carnivores, they dont "need" grain and they cant digest raw vegatbles...
so your mix should be primarily meat, veggies shoudl be cooked (or blended into a mush) and grain should be kept "simple" rice being the better choice.

my personal home cooked "treat" (i make a batch and the dogs get a little each morning just as a treat) i use 1small packet of brown rice, (2cups) and then i use 4lbs of chicken (whatevers cheap) diced small and boiled...ill also usually add giblets, and im thinking of using come chicken livers but ive got to figure out how to cook them so they dont turn to mush lol) then ill add 1 small pack of frozen mixed veg (about 2 cups) i boil that up first then add it to the mix, i add a couple tablespoons of garlic pepper too and mix well then freeze it in bathest thatll last about 3 days.
its not a complete mean because theres not enough organ meat and no calcium (bone)

and im planning on going 100% raw by next spring (need my buns to start producing first lol) but nutill then i do the diamond naturals for the main diet and they get a chicken and rice mix each morning (or ill scrable a couple of eggs and add a small dollop of greek yogurt)

i guess if you were to get a meat grinder and grind a WHOLE chicken or rabbit ect to add to the cooked mix it would be a balanced meal...but youd deifnalty need to add organ and calcium to a home cooked meal somehow.

 

[dwbonfire]

ok interesting. im going to try the search as well to see what i come up with.
im not entirely thrilled about feeding raw. i know its the most natural way but i just find it a little yucky if the dogs come up after and lick and rub on ya. i just worry about selmonella and whatnot.
i was thinking rather than raw, i would boil the meat? and my dogs all usually get an egg a day from my chickens. is courtnix quail the only bird that has a sufficient amount of protien?

i am feeding diamond food right now, i have a small <20 lb dog, one 100lb dog, and one pup who will be around 80-90lbs. we also were presenting with getting two pyrenees for livestock guardians, but my boyfriend is against getting more dogs since feeding them will just about break the bank. i agree, diamond and 4 health are great foods and we can get them right at our TSC, but feeding that many dogs of that size ill be going through it like crazy. if i can find a way to feed them much much cheaper/free then maybe bf wouldnt be so opposed to having them all. other than the $ in food, they are no bother. i do my own shots from TSC and worm when i feel i need to.

thanks for the responses so far keep 'em coming!

 

[Wannabefree]

Coturnix is just REALLLLLLLLLY easy to raise, and slaughter, and meal size for most dogs, thus the suggestion. Any poultry would do. If I were feeding raw it would be the route I'd go.

 

[Beekissed]

Rabbits make for quick turn around on raw feed sources.

 

[hqueen13]

We feed our dogs a mix of raw beef or chicken and then supplement with The Honest Kitchen Preference dog food. It is not designed to be a complete meal, so the meat goes with it. They have been doing well with it, and absolutely love it. If you've got a good source of meat (inexpensive), then the Preference is a great way to go because it helps to supplement everything else, and you don't have to worry about "getting it right" for the dog.
You can even use deer meat as a cheap source if you hunt. The beef that we give them is actually an 11:1 ratio of organs to meat, so it is a really high quality of food for the dog.

Don't worry as much about raw - dogs themselves can handle a lot in terms of food. If they were wild they would be scavenging, and potentially eating meat that might have sat for days. Even if they were feral dogs in the city, their gut would be handling a LOT that we simply couldn't eat. Sure, you need to keep things clean for you, but the dogs don't have the same issues with gut problems that we do

Good luck, I am sure your dogs will appreciate it!

 

[Beekissed]

Yep! On our walk in the woods, Jake will often find a very ripe deer leg that some 'yote or fox has left unattended and he will immediately pick it up to take home for later consumption. The gamier and more rotten the better....like sweet ambrosia to him. If there is a salmonella on there, he wouldn't want to miss it, so he eats it quickly...every shred. Ate an empty hoof the other day~swallowed it whole without chewing.

 

[Team Chaos]

"If there is a salmonella on there, he wouldn't want to miss it, so he eats it quickly...every shred."

Ha ha ha ha! dwbonfire- I've got quite a pack of dogs too and I try to keep 'em off the bagged stuff as much as possible. I buy diamond brand and they get a scoop each nite, but the bulk of their meals are scrap meat, eggs from our chickens, milk or yogurt I've gotten on sale. I save bones (and can get 'em for cheap too) and boil up broth for the times when I don't have much to dress the food with.

 

[citylife]

There are many yahoo groups regarding raw feeding that are very interesting and helpful. IMO raw is usually cheaper then good quality dry once you learn to shop and buy what you need. It is a process just like learning anything. Each dog is individual and may require different things added to their diet. For instance I only have one of 5 dogs that I will even feed pork to. Seems, pork can give them gas that will make your face slide right off your skull. Use caution!
Books like Raw Meaty Bones are good guides. Like always with the internet you need to weed out the miss-information from the good info.
My dogs have been on mainly RAW for around 5 years now. I love it! Do not be fooled though....... you do need to watch your dog eat and make sure he learns to CHEW the bones.
The hard part is getting a nice variety of meats and organs into thier diets.