Food Questions: What are recommended cuts and good prices to pay?

[YellowLabProject]

Tiegan has done well on chicken. I gave her some hamburger yesterday, mixed w/ a raw egg. She loved it, but had the runs today after a firm poop. I thought it would be a good way to introduce an egg, not to freak her out w/ the texture.
I went back to chicken this morning- breast meat.

So now onto my questions please: (thanks for baring w/ me).
1) I went to buy some Mackeral today at an international grocery store- my first time there.... wow what a culture shock . The mackeral was $2.59 a lb, but I asked the guy if he could weigh it and he said they are all $2.59 a lb. I don't know if that is correct or if he misunderstood, I asked him three separate times, so I hope he is correct. But I still don't know how much each fish weighed (it was whole). What is a reasonable price to pay? Should I be concerned how old these are, and if so- how can I determine this?

2) Beef: what beef parts are good to use? I am posing this question b/c not knowing how much I should be paying and if some parts are better values than others typically.

3) Odds and ends: I found fresh pigs feet, pigs ears.... any suggestions whether to feed this or not?

Thanks,

Doug

[ObedienceLabs4Me]

Doug I get a lot of my stuff from someone who produces for raw feeders. Often if there is not enough bone in the meat, you can get some runs. So, my personal preference is if I am feeding a ground meat I have some bone in it. So, I don't get my ground meat from a grocery.

I don't feed much in the line of pork anything. I know people who do but I don't.

[Baloo317]

I buy a pack of three whole frozen mackerel for about $2.50. That works out perfectly for me for fish night. Two for Baloo and one for Peanut.

I usually do ground meat (or muscle meat) in the morning and RMB's in the evening. I find it easier to work out portions/weights etc that way, but each to his own. From what I understand, not enough bone can cause loose stools, and too much bone can cause constipation, so finding that happy medium should be the goal.

[YellowLabProject]

Thanks,
I am not worried about the runs right now. She only got them today, which I am betting is from y-day's meal. But I will definitely keep an eye on them. olice:

Thanks YBM.

Kate: do these have the heads on them for that price? Are you getting them from regular grocery store? Have any idea how much this nets out to in weight?

[Baloo317]

Thanks,
I am not worried about the runs right now. She only got them today, which I am betting is from y-day's meal. But I will definitely keep an eye on them. olice:

Thanks YBM.

Kate: do these have the heads on them for that price? Are you getting them from regular grocery store? Have any idea how much this nets out to in weight?

Yup, they are whole, uncleaned. I just weighed the two that I have sitting in the freezer still, and they are a little less than a pound. So the pack of three is probably like a pound and a quarter or so?

[YellowLabProject]

The mackerel here was $2.59 a pound whole, rainbow trout $4.99 a pound.
Beef seems to be really expensive- I did some hunting between four stores and found some boneless chuck for $2.69 a pound on sale, stew meat. The boneless roast was $2.99 on sale. But most things are $5 a pound and up....
If beef is the mainstay of the diet, this is going to be expensive........... ??? :'(

[ObedienceLabs4Me]

That is why I don't shop grocery stores. Look for a raw food co-op in your area. I know yahoo has some raw feeder groups. Look into that.

[YellowLabProject]

Thanks YBM- I joined that group before I brought Tiegan home and posted but nothing showed up. I will try it again- thanks for the tip.

[ObedienceLabs4Me]

There are soooooooo many resources out there. Depending on where you live there are farmers who sell meat, too. Did you call a lot of different butchers? There are certain ones around here who do still raise and butcher beef, lambs, etc that one can get stuff from. A friend of mine spent time calling around and I'll tell ya, she has quite a list of places she can get stuff from. Also, if you are shopping grocery stores, talk to them in the meat department and inquire about stuff that is almost out of date or out of date.

[YellowLabProject]

Thanks YBM,
That is great advice!
I am on it like a squirrel on a nut! ;D