Dana C
Member
- Messages
- 633
This is just my $ .02 in the what to feed discussion. It is based upon variety, economy and balance. Note that I don't show any veggies or fruit.
"We" are still working on accepting that.
I have read that other people, keepers, zoo's etc. feed ground turkey as do I as well. Ostensibly the claim is that it is lower in fat than other meats. Well, I did a little research on the matter. Virtually all ground turkey is a 85/15 ratio, lean to fat. However, I bought some huge on sale boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.78 a pound, a full $.50 less than ground turkey and it is around 95/5 %, much leaner than turkey. The same market had various grades of ground beef as well. A medium lean mix was the same as turkey in terms of fat to lean. If I would have bought a rump roast at $2.70 per pound it is about 90/10 or LESS in lean to fat. I did buy 13 # of beef heart which once the external fat is trimmed is about 95/5% lean to fat. I also picked up some way marked down center cut pork loin chops which beat turkey hands down in the lean to fat ratio.
Ground turkey is in the $2.50 per pound or more around here as a rule of thumb. I can and have begun to feed a ground mix of 4# of turkey 3# of chicken breast, 3# of beef heart, 1# of chicken gizzards, 1/2 pound of liver and fish, usually whole very small tilapia. I grind it in a big Cuisinart food processor adding vitamins and powdered egg shells and Flukers calcium with D3. If I can find any other lean meat, it goes into the mix if it is on sale.
I portion the meat into sandwich sized bags and place them into plastic containers or freezer bags which I freeze. In other words I make about 12# of the mix and freeze it into meal sized portions.
IMHO, this provides a health mix of meats, organs and vitamins / calcium for a well balance diet and a mix of flavors so no one gets stuck or spoiled on one thing. As treats once a week I feed mice or a drum stick portion of a chicken wing, both of which makes Gordo think he is high on life.
"We" are still working on accepting that.
I have read that other people, keepers, zoo's etc. feed ground turkey as do I as well. Ostensibly the claim is that it is lower in fat than other meats. Well, I did a little research on the matter. Virtually all ground turkey is a 85/15 ratio, lean to fat. However, I bought some huge on sale boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.78 a pound, a full $.50 less than ground turkey and it is around 95/5 %, much leaner than turkey. The same market had various grades of ground beef as well. A medium lean mix was the same as turkey in terms of fat to lean. If I would have bought a rump roast at $2.70 per pound it is about 90/10 or LESS in lean to fat. I did buy 13 # of beef heart which once the external fat is trimmed is about 95/5% lean to fat. I also picked up some way marked down center cut pork loin chops which beat turkey hands down in the lean to fat ratio.
Ground turkey is in the $2.50 per pound or more around here as a rule of thumb. I can and have begun to feed a ground mix of 4# of turkey 3# of chicken breast, 3# of beef heart, 1# of chicken gizzards, 1/2 pound of liver and fish, usually whole very small tilapia. I grind it in a big Cuisinart food processor adding vitamins and powdered egg shells and Flukers calcium with D3. If I can find any other lean meat, it goes into the mix if it is on sale.
I portion the meat into sandwich sized bags and place them into plastic containers or freezer bags which I freeze. In other words I make about 12# of the mix and freeze it into meal sized portions.
IMHO, this provides a health mix of meats, organs and vitamins / calcium for a well balance diet and a mix of flavors so no one gets stuck or spoiled on one thing. As treats once a week I feed mice or a drum stick portion of a chicken wing, both of which makes Gordo think he is high on life.
