# Where do you buy your raw?



## kennyk (Sep 17, 2011)

After cleaning my freezer last night I went to Vons market to get 3 Whole Chicken for about $4 each (69cents/lb) which I think is uber cheap.

So guys, where do you get them? and for how much($)?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

For the most part we get our meats (pork/beef) from a meat processor that is about 45 minutes away for about 99c a lb for anything we want that is scrap essentially. (heart, lungs, trachea, spleen,tongue)

For chicken we usually get whole chickens on sale for about 75c a lb at grocery stores, but those are really only used for us, or the new foster as we don't give Tobi much chicken that is raised in that way. 

For grass fed range chicken we pay about 1.50 a lb for a bird which isn't terrible i suppose, we also get this at the Processor we use for Beef, and pork.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

Hmm...lets see, grocery store sales-as long as the meat isnt enhanced!:wink: Our raw fed Co-Op is pretty kickA, we also have a pretty cool wholesaler that we can get pretty cheap meats from!:biggrin: From all of those, I tend to only but that which is under $1/lbs. Oh ya...and all of my free meats from craigslist/kijiji/freecycle!:happy:


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 9, 2010)

Mainly grocery stores.... Publix, Winn Dixie, Save-a-Lot, sometimes Walmart. I'm also going to check out Food Lion soon - hope they have some good stuff. Also going to check out a local ethnic grocery store (that I forgot we had). The closest co-op is around 1.5-2 hours and I'd be using as much gas as I'll be paying for shipping, so I might also buy some stuff from Hare-Today and MyPetCarnivore (when shipping from them is "restored").


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## HayleyMarie (Jul 6, 2011)

I buy my chicken and turkey necks at the local all natural petstore and everythin else at the superstore. Also there is an enthnic TNT which I found pigs kidneys and pigs tongue.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Whole Mackerel I have a little asian grocery store special order for me, and I go pick up a 50lb case every month. I pay about $65 per case usually. 

The following I order from a meat company. Prices fluctuate a little, but this is my latest receipts from August & September 2011
Chicken Backs $.49/lb 
Chicken Quarters $.70/lb
Turkey Necks $.80/lb
Turkey Tails $.55/lb
Lamb Scrap $.50/lb (I would say after I throw out the unusable stuff I probably pay closer to $.70/lb)
Lamb Kidney $.50/lb
Lamb Shank $1.57/lb
Beef Head Meat $1.69/lb
Beef Heart $1.05/lb
Beef Liver $1.11/lb
Pork Legs $1.33/lb

I also buy anything I see on a good deal, including small live animals. Most recently in the whole/ live department:
Ducks $3/head
Roosters 0/head
Rabbits up to $5/head


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

I'm almost afraid to ask this-do you have to see the live animals that you select or can you just order 3 ducks-killed & de-feathered to go?


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

Lindsey, I first meant to thank you for the list of your receipts. I'm going to order a case of beef hearts on Tuesday & wanted to know if the price is fair - it seems to be 55 lbs for $50. I'll see about other things with bone.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

That is a fair price for beef heart. 


The way we do it, is we browse ads, and take the animal live and whole. They may or may not have been previously kept as pets but most often they were either raised as food, or are a pest on someone's property. I have taken two rabbits previously raised as pets, and the people knew my intentions with them, and didn't really care. We do the slaughtering, skinning, and cutting if need be. Well, hubby does the slaughtering. I would end up just crying and insisting we keep it as a pet.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

I get it from grocery stores for the most part but they're stores that have a butcher's section with local meat. Sometimes I use raw food suppliers like Hare-Today for exotic stuff but that's more for treats .


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## kennyk (Sep 17, 2011)

PuppyPaws said:


> Whole Mackerel I have a little asian grocery store special order for me, and I go pick up a 50lb case every month. I pay about $65 per case usually.
> 
> The following I order from a meat company. Prices fluctuate a little, but this is my latest receipts from August & September 2011
> Chicken Backs $.49/lb
> ...


Thank you everyone for replying! I'm probably going to go the local market route until I find a free freezer lol. My friend was going to give me one next week but he JUST told me about it needing repairs... blah!
anywho! what are the sizes for the mackerel that you get from the asian store? Do you gut them before you fed it? I have access to FREE mackerel here @ SoCal (the pier is just 14miles away from my home hehe).


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

kennyk said:


> Thank you everyone for replying! I'm probably going to go the local market route until I find a free freezer lol. My friend was going to give me one next week but he JUST told me about it needing repairs... blah!
> anywho! what are the sizes for the mackerel that you get from the asian store? Do you gut them before you fed it? I have access to FREE mackerel here @ SoCal (the pier is just 14miles away from my home hehe).


They're pretty small, less than a pound per piece for sure. 









We don't gut them, we feed them as is for a perfectly balanced meal!


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## kennyk (Sep 17, 2011)

oooooo nice picture! and Thank you!  I'll introduce Max to fishy next week


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

PuppyPaws said:


> We don't gut them, we feed them as is for a perfectly balanced meal!


Really? Is that possible with all fish? I know I read somewhere, (I cannot remember, don't even ask, it was almost a year ago), that we were supposed to gut the fish to "be safe". But we don't have to? Any kind? Like, say, when I lived in Miami and had access to fish from the Glades...they would not have to have been gutted? Or, say, I go fishing here in Maine...I wouldn't have to gut them?


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

Mostly grocery stores, walmart, and a meat market that orders beef heart for me. And now deer season is coming so most of our meat will be for free from hunters in our family, and scraps from processors.


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## pogo (Aug 28, 2011)

Most of my food i order from a supplier, but for little odd bits i go to the supermarkets, or the asian supermarket for little oddities


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I get most of my meat from the grocery stores on the quick sale stuff. I do get a little off of craigslist and some from a meat supplier. But the majority of it comes from the grocery store.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

SerenityFL said:


> Really? Is that possible with all fish? I know I read somewhere, (I cannot remember, don't even ask, it was almost a year ago), that we were supposed to gut the fish to "be safe". But we don't have to? Any kind? Like, say, when I lived in Miami and had access to fish from the Glades...they would not have to have been gutted? Or, say, I go fishing here in Maine...I wouldn't have to gut them?


The reason people say to gut them to be sure they don't have any hooks in their gut. Fish like that are caught in mass quantities generally in nets so there isn't much fear of hooks.
(mackerel, and sardines) wild salmon may be done the same way but don't quote me.


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

PuppyPaws said:


> That is a fair price for beef heart.
> 
> 
> The way we do it, is we browse ads, and take the animal live and whole. They may or may not have been previously kept as pets but most often they were either raised as food, or are a pest on someone's property. I have taken two rabbits previously raised as pets, and the people knew my intentions with them, and didn't really care. We do the slaughtering, skinning, and cutting if need be. Well, hubby does the slaughtering. I would end up just crying and insisting we keep it as a pet.


what kinds of people give up their pets to be slaughtered????
and i assume you didn't even pay them much?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> what kinds of people give up their pets to be slaughtered????
> and i assume you didn't even pay them much?


We'll be raising chickens, and rabbits starting next year for the soul purpose of meat, and eggs...
They will be considered pets... i might even sell some if there is a need for them around here. doesn't mean i'm a bad person for it.
What does cost matter?


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## Lisa_j (Apr 7, 2011)

Most of my meat comes from the butcher and the Amish.


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

Some people RAISE (gasp) animals just for that purpose for meat. And what does it matter anyways? I see adds all the time for chickens, ducks, rabbits etc for meat.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we get our supplies from our co op, from the asian market, from another market up the road....and at the moment, we have enough food for a year for our dogs.....the only thing we don't have is a goat and we'll get that from portland.....in a month or two.

anything else, like pork ribs comes from costco or our grocery store.....

we don't feed chicken, so our bone sources are rabbit, goat, emu, pork, lamb.....


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## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

The Asian market near me does not sell meat. Just produce and canned goods ( I'll ask around to see if there is one that does sell meat. Also, sorry to "borrow your thread" does anyone know anything about mullet? That seems to be a local fish some call it a "poor mans fish" - hey, we're there


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## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

Mostly local grocery stores. I browse the flyers every week hunting for sales. Organs I get from a local butcher. Unfortunately my freezer is pretty small and does double duty as a human and dog freezer so I can't buy in huge quantities. I also go to the local asian grocery store and to our local raw food store for some more interesting meals.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i also wanted to add that i will never kill an animal......and only because i am a wuss.

i am also a city girl who likes things wrapped in butcher paper or at least in a garbage bag....

doglovingsenior....we used to use mullet as one of the four fishes in making gefilte fish...i think it was carp, pike, mullet, whitefish....were used by my grandmother....

i'm pretty sure it mullet was a poor man's fish, so i would think it would also be a poor dog fish.....

Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Fish, mullet, striped, raw

personally, we don't eat it anymore.....i think there are better fishes nutritionally.....

as to our dogs, it's herring, sardines, mackerel, and anchovies....frozen....


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

magicre said:


> we get our supplies from our co op, from the asian market, from another market up the road....and at the moment, we have enough food for a year for our dogs.....the only thing we don't have is a goat and we'll get that from portland.....in a month or two.
> 
> anything else, like pork ribs comes from costco or our grocery store.....
> 
> we don't feed chicken, so our bone sources are rabbit, goat, emu, pork, lamb.....


It is almost time for goat, just started my new markup today, so I'm on Big Bus full time and making more $ so a trip to Portland is in my or DH's future!


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## kennyk (Sep 17, 2011)

FISH - I'll probably be gutting the stomach only (the ones that I catch at least) just in case they inhaled a hook or some plastic.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> It is almost time for goat, just started my new markup today, so I'm on Big Bus full time and making more $ so a trip to Portland is in my or DH's future!


i'm there. if yours or my honey is going to portland, re would include you or you could include me on a goat order....yippe ki yay.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

magicre said:


> i'm there. if yours or my honey is going to portland, re would include you or you could include me on a goat order....yippe ki yay.


Oh....I might want to get in on this love fest, depending on freezer space!:biggrin:


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