# Just got an interesting email re: Chicken



## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

So I just had a guy email me. He said he has a chicken farm for Purdue. Said if I wanted, I could have all of his chickens that die while they're still there.

What would you guys do? I told him I'd let him know. Right now my dogs don't eat any free range/organic chicken, so that wouldn't be an issue for me. I could never afford to feed raw if I went that route. I guess my main concern is HOW they're dieing. I'm also thinking that getting them feathers and all would just be a mess.. I mean every once in awhile, fine, but this guys talking about giving me 20+ whole chickens. I can see my yard looking like a chicken exploded in no time LOL. 

Thoughts?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I'm with you - what are they dying of? Perdue is, I've heard, one of the worst for poor treatment of chickens.


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

xellil said:


> I'm with you - what are they dying of? Perdue is, I've heard, one of the worst for poor treatment of chickens.


Yeah, I've heard that (although we eat Purdue ourselves :tape. I didn't ask him what they're dieing of.. guess I should've!


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

Oh heck no!!! RUN!!! I'll tell you my Tyson Farms Story. I live in Fayetteville, AR HEART of Tyson. I see the chickens on the way to the slaughter house weekly. They're missing feathers, pale, no beaks, open sores, and about 5 packed in each cage. This is the only time they've seen daylight. They're only alive because of copious amounts of antibiotics. Don't walk away from that, RUN! I'm almost positive Purdue uses genetically modified chickens and they're fed soy/other dead chickens and it's just an awful situation. If I ever had to buy chicken in the store again, I'd become a vegetarian. THIS is what the trucks look like... the article is noteworthy, too! Hare Today has whole chickens for a little over a dollar a pound. Free-range, beautiful chickens like the one my dog is eating one. 

Russia importing poultry from India unless U.S. raises standards « Eideard

Oh, I wanted to add... My girlfriend and I both quit eating factory meat last year in July. Well, we still eat out 2-3 times a week but it's becoming less and less and vegetarian when we do. We also switched our diet to no processed foods and local veggies/organic. Anyway, we average $60 a week on food. We still eat out and we never miss out on anything because there's always a healthier version. Here's how much better she looks in 10 months. And this is with NO exercise whatsoever.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/maddy_ciccone18/yearlater.jpg

That meat is bad stuff!


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> Oh heck no!!! RUN!!! I'll tell you my Tyson Farms Story. I live in Fayetteville, AR HEART of Tyson. I see the chickens on the way to the slaughter house weekly. They're missing feathers, pale, no beaks, open sores, and about 5 packed in each cage. This is the only time they've seen daylight. They're only alive because of copious amounts of antibiotics. Don't walk away from that, RUN! I'm almost positive Purdue uses genetically modified chickens and they're fed soy/other dead chickens and it's just an awful situation. If I ever had to buy chicken in the store again, I'd become a vegetarian. THIS is what the trucks look like... the article is noteworthy, too! Hare Today has whole chickens for a little over a dollar a pound. Free-range, beautiful chickens like the one my dog is eating one.
> 
> Russia importing poultry from India unless U.S. raises standards « Eideard
> 
> ...


I get what you're saying, and I do agree that disease is an issue. However, my dogs all eat meat that was factory farmed already. The chicken quarters I get for them now are grocery store brand, no clue where they come from. My husband and I also eat Purdue/Tyson chicken.. so yeah, I'm that concerned about it. I'm 5'0" and 93lbs., so it's obviously not affecting me too badly LOL. 

I've emailed local farms that have grass fed cows and such, and their prices are absolutely outrageous. I'd love to feed the stuff (and I do feed grass fed beef kidney/liver, and the tripe I get is from grass fed cows) 24/7, but I'd be completely broke if I did.

I think my main issue is that they'd be coming with feathers and all, and I'm not a fan of constantly having to clean up feathers in my yard!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I would want to know what they die of.

Feathers usually blow away


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

Sprocket said:


> I would want to know what they die of.
> 
> Feathers usually blow away


Yes, they do. My yard has feathers and fur a decent amount of the time -- makes a great toy!


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

kady05;193652 I'm 5'0" and 93lbs. said:


> I'm 5'4 and 95lb but let me tell you since cutting that out, I have more ENERGY than ever. I sleep better and I wake up easier. It's not all weight. It will take a toll on you in the end, there's no way it can't. Sadly, it takes a toll in horrible forms like Cancer. Bottom line, I wouldn't feed my dogs something that died in a factory farm. I mean if you're going to do that, why not feed kibble since it's 4d? I also don't feed my dogs anything I wouldn't eat... and I damn sure wouldn't eat some chicken that probably died of cancer or something manmade.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

I know someone who chickens for Tyson, and he told us the same thing. Its normal for some of those chickens to die daily because of their EXTREMELY fast rate of growth causing heart attachs. Some of them were tiny, and some were flat from the other chickens stepping on them. So, while in theory its a good idea, it really isn't worth it. The dead ones aren't like what you think they are.


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> I'm 5'4 and 95lb but let me tell you since cutting that out, I have more ENERGY than ever. I sleep better and I wake up easier. It's not all weight. It will take a toll on you in the end, there's no way it can't. Sadly, it takes a toll in horrible forms like Cancer. Bottom line, I wouldn't feed my dogs something that died in a factory farm. I mean if you're going to do that, why not feed kibble since it's 4d? I also don't feed my dogs anything I wouldn't eat... and I damn sure wouldn't eat some chicken that probably died of cancer or something manmade.


I guess I just don't care about what I eat that much. I sleep fine and am up at 7am most mornings (if not earlier), much more than I can say for my friends who are my age (24)! I don't eat fast food, smoke, drink soda or alcohol, but that's about it. Like I said, we'd be poor if we ate only organic stuff, as well as fed that to the dogs. Maybe that makes me a bad person, I don't know.. I don't really care LOL. 

Why do I not feed kibble? Umm.. because Piper & Sako didn't do well on it, among other things. They do great on raw.. so obviously the factory farmed chicken they eat isn't affecting them that badly 


Anyway. As far as THIS situation goes, I think I'm going to pass. I get my chicken quarters for no more than .79/lb at this point, and whole chickens go on sale all the time for around .59/lb. So I think I'll just stick with that to avoid the mess of feathers and such


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

I also think as humans it's important to put our money where our mouth is. I don't support animal cruelty and the only way to stop this kind of treatment is not supporting them with our MONEY!


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

kady05 said:


> Why do I not feed kibble? Umm.. because Piper & Sako didn't do well on it, among other things. They do great on raw.. so obviously the factory farmed chicken they eat isn't affecting them that badly


I'm glad the arsenic(and caffeine, Tylenol, Benadryl and certain banned antibiotics in chicken) in the chicken feed hasn't caused harm. However, lots of these side-effects are long-term. No studies have been done on GMO and the negative effects they have so it's kind of like anyone/anything eating it is a guinea pig! Glad to hear you decided to ditch this option and I'm bet the dogs are even happier!


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

It's really too bad that the options for meat that were available when I was a child in the 1950s and 60s aren't readily available today. It seems there are mostly just two ends of the continuum these days: very expensive free-range (from birth to death) organic meats or the inhumane and toxic meat of factory farms. It used to be that the average consumer could buy reasonably-priced meat from humanely raised animals that weren't fed GMO grains and injected with antibiotics and growth hormones.

The more I read the more I'm glad I became pescatarian 14 years ago.


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> I also think as humans it's important to put our money where our mouth is. I don't support animal cruelty and the only way to stop this kind of treatment is not supporting them with our MONEY!





Sheltielover25 said:


> I'm glad the arsenic(and caffeine, Tylenol, Benadryl and certain banned antibiotics in chicken) in the chicken feed hasn't caused harm. However, lots of these side-effects are long-term. No studies have been done on GMO and the negative effects they have so it's kind of like anyone/anything eating it is a guinea pig! Glad to hear you decided to ditch this option and I'm bet the dogs are even happier!


Hey, if you'd like to come buy my dogs & I free range/organic meat, go right ahead LOL. Until then, I'm not paying $3/lb. for chicken. I seriously can't believe you're basically trying to tell me that I'm doing it "wrong" when I'm feeding raw. Do you think that every member here can afford to feed organic meat to their dogs? I highly doubt it. Good for you for being able to do so, if only we were all in your shoes.



PDXdogmom said:


> It's really too bad that the options for meat that were available when I was a child in the 1950s and 60s aren't readily available today. It seems there are mostly just two ends of the continuum these days: very expensive free-range (from birth to death) organic meats or the inhumane and toxic meat of factory farms. It used to be that the average consumer could buy reasonably-priced meat from humanely raised animals that weren't fed GMO grains and injected with antibiotics and growth hormones.
> 
> The more I read the more I'm glad I became pescatarian 14 years ago.


Exactly. If they'd make organic meats more reasonably priced, I'd be all for it. But at this point, it's way too expensive.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

kady05 said:


> Hey, if you'd like to come buy my dogs & I free range/organic meat, go right ahead LOL. Until then, I'm not paying $3/lb. for chicken. I seriously can't believe you're basically trying to tell me that I'm doing it "wrong" when I'm feeding raw. Do you think that every member here can afford to feed organic meat to their dogs? I highly doubt it. Good for you for being able to do so, if only we were all in your shoes.
> 
> 
> 
> Exactly. If they'd make organic meats more reasonably priced, I'd be all for it. But at this point, it's way too expensive.


I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But having this laissez-faire attitude and basically saying you don't really care where the food comes from is rather disturbing and ignorant since WE ARE WHAT WE EAT. Like I said, by giving into these industries and buying their products, you're basically condoning this type of behavior. 

While I suppose it's one thing you can't afford to buy good quality for you animals who need meat, it's selfish to say you eat it too when you don't need meat like they do. Buying it equates to supporting inhumane treatment of animals. I also think if we're feeding raw, we believe how important it is for animals to be fed a species-appropriate diet and feeding chickens/cows/pigs who haven't been given that seems contradictory. 

I also don't spend $3 a pound on anything I feed. I make about $25K a year and feed myself and my partner for $200 a month and feed the animals for $60. So it's not like I'm living a lavish life by any means. I own my own car, don't use credit, rent a small house, and buy in bulk. I don't have cable, and I use a pre-paid cell phone. I don't have fancy things but I'm happy and healthy. It's not impossible to eat healthy and be on a budget. Like everything else, quality food keeps you full longer and you need less. So it's not like I'm asking anyone to do something that I don't do it. In the end, less medical care like the dogs, so it all evens out.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

PDXdogmom said:


> The more I read the more I'm glad I became pescatarian 14 years ago.


Oh, I always say if I had to go back to grocery store meat, I would just give it up. It's not worth it. It's poisoning us and making us sicker than ever. This upcoming generation is the first one they predict to not live as long as the previous one. This is 2012! There's something SERIOUSLY wrong with that. Oh, and the fact India boycotts our chicken and India certainly isn't the cleanest says a lot to me!!!


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But having this laissez-faire attitude and basically saying you don't really care where the food comes from is rather disturbing and ignorant since WE ARE WHAT WE EAT. Like I said, by giving into these industries and buying their products, you're basically condoning this type of behavior.
> 
> While I suppose it's one thing you can't afford to buy good quality for you animals who need meat, it's selfish to say you eat it too when you don't need meat like they do. Buying it equates to supporting inhumane treatment of animals. I also think if we're feeding raw, we believe how important it is for animals to be fed a species-appropriate diet and feeding chickens/cows/pigs who haven't been given that seems contradictory.
> 
> I also don't spend $3 a pound on anything I feed. I make about $25K a year and feed myself and my partner for $200 a month and feed the animals for $60. So it's not like I'm living a lavish life by any means. I own my own car, don't use credit, rent a small house, and buy in bulk. I don't have cable, and I use a pre-paid cell phone. I don't have fancy things but I'm happy and healthy. It's not impossible to eat healthy and be on a budget. Like everything else, quality food keeps you full longer and you need less. So it's not like I'm asking anyone to do something that I don't do it. In the end, less medical care like the dogs, so it all evens out.


You're obviously quite.. radical, so I really have no more comments for you. So I'm ignorant. Oh well. I'd really love to find out how many people here feed all organic/free range/whatever you want to call it meats.. I'd be shocked if it was the majority of members. I know quite a few people personally who feed raw, none of them feed anything but grocery store meat. 

Just a btw - the organic farm near me sells chicken quarters for $4.50/lb. I buy mine for no more than .79/lb. Chicken breasts are $13/lb. Talk about insane.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

what i found out was the chicken i buy is fed the same vegetarian non gmo formula that the organic birds are fed. and the ones i buy are not given antibiotics nor hormones.

yet, one chicken costs this much and the organic one costs thhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssss much.

fed the same. raised outdoors.

but not to get into an ideological battle, purdue is one i believe who has genetically modified their birds.....to have a larger breast...they were called on it....as were a few others.....

conditions aside and i'm only stepping aside....purdue chickens....we used to buy them when i lived on the east coast...and they were yellow and really large and fatty.....not at all what we bought when i was a kid....

so we stopped buying them.

now my chickens look like chicken. 

i'd stay away from purdue and tyson because somehow or another they messed with their genetics.....


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

kady05 said:


> You're obviously quite.. radical, so I really have no more comments for you. So I'm ignorant. Oh well. I'd really love to find out how many people here feed all organic/free range/whatever you want to call it meats.. I'd be shocked if it was the majority of members. I know quite a few people personally who feed raw, none of them feed anything but grocery store meat.
> 
> Just a btw - the organic farm near me sells chicken quarters for $4.50/lb. I buy mine for no more than .79/lb. Chicken breasts are $13/lb. Talk about insane.


You're right people on here, and myself before, have had to feed store-bought meat. But I've never seen anyone blatantly laugh about the fact they don't care how their food is raised -- that's what got to me -- seeing someone laugh about this kind of horrific things. It's sad people don't care chickens are being genetically modified or cows are being fed other cows and pigs kept in cages with no room. If we don't care about it for them, who will? It's really sad. I'm not radical either. I just value healthy food over cars/cable/cell phones or other mindless possessions.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

magicre said:


> what i found out was the chicken i buy is fed the same vegetarian non gmo formula that the organic birds are fed. and the ones i buy are not given antibiotics nor hormones.
> 
> yet, one chicken costs this much and the organic one costs thhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssss much.
> 
> ...


Yeah, my chicken isn't Organic per se either. I don't buy into USDA certified anything. It means nothing. I know lots of local people who raise their animals and grow their veggies/fruits "organically" but don't get the certifications. Organic is a joke.

Oh, and I noticed that yellow-ness you're referring too when I bought chicken from the stores. Their unusual size is disturbing to me, too. Especially when I see them unable to stand on the way to the slaughter house because of it


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## Noodlesmadison (Sep 18, 2011)

ahhh Don't do it!


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

Noodlesmadison said:


> ahhh Don't do it!


I'm not going to


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

it seems to me (I could be wrong) that buying meat that is grass fed but is not approved for human consumption is cheaper (or as cheap) than grocery store meat and is good quality.

My Pet Carnivore gets most of its meat grass-fed from a ranch in Michigan. That was THE best meat I have ever gotten for my dogs, and much of it was a very good price.

There is a supplier here that gets his animals from farms in Oklahoma (grass fed) and there is more fat in the meat but it still seems to be ok meat for the most part, and I know it doesn't have salt etc. added to it.

And co-ops - a good place to get cheap, good quality meat. I can't find one locally. that is much cheaper than a grocery store, often, and you get stuff you can't get other places.

I do buy grocery store meat - mostly chicken quarters when I find them at a very good price. And sometimes pork. And organs because they are a little harder to find a good variety. 

But on the whole, I try to find the places that will give me food that's cheaper but still good quality for the dogs - I think having USDA inspections to approve for human use really raises the price.


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I am with KADY on this. Sometimes, we can't afford the best possible meat there is. Yes, sometimes people get good deals or know a guy who knows a guy. But we are not all that lucky. 

Do I wish I could? Of course. I would eat better meat as well. But in order to feed the masses, the meat producers do what they can to cut costs. If every meat producer took the high road and cows lived in pastures and were allowed to get sick and grow slowly, meat would cost an insane amount of money. 

Its all about the bottom line. And it sucks. I don't think life was intended to be this way and I blame over population. Kady is feeding raw and we should applaud her, not make her feel bad because she isnt buying beer fed kobe beef. I am BARELY able to feed my dogs raw as it is and I am trying to cut corners as best I can ( I hunt, talk about grassfed, antibiotic, hormone free stuff) and I call slaughterhouses and basically do everything I can to be able to continue to feed raw. 

I am sorry animals get mistreated. It is sad and we should do more to promote awareness. I know everytime you purchase something, you are voting for that product. But some of us are barely able to make ends meet so I kind of got insulted myself. 

We all have the best intentions and none of us want cows and chickens to be abused. We do our best for our dogs. Us raw feeders should stick together and support each other, not attack each other for not feeding the best possible meats. HECK, some people *cough cough Sprocket cough cough* even acquire roadkill to shave costs. 

So lets not point fingers. We do the best we can


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

Well, unless you've called around/shopped around/surfed online and really tried to find a better solution (like you said YOU have and I applaud you) I'm not sure people are trying as hard as they can. Again, I make very little per year and I'm able to do it. Like someone mentioned, look for sources labeled for animals only, go hunting, become friends with hunters. I think people in this country tend to settle with something before even trying to find alternatives. I myself have fed grocery store meat but I damn sure didn't laugh out loud about it and worked my ass off calling/e-mailing/phoning sources to find a better alternative. that's my point -- feed what you can, but always be working to find better. always be looking for ways to cut costs and save more money to buy better quality products. It's certainly doable but it takes a decent amount of effort. I'd go without meat myself to make sure my dogs had quality meat. Don't sit around and say things like I guess I just don't care because that attitude is crappy and why things are the way they are in this country.

Again, please tell me if feeding a species-appropriate diet is so important to you, how on earth do you justify being satisfied with feeding THEM animals who didn't get the same treatment and say you just don't care? It is about doing what you with what you have, but it's also about always striving to do better and never settling with poor quality.


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## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

xellil said:


> it seems to me (I could be wrong) that buying meat that is grass fed but is not approved for human consumption is cheaper (or as cheap) than grocery store meat and is good quality.
> 
> My Pet Carnivore gets most of its meat grass-fed from a ranch in Michigan. That was THE best meat I have ever gotten for my dogs, and much of it was a very good price.
> 
> ...


YEY Michigan!


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## Dude and Bucks Mamma (May 14, 2011)

Personally, I would agree to meet with him and, upon seeing the condition of the chickens, become appalled and say how you would never put that into yours or your dogs' bodies. Just to give him a firsthand reaction of how disgusting it is.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Dude and Bucks Mamma said:


> Personally, I would agree to meet with him and, upon seeing the condition of the chickens, become appalled and say how you would never put that into yours or your dogs' bodies. Just to give him a firsthand reaction of how disgusting it is.


Agreed. And if you leave feeling disturbed and disgusted you know what the right decision is. If you leave feeling that getting chickens from him would be a good idea, then go for it. 

I for one am not someone that can feed the highest quality of meat to my dogs. I just can't afford it. But I do my best and I forget the rest because it's pointless to worry about it. Of course I choose the best options that come my way that I can afford. Animal welfare and food quality are very important to me so its always something that I take into consideration. For example, I feed chicken quarters from WalFart to offset the cost of the rest of the meat I butcher myself. I cannot afford organic red meats from the store so I take it upon myself to butcher high quality meat animals myself...BUT its still pricey and hard work. I don't feel bad about offsetting the cost/work of red meats I process with cheap chicken quarters from the store. If I could afford to feed higher quality chicken, I would. 

One thing that I've found helpful for whole chickens, is craigslist. There are free chickens offered up on there all the time. You just have to be able to transport and feel comfortable processing them yourself. By process I mean, humanely kill them. I don't do anything more than that. I feed them whole, feathers and all. Feathers do get everywhere, but they do blow away! Or settle in the grass.


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

He lives about an hour from me, so I'm not going to drive all the way out there just to tell him "OMG no way." Because I have a feeling I know how the chickens are raised, hence why I've decided not to do it. My main concern is how they're dieing, and how long they sit before they go into the freezer. So I'm just going to send him an email and tell him thanks for the offer, but it's just not something I'm comfortable with. 

Sheltielover25, this will be my last reply to you. You've insulted me (and pretty much anyone else here who feeds grocery store meats; I mentioned what you're saying to my other raw feeding friends and one said "I guess 95% of us are doing it wrong then!") and basically insinuated I don't try hard to find "good" meats for my dogs. Sorry I can't afford $4.50/lb. chicken quarters. Shipping from other sites is pricey and I don't have an active co-op near me. I did specifically say they DO eat some grass fed items, like beef liver/kidney, tripe, the eggs I get from free range chickens my friend owns, and venison when I can get it. Got 300+lbs. of it from hunters last winter.. guess how? I posted on CL and other sites constantly, as well as talked to hunters in person.. oh but.. never mind, I'm lazy and don't look for ways to give better meats to my dogs. Oops. 

My dogs certainly look like absolute crap on their "store bought meat diet", don't you think?










/endsarcasm.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> I also think as humans it's important to put our money where our mouth is. I don't support animal cruelty and the only way to stop this kind of treatment is not supporting them with our MONEY!


Just curious, do you eat dairy and egg products? And by that I don't just mean cheese and milk, but anything at all containing dairy or egg? B/c the conditions of the animals raised to provide those resources are horrid as well. And unless you have personally seen the conditions that all of your grass fed meat is raised in, I would question that. And even if you have seen the conditions, I would still hesitate to say that you are not supporting animal cruelty just b/c you eat grass fed meat. Really, the only true way to say you are not supporting animal cruelty is to become vegan and give these things up all together, IMO. For yourself of course, our carnivore dogs obviously need to eat what they are meant to eat.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Sheltielover25 said:


> Yeah, my chicken isn't Organic per se either. I don't buy into USDA certified anything. It means nothing. I know lots of local people who raise their animals and grow their veggies/fruits "organically" but don't get the certifications. Organic is a joke.
> 
> Oh, and I noticed that yellow-ness you're referring too when I bought chicken from the stores. Their unusual size is disturbing to me, too. Especially when I see them unable to stand on the way to the slaughter house because of it


but that doesn't mean i don't buy chickens from my grocery store. i just know from where they come and what they are fed.

i no longer believe everything is shot up with antibiotics and hormones...and just because a farmer says it's not, doesn't mean it's not.

i'm not one to be a farmer.....i'm a city girl just trying to do my best...but sustainable can mean a whole lot of things to a whole lot of people....

i do not think my eggs come from a place where they give them benedryl, having talked to these people....

and i think sometimes we go too far the other way.....i just read a report on washington state and the amount of cafo cows is down, not up.....and then in looking further...i see it's down not up across the country.

beef ranchers want to sell their beef. they do sit up and notice when their bottom line is affected.....

i think we do the best we can. there are companies who will not change their practises and people will stop buying from them...

but bottom line? we do what we can afford....


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

xellil said:


> it seems to me (I could be wrong) that buying meat that is grass fed but is not approved for human consumption is cheaper (or as cheap) than grocery store meat and is good quality.
> 
> My Pet Carnivore gets most of its meat grass-fed from a ranch in Michigan. That was THE best meat I have ever gotten for my dogs, and much of it was a very good price.
> 
> ...


you can go on craigslist and find cattle for sale....that has been grass fed/grass finished according to the poster..buy the whole cow for under 4 bucks a pound hanging weight. 

but anyone can go one step further and say...is it really grass fed / grass finished?

so unless we grow them ourselves, i guess we pays our money and takes our chances..

so far, i'm fine with buying from costco.....and top foods...

i will never buy from walmart simply because i boycott the entire store...not just their food. but that's a whole different discussion.


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## Sheltielover25 (Jan 18, 2011)

magicre said:


> you can go on craigslist and find cattle for sale....that has been grass fed/grass finished according to the poster..buy the whole cow for under 4 bucks a pound hanging weight.
> 
> but anyone can go one step further and say...is it really grass fed / grass finished?
> 
> ...


Well, to be fair, grass-fed beef has a different taste so you can tell. I just bought half a cow for 3.29 a pound and I went out to see the living conditions and such. It was grain finished, but you can tell from the amount of fat and how lean it is that it isn't like the typical store kind.

I trust Costco and trader joes -- that is about it. 

And yes, it is all about doing what we can afford but I get quality meat at a decent price. It just took some searching. It is one thing to feed poor quality food while you're searching for options but the point is to never settle for crappy products and just give up. The more people steer away from this awful industry we have, the less they'll make and that, in the end, is the only way to change anything.

Just drove by three semis with sick looking chickens. Every mile there's another stinky, inhumane chicken setup. We as a society have a responsibility to end this. Remember, he who is neutral in situations of oppression, have chose the side of the oppressor.

And for anyone who is offended, time for a wake up call. The truth does hurt sometime but it needs to be said. The truth is settling for poor quality meat that has had a horrible life is confining abuse. There is no other way around it. You buy it, you support it.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Sheltielover25 said:


> Well, to be fair, grass-fed beef has a different taste so you can tell. I just bought half a cow for 3.29 a pound and I went out to see the living conditions and such. It was grain finished, but you can tell from the amount of fat and how lean it is that it isn't like the typical store kind.
> 
> I trust Costco and trader joes -- that is about it.
> 
> ...


I agree with you and yet I am a hypocrite because I still buy some grocery store meat. It's like saying I hate puppy mills and getting a dog from a pet store.

I totally see that. But still, I do buy it some because I need to in order to feed my dogs. I continually look and try to find other sources I can afford and hopefully one day I will no longer be a hypocrite.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i was raised on beef that was grain fed. the difference today is that much of the grain is gmo grain....

i won't apologise ever for buying what i can afford. if i can, i get grass finished. if not, i get the best i can.

i can say that because i have two dogs who eat under a pound a day.

i can afford prime beef because we don't eat much of it on a daily basis.

if ever i empty my freezers.....i will buy a grass fed/ grass finished cow to support local farmers. i have done that with lamb. and fish. 

but i don't trust no one....and from what i'm reading, there are fewer cafo operations than there were....

i guess all i hear is organic this and humane that. 

there is nothing humane about killing an animal...i don't care if it's the kosher way or a bow and arrow...dead is dead.

some times things are worse than others...like tyson and purdue...yes. but i don't buy their chickens...they taste funny and they are grown funny.

all i ask for is this.

i don't want to see the cow before it's killed. i just want the stewards of this land to be a little more responsible.

and not be so mean.

i will never grow my own food. i know that.

but i am glad to see generations after me be so concerned. i fought my battles when i had my yoot. now it's their turn, should they take up the fight.

and i believe we will win, because even big ag wants to make money and can't if people like me, the great american consumer no longer eats grains....

and tries to buy the best fed proteins i can afford.


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