# Can't find chicken backs.



## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

I don't have a lot of choices were I am. I've got two grocery stores in town to choose from and if I drive 30 - 45 minutes into the "city" (really its just a larger town, hardly anything I'd call a city) then I have the choice of two larger grocery stores, a small butcher and an M&M's Meat Shop. I've gone everywhere at this point except M&M's and can't find chicken backs. I did ask the small butcher for them and he sold me what I thought were chicken backs since you know, I asked for that and figured he'd know what they looked like. But later was told by someone that they weren't chicken backs. Never having eaten meat in my life I hadn't a clue, so yeah. If I can't find chicken backs is it fine just to use chicken quarters? I started the two nerds Saturday on raw and so far so good. Some slightly loose stool but otherwise fine. 

What was sold to me as chicken backs.


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I think quarters would be fine! I know several people on this forum could not find chicken backs so they transitioned with quarters as well.


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

I'm new to this and vegan!!! SO I know what you are going through!! Lots of people told me they started on quarters, but I started on backs, and actually those look like backs, the inside of them anyhow. The dark red stuff is organs, which are awful, cuz you have to use a fork to scrap them out in the beginning!! and I cut all the skin off them too. If you flip them over and then slice a knife (parallel with the counter) to get the skin off, you should see the spine bone. I could be wrong, like I said, i'm very new to this, we just started last week and it's been an experience!!! Good luck! The girls here are totally awesome though and they will answer all your ridiculous questions over and over again no matter how many times I ask!!! :wink:


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Those look pretty much like chicken backs. There is some difference from one place to another but those look like chicken backs to me. Those are nice looking ones too...lots of meat and not a whole lot of fat.


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

Okay, the one on the right looks like a back, the one on the left not so much...my big guy is now eating quarters, it takes him a lot longer to get through those than the backs. there is a lot more meat on the quarters too, so if there is a sensitive tummy and diarrhea is common, I'd be really careful and ready for extra potty breaks!


----------



## lmgakg (Jan 1, 2011)

danemama08 said:


> Those look pretty much like chicken backs. There is some difference from one place to another but those look like chicken backs to me. Those are nice looking ones too...lots of meat and not a whole lot of fat.


Look at how much you girls have taught me!!!! I can identify a chicken back from a photo now!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahaha


----------



## Little Brown Jug (Dec 7, 2010)

I was shown a thigh and my backs look pretty much the same except the thigh didn't have that red underside. So it is back? 

The only meat I really know by look are pork chops, chicken breast, steak and drumsticks. So going into that butcher was pretty over whelming as was going into the meat section of the grocery.

They scarfed it down like it was nothing, even the quarters take them no time to eat. It takes them about the same amount of time it took them to eat 1 1/2 cups of kibble. However they don't go around looking for more like half starved strays after their raw like they did with kibble. 

So far no runny stool, just semi hard. I'd like to see it a little more firm, but I was expecting it to go a lot less smoothly so I'll take semi formed over water like.


----------



## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Yes, those are backs. Talk to the butcher or grocer about ordering them for you. If they do that you'll have to have a freezer because you will get a 40# box of them.


----------



## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Those are thighs, you can see the round knee joint of the femur on the top of the one on the right. They have half a lower back on them. I suspect you can feel the long straight femur through the meat if you try. Good stuff, just might be meatier than a whole back.

If you have storage space buy whole birds and cut them up. Use backs now, and feed through the rest later on. Or you could ask the meat department manager if he can special order you a case of backs. Possibly ask a local restaurant if they could put in an order for a case along with their meat order. Probably you won't need to just be feeding backs for the whole case but they are fine served up with boneless stuff too.

I have never seen backs at my market either. Chicken is sold whole, as leg quarters, bone in chicken breast or wings as far as bony bits go. The backs are left on the leg quarters and breast bits.


----------



## sheila-and billy (Dec 26, 2010)

Look like backs to me.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

sassymaxmom said:


> Those are thighs, you can see the round knee joint of the femur on the top of the one on the right. They have half a lower back on them. I suspect you can feel the long straight femur through the meat if you try. Good stuff, just might be meatier than a whole back.


I see the joint you're talking about but it's not the joint you're thinking. Sometimes backs have the thigh bone attached and this case is one of them. One of the reasons why these backs look so meaty.

I'd still cut off some of the fat initially when feeding these.


----------



## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Those are backs, but they are pre-cut in halves. 
Well, if it's such a hassle to find them, you can opt for chicken thighs, some have half a back attached to them, so they are still pretty bony.


----------



## Pheebs (Dec 8, 2010)

Looks like half backs,they sell like that in Japan.
Take de skin,fat,organs out, and after you take de organs out scrape on the bone the fat, you will be amazet how much fat is in there.


----------

