# Chicken Leg Quarters - Bones or Not?!



## mollygloggs

So I am new to raw and keep reading conflicting things about feeding bones ... most say that they are OK uncooked. Common sense says to watch the size based on the size of your dogs. I have fed soup bones - in which case my dogs don't really eat all the bone, just chew and pull of the meat until they are clean. 

I was nervous, but fed whole chicken leg quarters twice now and my dogs devoured them all. Nothing left ... bone, skin, meat - all gone. But now I see some posts saying to grind bones and not to feed them whole. I would think this would not benefit teeth the way a whole bone would. My dogs are both approx. 50lb shepherd mixes with strong teeth and jaws. I might not feed wings ... as those bones might be a bit small. They seemed to crunch up the leg bones - not swallow them whole. 

I have fed pork and lamb ribs and they have ate them, bone and all. I am only on my second week of this, but of course do not want to feed something that will hurt my babies! 

The books I have read all state to feed meat on bones - but I'd like to hear from people with experience on what has worked for you all and what to beware of.


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## spookychick13

Worry not, my dog munches through leg quarters like a champ at 40lbs. It's okay to eat them whole and raw. I know it's scary at first, but it's ok, honest. 

My little guy can handle a whole drumstick.

They are on their third week and both look great, teeth look better already and their coats are nice and silky.


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## Todd

Bones are VERY safe and beneficial to dogs if fed CORRECTLY. Most raw feeders here feed the whole bones including myself. NEVER feed cooked bones. Just raw because of the chemical alteration that transpires during the cooking process. Wolves in the wild eat raw bone and have been surviving for hundreds of thousands of years! Bones are 100% safe if fed CORRECTLY though. You may not just want to throw your dog a bone without any meat on it. The meat encoding it is essential, for that's how the wolves in the wild would eat them. The meats helps the bone digest and acts as a big of a cushion as the bone is digested going through the intestines. Raw bones are not only chemically appropriate for dogs, but they are also much softer and easier to digest for dogs in their natural state which is the only state they should be eating them in. 

What type/size dogs do you have? I believe that you shouldn't give a really small chicken drumstick or something that size to a huge dog because they would most likely swallow it without chewing it up at all. Some big dogs can handle that though, but personally I would make sure the bone is a size that your dog would at least chew it up for the most part and not just gulp it down. Again some dogs can handle this. It just depends on the dog. My dog can't. I cut her up pork ribs in little pieces last week and she vomited them up. She didn't chew them much at all which is why. Don't worry so much. I your dog can't handle the size bone, they often handle that themselves by vomiting it up. If you want to play it safe, just choose the appropriate size that he will chew up fair;y decently and not just flat swallow it whole. Again, let us know their breeds and sizes and it will be easier to tell what he'll be able to handle. 

Also, DON'T grind bones. Some believe that this causes more of a threat of puncturing the stomach than full bones. Here's a good rule of thumb... If wolves wouldn't do it, your dog probably shouldn't either when it comes to diet and bones. You're right too. It wouldn't clean their teeth and exercise their jaws. Good luck and glad you decided to feed raw! You won't regret it!


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## CorgiPaws

Set all hesitation aside. 
Chicken bones are entirely safe and great to feed raw. Never feed cooked bones. I always feed bones with enough meat on them that they are REQUIRED to chew and crunch the bones up before swallowing.
chicken bones are actually the ones I am MOST comfortable feeding because they crunch up so easily, even my 20lb Corgi has zero issues chomping right through them. Chicken quarters, whole, with the bone, skin, everything are great to feed. These make up a good portion of my dog's diet.


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## mollygloggs

*Dog Types*

Hi - My dogs are shepherd mixes. Both approx. 50lbs. Shiloh is almost two and is a Aussie mix. Toby is almost a year and is more a German shepherd mix. Perhaps some Rhodesian Ridge back too - or Catahooula Leopard Dog. It is hard to say - but I just love them to pieces regardless of what they are exactly. :wink:

I would never feed a cooked bone - from watching them eating the chicken leg quarters they basically ground up those bones like little cement mixers! It seems unlikely that they would have one stuck or swallow one whole. But I can see if the bone was too small that might happen. I appreciate the quick replies. Keep em' comin!


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## Todd

By the way... don't let any advice from your vet fool you. Vet's are not taught much nutrition at all and have to be EXTRA cautious because of lawsuits and such. 

Raw bones are great! Don't be afraid!


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## DaneMama

If you have given them whole pork and lamb ribs without problems there is nothing to fear from chicken bones. Chicken bones are some of the softest bones out there, some of the easiest for dogs to digest. Nothing to fear!

Welcome to the boards! Don't hesitate with any questions or concerns! :biggrin: :wink:


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## Todd

danemama08 said:


> If you have given them whole pork and lamb ribs without problems there is nothing to fear from chicken bones. Chicken bones are some of the softest bones out there, some of the easiest for dogs to digest. Nothing to fear!
> 
> Welcome to the boards! Don't hesitate with any questions or concerns! :biggrin: :wink:


yea. you'll hear many people say not to feed chicken bones to dogs. This is a COMPLETE MYTH. Chicken bones are great raw, just NOT COOKED.


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## LindaP

The whole industrial food complex marketing machine, which includes dog food makers, have gotten us so far away from what real food is, and understanding how dogs really eat. We've been removed and out of touch with the natural state of things for so long that none of us, before feeding raw, knew what a canine looks like eating it's natural diet. Chicken quarters are perfectly fine--especially for your size dogs. And if they happen to throw one back up, let them re-eat it. Don't panic, it's normal and happens every now and then so say many raw feeders here. Carry on, you're doing great! :smile:


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## rawfeederr

You need to feed raw bones, there is no dental benefit if you don't.
You CAN grind them but there's not much of a point unless your dog has no teeth and can't chew bones.

I have a 50lb Shepherd mix too. I occasionally feed drumsticks, but only because he actually chews his food - if you have a gulper you might want to stick to something a bit bigger.


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## J&T

We started all on chicken quarters(2 about 8 weeks ago and the other 2 just this Saturday) mostly cause that is what is cheap here. I kinda have the reverse concerns as you-wasn't concerned about the chicken bones- its the pork and other bones I'm not sure of.


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## mollygloggs

Well I've fed them twice now and all seems well - I'm continuing on! The lamb ribs seemed very flexible and soft - they ate them all rather quickly, but chewed. The pork ribs were crunchier, but they also chewed them well. I wouldn't worry. The only thing I would hesitate with at this point is a pork chop bone - a friend that feeds raw recommended staying away from them as the small corner part of the bone has got stuck a few times in her dogs throat. He didn't choke seriously, but she could see that it does not break easily and is just the right size to cause a possible issue for her size dogs. My dogs are about the same size, so I'll stick to her advice. Keep me posted on your progress! I'll do the same - it is great to find others trying this out too. So far very positive results - more energy, fresher breath!


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## Todd

chicken quarters are great! when first switching my dog to prey model raw full time about 1.5-2 months ago I started with chicken quarters only. she did fine with them. now i've added turkey drumsticks and pork ribs.


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## Airbear7

*Raw meat/ bones for my Pomeranian puppy*

Hello, I have a 15 week old Pomeranian puppy named simba. He is about 4&1/2 ponds right now. I have him on dry grain free kibble right now and I want to start adding raw meat and bones into his diet. I have heard you should not feed dry and wet at the same time so I give him the dry food with a little water in the morning and he is pretty good about just nibbling on it through out the day. I want to do a raw meal at night and a bone once or twice a week but there is so much back and forth on everything I don't really know what is the right thing to do is. I do plan on freezing it and there is a butcher near by that I plan on going to. He has a lot of different things but I don't know what I should start my pup on. I was going to start him on chicken necks but read a lot of people's worries on The spikyness of the bone hurting his throat. So now I plan on starting him on chicken quarters with the bones and skin, and possibly chicken feet. What are the pros and cons? Should I freeze it for a certain amount of time before I feed it to him to kill bacteria and make him chew it more, how much should I feed him if he also has kibble out during the day? Are the chicken feet a good idea? Should I do any organs ? Since chickens normally have a lot of antibiotics used is there another meat/ bones that would be good to give him? Thank you so much, 
Arrow


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## naturalfeddogs

For a puppy the size of yours, chicken necks should be fine, and you could even feed the little drumsticks called "drummets". These are both edible bones and fully digestible. Cornish hens are good bones for your size dog as well.


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## Airbear7

Would I just give him the whole game hen? Couldn't it still puncture his throat? I can't find the little drums on the list of meat they have, could I do the chicken quarters or would they too big and do damage, what about chicken feet ? How often would you give any of these to him? They have something called beef marrow bones chihuahua sized, what is your opinion on that? They have stuff like whole rabbit ground and the game hen corse ground, would that be beneficial or could the bones still puncture his throat. I was thinking about chicken wings and chicken feet with the chicken quarters. What do you think of chicken wings?


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## Celt

Regular uncut bones, shouldn't cause a problem with choking. It's mostly the "sharp" pieces that are an issue. I've fed a stripped down, chopped in half chicken thigh bones to my little (maybe 2lb at the time)7 week old puppy. A whole thigh would have been waaaay too much. I cut off all but a thin layer (pretty much the knob end was visible, the middle had a form fitting covering of meat and the chopped end had a flap of meat kind of covering it). Ended up at about 2 1/2 oz. watched to make sure she crunched up the bone well, then fed her a 1/2 oz. of the meat. I fed her another 3 oz. of meat later for "dinner". I keep kibble down all day, haven't had a problem yet. Why do you put water in his kibble?


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## naturalfeddogs

Airbear7 said:


> Would I just give him the whole game hen? Couldn't it still puncture his throat? I can't find the little drums on the list of meat they have, could I do the chicken quarters or would they too big and do damage, what about chicken feet ? How often would you give any of these to him? They have something called beef marrow bones chihuahua sized, what is your opinion on that? They have stuff like whole rabbit ground and the game hen corse ground, would that be beneficial or could the bones still puncture his throat. I was thinking about chicken wings and chicken feet with the chicken quarters. What do you think of chicken wings?


If you buy a hen at the grocery, you would break it down, like removing legs, etc..the pieces won't puncture as long as they are raw. They crunch up fine. Yes, you could buy the quarters and separate the leg from the thigh. If the bones seem too big to chew through you can smash them with a hammer or kitchen mallet. 

No marrow bones. Entirely too dense because they come large weight bearing animals like cows. I don't even give them to mine, due to the risk of breaking teeth.

Chicken feet are fine. Just feed the whole thing. They are also really good for joints as well. Chicken wings are good too.

Rabbit it is fine, and another idea for a small dog is frog legs. But they are both really lean proteins.


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## John H

After reading these posts I am going to try the chicken quarters with my 110 lbs Boerboel. I give her femur bones from time to time but I have a 20 lbs Terrier 13 yrs old that I don’t want to leave out. Maybe just some chicken skin. He was a rescue and is missing a few teeth


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