# Does anyone grind their own meat?



## FinnDiesel (Oct 9, 2013)

Hi - I'm thinking about getting a grinder and grinding my own meat/bone, does anyone else do this? Any suggestions on what to look for in a grinder, would imagine I need something pretty serious to get through the bone ... or not?


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## rescuedogs (Mar 13, 2013)

I got a Tasin TS-108 because I got a great deal on it on Craigslist. Right now, I only use it to grind organs - for me it makes it easier to serve them to my 8 dogs of varying sizes in the right proportions. Meat & bones are fed whole to the dogs so a grinder of this size is probably not necessary. 

However, I am considering making my cats' food in the future & all the info I read on the raw feeding cat sites said the Tasin TS-108 could handle things like chicken, rabbit, squirrel, etc bones. My older cats are 13 & 14 - they have drawn the line at ground food & refuse to go on to the next step of raw with the exception of whole chicken hearts - no whole mice, chicken wings, etc. At their age, I am just thrilled that they have agreed to go from kibble to raw ground, so I am not arguing with them.


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## FinnDiesel (Oct 9, 2013)

Thanks and I'll check that out. I tried to give my cat a sardine (thought all cats liked fish...) she stuck her nose up at it but she is a mouser that eats her prey so she's probably trying to tell me something and I should consider moving her over to raw as well. Thanks for giving me something new to think about


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## drog91 (Oct 6, 2013)

Just picked up an old cast iron meat grinder from a flea market for $10 bucks. My dog sometimes is hesitant to eat whole fish that I've caught so today I ground up all my fish supply a long with some chicken wings and deer organs grinder worked like a champ. I would totally recommend buying a bolt down old fashioned cast iron grinder it works good for stuff like this.


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

what about a grinder for bones, other than soft chicken bones.

when i suggested to my husband the butcher, his eyes did the emoji bulge and said his store isnt equipped for that. meaning, neither are we.


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## rescuedogs (Mar 13, 2013)

I wouldn't try anything tougher than chicken, rabbit & squirrel bones in my Tasin. From the reviews I've read, I'm not even going to try turkey bones. 

But the old hand crank grinders would take too long & aggravate my shoulder, so the electric grinder was the best choice for me even if I do only use it once a month or so.


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## drog91 (Oct 6, 2013)

Well in my grinder you can grind chicken and small game pork and anything larger won't work with a commercial grinder you would have to find a huge grinder to do that. I work around grinders on a daily basis.


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## Savage Destiny (Mar 16, 2011)

I have a Weston #22 and it's a beast! It eats chicken bones like nothing, haha. I have done rabbit, duck, and turkey bones as well with zero issues. I did pork ribs one time and while it DID grind them, it jammed a couple times and I decided not to do them anymore. Too expensive to risk for me!


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

FinnDiesel said:


> Hi - I'm thinking about getting a grinder and grinding my own meat/bone, does anyone else do this? Any suggestions on what to look for in a grinder, would imagine I need something pretty serious to get through the bone ... or not?



Why are you wanting to grind? You are missing some of the best benefits of raw by grinding. Chewing the whole bone provides amazing teeth cleaning, and the chewing and tearing of chunks of meat provides mental stimulation.


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## TanktheMastiff (Mar 24, 2013)

Don't laugh but I've been using a cheap grinder from Harbor Freight, cost $39 after coupon. I use it about once a week, slow going, but chicken bones have been no problem so far.. Been using it for just over 90 days now, I don't expect it to last forever, but so far so good.


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## aep (Mar 30, 2012)

I have the 1 HP from Cabelas. Not cheap, but has been working very well grinding probably an average of over 100# of meat and bones once/month for at least the last couple years. I use it on chicken (mostly backs and necks; handles other parts just fine), beef (without bones--typically head meat or lips), pork, heart, and others. It can handle the smaller turkey necks, but the ones I tend to get are enormous and those are a bit much. I generally get those to hand out whole anyway. It is a very well made unit, and has a reverse in case it does bog down (happens very occasionally). I found that the course grinding plate is better as it tends not to clog up as much (chicken skin and such can gum up the works occasionally--not a big deal, but you have to pull it out if it does). This unit is big enough to generally put in whole chicken backs/legs/thighs/wings, so it is easy. I would highly recommend it.

Cabelas has larger units--if you are willing to spend the extra they would be outstanding I am sure. I talked to Cabelas' customer support before I purchased the unit to ask their recommendation, and they thought that I should go with at least the 1 HP unit. After using it for this long I'd definitely say it was a good recommendation.

I use kibble along with raw, which is why I grind some of the raw I have. I keep some whole as well.


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## poppabill (Oct 11, 2010)

We have a 1/2 hp electric grinder we use but wouldent use for bones as most i believe are to hard. We buy like 40 lb boxes of chicken backs and we grind them up in a matter of minutes, the bones in them grinds up fine. Electric grinders that are that powerful are exspensive though, mine a Cabellas cost 450.00 used about 600.00 new, poppabill. http: raw-usa.webs.com


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## FinnDiesel (Oct 9, 2013)

I totally agree and feed my 3 year old whole bones but my 7 month old is a glutton and doesn't chew the bones very well.


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