# Where do you buy your raw and what do you buy?



## OrangeLexus (Jan 28, 2012)

I have been a vegetarian the last 2 years for ethical reasons but I do feed my dogs some raw. I usually just pick up some big slabs of beef at the grocery store (flank steaks,roasts, etc) but I know I can get it cheaper and more of a variety at a butcher shop which I have never been to one so I don't even know what I should be getting for them. 

Where do you buy your meat? What type of cuts/meats do you get? About what do you pay?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

There is a few co-ops in southern CAwww.socalbarf.com


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

When we bought most of our meat from distributors/co-ops this was our shopping list:

Chicken leg quarters
Turkey necks/legs/wings
Pork riblets/kidney/liver/shoulder roasts
Beef heart/ribs/liver/kidney
Fish (salmon heads/whole tilapia/sardines)

Most of the stuff above was under $1 per pound, but sometimes slightly more. 

We now process most of our dogs' food as its cheaper, healthier and we have the means to do so.


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

I buy from our local raw feeding co-op, meat wholeseller, and random grocery stores(along with getting what I can from hunters, farmers, ranchers, etc.)
I would suggest going to a Ranch 99 Market if you have one close-ish by down there...my Mum went to one when she lived near San Diego and LOVED what they had to offer along with the prices. Also check out other ethnic markets, wholesellers, etc.


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## OrangeLexus (Jan 28, 2012)

I found a 99 Ranch Market close-ish that I can check out. 

How do Co-Ops work?


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

OrangeLexus said:


> I found a 99 Ranch Market close-ish that I can check out.
> 
> How do Co-Ops work?


They all work a little differently from what I understand(Im part of quite a few for a different reason and they each have a slightly different approach to the purchasing of items and getting them to the buyers/members.)

Ours has set orders, along with orders that happen to pop up every once in a while, when you want to order you add your order into the database, and then when the order closes(at a specific date and/or when a specific weight/number of boxes is filled) the co-op leader(s) email email everyone within that order as to their total(plus donation for transportation.) Then once everything has been paid for and ordered the seller lets the leader(s) know when the product will be ready for pick-up and there is a train of transportation set up to get everyone their product.

Again, this is just how ours work(in condensed version), and each works a little differently...but I would guess they are all right about the same way!:wink:


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## wolfsnaps88 (Jan 2, 2012)

I have to be creative about feeding my dogs. Not having a lot of money, I look for cheap ways to provide for my three. 

They basically eat any animal that is edible: deer, cow, rabbit, chicken, turkey, pig....If I could get it I would also feed goat, lamb, squirrel, llama, fish, etc.

I feed every part if the animal except the intestine and colon.


I buy marked down meats at the grocery store, meat from a meat retailer; I also hunt and donate most of my deer to my dogs. I ask other hunters to think about me during the season. I go to my local deer processor and ask for leftovers. I place ads on craigslist looking for freezer burned meats or unwanted meat animals, and I call slaughter houses. I am trying to leave no stone unturned and as a result , my freezer at the moment is cram packed and I am looking for another one. 

I recommend having some freezer space in case a good deal or freebie comes along. 

Prices vary widely depending on where you live. A good price for me for chicken leg quarters is 0.49 a pound. I pay $1.69 to $1.99 for beef heart and I know some people can get it for much cheaper. I pay about ten bucks for a whole cow tripe where I get it from. I can get a whole trachea for a dollar. I can get lamb/goat heads for $4.00 .

Some people get way better deals than I do and some people pay a lot more than I do. A lot of that is based on the region you live and the stores/sources available to you.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Craigslist ad freebies
Freecycle freebies.
We also process our own and will be raising boers for the meat.
I have the option to order from a co-op 
Also a local processor sells me green tripe.


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## Losech (Jul 10, 2012)

I mainly buy from the grocery, but also get stuff from a few petshops and a couple wholesale stores, the butcher, or from the farmer's market. I get anything that's not enhanced that my dog will eat. I don't limit what I buy because it doesn't fit some other person's idea of what "proper" raw feeding is. If I can get it for a decent price, I'm gonna do it. I usually buy chicken quarters, pork and beef roasts or broils, ribs, stew meat (lamb), turkey backs and necks, gizzards, various livers, hearts, but will buy anything that's cheap/on sale if the price is right.
I try not to spend more than...
Beef: $2 a pound
Pork: $1.70 a pound
Chicken: $0.88 a pound
Turkey: $0.99 a pound
Lamb: $2 a pound
Liver: $2 a pound
Heart: $1.80 a pound
Sometimes I can get prices cheaper than those, and othertimes I am forced to spend a bit more. Like chicken, it used to be $0.69 a pound for a 10 pound bag of quarters, but it recently went up to $0.75 a pound. I can sometimes get lamb for $1.80 a pound, but it's normally over $4 a pound. I don't buy anything over $3 a pound though, I do have a strict limit there. Recently I found 4.5 pounds of ground beef for $1.70 a pound, and I've bought chicken backs/necks for $0.40 a pound.
I will also feed whatever I shoot. Usually small prey, things like Coot (waterfowl), quail, squirrel, rabbit, etc.

The prices for meats have been steadily rising in my area. It doesn't help that I'm in a small town and all the prices are higher than I've seen other places anyways.


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

We also feed raw with a very tight budget and manage to do so pretty easily. 

We DO buy a decent amount from grocery stores but are always keeping our eye out for other opportunities. Thanks to a member here I will be picking up a big amount of free scottish highland fat because my guy needs a bit more fat in his diet than most in addition to the fact that a lot of his meat is already trimmed of fat as it is mostly beef heart meant for human consumption. 

We order from the same co-op Scarlett does and just recently picked up a case of emu. 

We have an order placed with the co-op for bison liver. 

We have a wonderful butcher who is very open to the raw diet and will sell us meat in bulk. 

We place ads on Craigslist and are extra vigilant during hunting season (hunters cleaning out last year's kills to make room for this year's, they have more than they know what to do with, they have things they just aren't going to use). Farmers are often looking for something to do with parts they aren't going to use. Hunters and farmers often hate seeing any parts of their animals going to waste.

We plan on raising our own animals in the future.


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## Kayota (Jul 21, 2012)

Hunters on craigslist and grocery stores when sales are going on, I buy anything cheap mostly LOL, though I'm going to try to stay away from more than 25% chicken after she works through what I've got if the budget will allow. To give you an idea of how good the CL deals can be, I got 6 ducks that were gassed and used for retrieving and therefore "not for human consumption" and 5 small tubes of ground venison for just $15.


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## Saraswati (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm a member of SoCal BARF and I also check the weekly ads for the ethnic markets in the area; El Super, El Metate, Northgate Market, Superking and 99 Ranch. If you do decide to join SoCal BARF, there is an annual fee as well as the obligation to volunteer once a year. Here's the link to the FAQ's: FAQs It may seem a little overwhelming to join, but I promise it's very simple and totally worth it  I usually buy pork brisket, pork heart, beef heart and green tripe from the co-op and beef tongue, chicken quarters, lamb breast, lamb necks, all my organs and any meat that's heavily discounted at the store.

EDIT: Forgot to add how much I usually pay for everything! Whatever I buy through the co-op is in 40-60lb cases and I'm usually spending anywhere from $0.60-$1.20lb. Green tripe is normally $2.00lb and I'll splurge a little at the grocery store for things like beef tongue which I haven't seen go below $2.79lb for a while now.


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## EckoMac (Jun 1, 2012)

I generally buy chicken from Publix for around .99/lb I have an add on CL that gets me quite a bit of freezer burned meat for chump change. The GF and I are planning a day this weekend to drive to the other side of the county to check out an asian market, and a butcher my friends rave about. I only feed one dog raw, so spending a little more doesnt hurt too much. I'm a member of the Co-op here, but haven't had enough money up front to make an order yet.


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## KC23 (Nov 17, 2010)

I only need to feed roughly 15 lbs per week, so I don't buy in bulk. I buy from a local grocery store that has really good markdowns on the "sell by" dates. Not only will they clearance the meat for $2 off per package, but then they combine that w/the "Pick 5 for $19.99 deal". So..I get 5 packages (originally $23 to $25) of ground beef or leg quarters for $9.99. That's when I stock up. There are periods where there are no deals at that particular store, so I buy their 10 lb. bags of leg quarters for about $6 and their 5 lb bag of frozen drumsticks for $3. I also buy chicken livers there for $1.49 per 20 oz. tub. 

At a nearby meat market, I can get a case of beef heart for $20 (14-15 lbs). I bought a 5 lb box of chicken livers there for $5.99. They sell 40 pound cases of chicken backs for $20--I just don't buy the backs anymore.

I have an Asian Market near me where I buy duck feet (price fluctuates from $1.99 to 2:39 lb--I use them for treats), duck heads $1.99 lb., pork heart/pork kidney and pork liver--all for roughly $1.49-1.79 lb. I bought some pigs' feet too--I think they were $2 per lb. 

There's a Lebanese market close too--I bought lamb liver for them. Can't remember the price--I only remember that it was pricier than what I was used to paying for beef/pork liver.

I pick up other odds and ends along the way when I see sales--various cuts of beef, beef liver, pork, ground turkey, sardines, etc. I figure I save a lot on the chicken and beef, so I spend a little more per pound on the other things to give them variety.


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## Gally (Jan 28, 2012)

We get the majority of our meat from the Asian market. They have a great selection including organic/free range choices. We usually wait until there is a sale as well as rummage around in the bins to find marked down cuts. We get turkey drumsticks, chicken backs, drumsticks and quarters, pork ribs, shoulders, hearts, liver, kidney, whole chickens and ducks, beef ribs and various scrap pieces, liver, whole mackerel and sardines. To get tripe we have to go to the specialty dog food store that only sells raw foods.

Prices on things vary from $0.75/lb to $2.99/lb

We also get freebies from our craigslist ad, beef so far but we're expecting moose and elk once hunting season starts.


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