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Old February 5th, 2009, 07:19 PM
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Using a Manual Grinder?

Hi,

I really can't find this addressed anywhere -- does anyone know if it's possible (or have experience with) grinding raw chicken bones and all using one of those manual turn-crank grinders? Chicken bones aren't as tough as beef bones or even turkey. So I'm thinking it's possible to use a manual grinder for chicken. Any comments would be appreciated.

The Hans
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Old February 5th, 2009, 07:24 PM
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If the chicken's cut up into smaller pieces, the blades are sharp, and you've got a strong arm, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Is there a reason why you don't feed whole pieces to your pets?
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Old February 5th, 2009, 07:26 PM
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It's not fun at all and can be very time consuming.i just stopped after a few times.if i ever switch back to raw i want to get an electric one that will grind bones.the one i was using was a small one.
Depending on where you live.i was at princess auto and they have a real big one there that might grind the bone with little effort.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 01:12 PM
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Thanks for your replies. We want to grind the chicken ourselves for a complete raw food. We've been buying prepared raw food, but it's just getting way too expensive to do it this way. We can't find anyone in our vicinity who will grind chicken (like a butcher). So we have to do it ourselves. It sounds like we'll need an electric grinder, though I'm surprised as I thought a manual grinder would do the trick for chicken bones specifically. But I think I'm mistaken.

The Hans
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:08 PM
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Originally Posted by angeldogs View Post
It's not fun at all and can be very time consuming.i just stopped after a few times.if i ever switch back to raw i want to get an electric one that will grind bones.the one i was using was a small one.
Depending on where you live.i was at princess auto and they have a real big one there that might grind the bone with little effort.
Was it chicken you were grinding? It sounds like you were able to do it, but it was hard. Though not impossible perhaps? :-) Do you think you could give a bit more detail?

The Hans
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:12 PM
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Is there any reason why you can't just give whole meat/bone peices to your pet?
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:20 PM
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Originally Posted by luckypenny View Post
If the chicken's cut up into smaller pieces, the blades are sharp, and you've got a strong arm, I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Oh, I can tell you why not.

Chicken is far more moist or squishy than, say, beef. It tends to sort of disintegrate into a disgusting paste that gets stuck in the grinder and won't forward properly, leaving you to try to push it along, clean it out and generally get raw chicken pate all over the place. Or at least that was my experience with a couple of different grinders which worked perfectly well on firmer/drier meats........
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:30 PM
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Originally Posted by bendyfoot View Post
Is there any reason why you can't just give whole meat/bone peices to your pet?

I can give pieces, but it's not a complete food. We want to make a complete raw food for our cats. We're currently buying prepared raw food, but it's getting way too expensive.

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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:31 PM
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Oh, I can tell you why not.

Chicken is far more moist or squishy than, say, beef. It tends to sort of disintegrate into a disgusting paste that gets stuck in the grinder and won't forward properly, leaving you to try to push it along, clean it out and generally get raw chicken pate all over the place. Or at least that was my experience with a couple of different grinders which worked perfectly well on firmer/drier meats........
I didn't think about that. Yuck on the disgusting paste. It's so weird though. As electric grinders are so expensive. We're kind of in the middle of nowhere in B.C., so our choices are a bit limited. If anyone knows of an electric grinder that would do the trick specifically on chicken and bones for $100 or less, I'd appreciate the link.

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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:32 PM
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Still don't quite understand...complete food would just mean providing the right portions of meat, bone and organ (75-80%, 10%, 15%) over the course of a week... our dogs and cats are eating raw and we never grind their food. I think you're making a lot more work for yourself than you really need to.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:40 PM
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Still don't quite understand...complete food would just mean providing the right portions of meat, bone and organ (75-80%, 10%, 15%) over the course of a week... our dogs and cats are eating raw and we never grind their food. I think you're making a lot more work for yourself than you really need to.

You might be right. But our cats are currently on a prepared, ground meal and they love it. And are used to it. We just prefer to go this way.

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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by TheHans View Post
Was it chicken you were grinding? It sounds like you were able to do it, but it was hard. Though not impossible perhaps? :-) Do you think you could give a bit more detail?

The Hans
The thicker bones like the leg are really tough to gind.i only started to grind because my dog stopped digesting bone.so i tried to hand grid the chicken and the legs and joints took an hour or so for 1 meal to grind up and the meat just packs up in the grinder.if your going to grind i would just buy the carcess and grind the small bones and just feed the meat with out grinding.chicken bones are soft enough in a raw form for them to chew themselves plus it helps keep the teeth and gums clean.with you won't get from grinding.

Last edited by angeldogs; February 6th, 2009 at 02:47 PM.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:44 PM
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You might be right. But our cats are currently on a prepared, ground meal and they love it. And are used to it. We just prefer to go this way.

The Hans

Fair enough, whatever works for you guys. (I'm pretty lazy so throwing down peices of meat/bone/offal works well for us). Keep in mind, though, than many of the dental benefits are lost through grinding. ANYhoo. Have you considered asking your butcher to do the grinding for you? You could just grind the meat, and add bone meal instead of grinding the bone.
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Solomon - black DSH - king of kitchen raids (11)
Gracie - Mutterooski X - scary smart (9)
Jaida - GSD - tripod trainwreck and gentle soul (4)
Heidi - mugsly Boston Terrier X - she is in BIG trouble!!! (3)
Audrey - torbie - sweet as pie (11 months)
Patrick - blue - a little turd (but we like him anyways) (6 months)
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:45 PM
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For what it's worth, this seems to be the popular choice amongst raw feeders who grind. Expensive for sure, but maybe you could find one on ebay or craigslist or the like?

Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health For Dogs and Cats goes into detail about various options regarding calcium supplementation if you can't continue to feed bone.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bendyfoot View Post
Fair enough, whatever works for you guys. (I'm pretty lazy so throwing down peices of meat/bone/offal works well for us). Keep in mind, though, than many of the dental benefits are lost through grinding. ANYhoo. Have you considered asking your butcher to do the grinding for you? You could just grind the meat, and add bone meal instead of grinding the bone.
We wish we could find a butcher to do it. No one will. At Safeway, they don't even grind chicken, just beef. They say it's completely against company policy due to cross-contamination. We're vegetarians and don't eat chicken ourselves. So all this talk about cross-contamination isn't that great to hear.

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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:51 PM
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For what it's worth, this seems to be the popular choice amongst raw feeders who grind. Expensive for sure, but maybe you could find one on ebay or craigslist or the like?
I think that's way more than we should have to spend, considering we'll never do anything tougher than turkey bones and probably not even that. One of our cats has a very sensitive stomach, so chicken or turkey is really the best for him.

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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:52 PM
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That would be the way to go if your going to gind.be much faster and you could easily make up a big batch and freeze it.then pull out and thaw what you would need for the week or a few days at a time.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by TheHans View Post
I think that's way more than we should have to spend, considering we'll never do anything tougher than turkey bones and probably not even that. One of our cats has a very sensitive stomach, so chicken or turkey is really the best for him.

The Hans
No doubt, I wouldn't personally buy it, but a hand grinder is a nightmare with chicken and this seems to be one of the few grinders that can deal with bone, or so one would believe after reading many reviews by raw feeders
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Old February 6th, 2009, 03:16 PM
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This Northern Tool grinder is fine for handling chicken: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...70_36989_36989

It's the same as this Tasin one, which is very popular with the feline raw food people: http://www.onestopjerkyshop.com/prod...products_id=47

You might be able to find one on eBay for cheaper, although shipping costs could be an issue.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 04:03 PM
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Does anyone have experience using this Waring one for chicken bones?

http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B000F...earsBrand=core

I know it's not heavy-duty, but we're talking chicken bones, not beef bones.

The Hans
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Old February 6th, 2009, 05:29 PM
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Originally Posted by TheHans View Post
Does anyone have experience using this Waring one for chicken bones?

http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B000F...earsBrand=core

I know it's not heavy-duty, but we're talking chicken bones, not beef bones.

The Hans
I don't know anyone who has used it, but looking at the specs, the motor is only 300 watts. By comparison the Tasin and Nothern Tools grinders are 1200 and 1000 watts, respectively. Make sure to read the fine print if you do get a grinder because many of the lower-end ones specify that the warranty is void if you run bones through it.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 10:13 PM
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I too will attest to the torture of putting chicken through a manual grinder. Not worth it IMO. When I did do it though, I would make a huge batch and freeze it in small meal size portions using little 1/2 cup mason jars.
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Old February 6th, 2009, 11:43 PM
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I'd recommend checking out restaurant and butcher equipment outlets. Expensive but they often have second hand grinders that are quite affordable.

I have to tell you though, we have a table top industrial grinder at work and it starts to overheat after only 7-8 minutes of grinding bones. I can go an extra 5 minutes or so before letting it cool down if I alternate chicken necks with meat. We have another giant floor model one that does bones easily (but you'll have to remortgage your home for one ) and even with that one, I have to sharpen the blades after grinding.
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