Food for the next month

So I got a phone call from the company I use for a fair bit of what I feed, but told them that I didn't need an order this month because I still have plenty in the freezer. And then checked the freezer. Umm no, I do not have lots left. I have roughly something like 7 kg left, roughly a week's worth or so. So I thought I'd share here what I'll be doing to keep food in the house for Saxen when my normal source is disrupted, help anyone newish see what others do.

Thankfully I got to stop by and pick up the free chicken carcasses I get. And there'll be more each week (although the size of the bags that they give me I might be giving some away soon, I can't feed that much bone). This is chicken from our local organic poultry producer, they bring me back some when they send chickens to slaughter. Not my preferred bone source but I would rather feed chicken carcasses than minced bone from other animals. Especially as free food means more money to spend on other things.

And today I got to the local farm shop to pick up the ox heart and ox liver I had ordered. I also picked up a couple of their bags of pet mince. From their description it shouldn't be too high in bone, and is actually high in organ. So I'm feeling happy that the odd meal of that to stretch everything else will help deliver organ and stretch the meat meals. I left the farm shop with roughly 5 and a half kg of 'stuff' and it cost £5. That's roughly 0.67US$ per lb.

So chicken carcasses, ox heart, and pet mince for the next month (I'll order more heart). Very far from my ideal but whilst jobless I find myself having to feed in a less than ideal way. I'm also checking supermarket reductions, but I'd rather order more heart (it's cheaper and no bone). Also have to follow-up on some recent networking done whilst helping at the local cub camp (little scouts), with a farmer who has lots of stewing beef and venison in his freezer. Online networking doesn't seem to work very well around here (those with stuff they can sell don't actually go online much it would seem) but in person networking has been more productive. In person networking is becoming easier as we become more involved in our local community (we've only been here a few years). I have a friend in Manitoba who has said he'd happily provide me with all the meat I want if I only lived closer . . .

That's one thing I am obsessive about is making sure the freezer is stocked! Although I regularly force myself to feed thru the older or overstocked stuff..

Until recently the company I use for the bulk of stuff had a minimum order of £40. That filled my freezer. I had to make sure that it was as empty as possible before a new order, and even then I'd have a week's worth defrosting in the fridge. It's £30 now so that's less vital. There are butchers and the farm shop around, so I'm not overly worried. No it's not ideal but I feel very constrained by my budget at the moment. Maybe I should try the Lis List again.

Well this week from the poultry place we got four duck carcasses and 4 kg of chicken wings. I've started putting the word out looking for someone willing to swap something for chicken wings, I won't feed them. Carcasses are about as minimum an effort as I will feed, but at this point I don't want to turn down anything free. If I can't find anyone else I have a friend in London who would like to feed raw but who can't afford to regularly, I'm sure her cocker spaniels would enjoy them.

In the mean time - duck's on the menu for Saxen tonight. Duck might be a stepping stone to pheasant, which would be good because I can get pheasant cheap in season and it's whole prey (we get them straight from the shoot).

Must go take the ox heart out of the freezer soon too.

Sounds like you're getting some pretty good deals! I love free meat.

I realised that I never updated about the duck - he didn't like it. However we keep getting give it. One thing it does prove useful for though is that I've been able to give them away to friends and thus seem very very generous.

Also the chicken wings went to a neighbour who when I first started raw feeding told me that I must never feed my saxen chicken bones . But now their ferrets are eating cut up chicken wings sometimes, chicken bones are apparently fine (btw, those ferrets are the cutest in the world, doesn't hurt that they're generally seen in the hood or pocket of one of my neighbour's children).