# Chicken Backs (For the Raw Feeders)



## Dave Immure (Oct 15, 2008)

For some reason I was having a hard time finding chicken backs in Vegas. The ones I did find seem a little fatty to me. Last night I gave my 5 month old GSD #40 2 of them and I think it upset his stomach. Since this is the first time I've ever fed chicken backs I was wondering if you guys trim off the fat, or just leave it on there? There is also a lot of organ meat on these.


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## Meena Moitra (Jul 11, 2008)

> At my store they sell chicken necks, which I whack w/chef knife and offer with rest of daily mash. Sometimes I give chicken wings. When traveling I typically givr liver, ground meat or a meat free day of cottahe cheese/tofu.
> As for chicken fat, Dr. Billinghurst goes on about it's merits. And any organ meat, what's wrong w/that? Maybe your pup was stressed? Maybe pup gobbled backs and too big chunks of back caused up-chuck? As opposed to being relaxed enough to really tear into them?
> Just a thought.


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## Jason Sidener (Nov 8, 2006)

I leave the fat on.


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Dave Immure said:


> For some reason I was having a hard time finding chicken backs in Vegas. The ones I did find seem a little fatty to me. Last night I gave my 5 month old GSD #40 2 of them and I think it upset his stomach. Since this is the first time I've ever fed chicken backs I was wondering if you guys trim off the fat, or just leave it on there? There is also a lot of organ meat on these.



Too much fat for a dog that is not used to it can cause stomach upset. I don't feed too many chicken backs because there is not that much meat on them. Mostly bone, fat and a little meat. Perhaps you could try chicken quarters instead? They are often easier to find in cases. (Quarters=leg, thigh, some back and often bit of organ).

If your dog is new to raw, or even new to high fat content start by removing it and adding a bit to each meal, increasing every few days. Once the dog is used to it it should be no big deal. If I fed chicken backs in the morning, I would consider a meat only meal at night (if you feed twice a day). That is my preference only. Like I said the backs around here don't have much meat.

Have you looked for turkey necks? A nice source of RMB you can sometimes find by the case.


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## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

Also, I found too much bone can cause an upset stomack. I hate Chicken backs also. There is really not a lot of meat on them. I go with quarters also.


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## Christen Adkins (Nov 27, 2006)

I've found chicken backs to be useful when paired with meat-only meals. I did trim the excess fat off.


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## Dave Immure (Oct 15, 2008)

I was thinking the same thing about the meat to bone ratio. I will try leg, thigh quarters as they are easily available and look like they are more lean with a better meat to bone ration. I love turkey necks and I was feeding them whole for the last two weeks but I can only find smoked now. He really liked them and did well on them. If chicken backs are so bad why do all of these raw diet books advocate them?


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

Dave Immure said:


> If chicken backs are so bad why do all of these raw diet books advocate them?



Some sources of backs are meatier than others. Either way they are a good cheap source of edible bone. Not ment to be the only thing they eat however. Remember the idea is to replicate the whole animal over time, not just the carcass. So if you are feeding chicken backs as your edible bone, be sure to add some meat with no bone at the next meal (or the same one, whatever works for you). 

Don't forget some organ meat and green tripe or veggie/fruit. Different protien sources too.


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

what exactly is green tripe?? I've only heard of regular tripe


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

todd pavlus said:


> what exactly is green tripe?? I've only heard of regular tripe


Green tripe differs from tripe for human consumption in that it is not cleaned. Instead of being cleaned and bleeched and white like you see in the grocery store it reeks like death and sh*t and contains the partially digested grasses of herbivors. It is "green" because of the partially digested grasses inside. 

You can't get it from the grocery store, raw food providers carry it or you can get it some other ways (wild game, farmers...and so on). From a pet food provider it comes frozen either ground or in chunks.

Canines lack the enzymes to break down down the cell walls of most veggies including grass. That is why if your dog eats grass it comes out one end or the other looking quite unchanged! The herbivore has the enzymes to break down the grasses and that is what is happening in its stomaches. So when a canine eats the stomach with some grasses stuck to it it is getting veggies it can process as they have already been partially processed. 

It is for that reason if you feed veg and fruit to a dog you need to blend it to break down the cell walls so the dog can possibly digest and gain nutrients from it.

Green tripe equates to species appropriate veggies for canines! That and maybe some overripe berries (not much cell wall to break down) and canines sometimes pick em'

Or so the story goes. The veggie thing is still debated in the raw community but most agree that feeding some (especially non sugary ones) won't hurt. Others say veggies in the diet are a must.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Chicken necks and backs are one of the staples I feed. I get them frozen in 40lb blocks, really nice large frames with very little fat. I feed the chicken frames and venison necks, lamb necks, pork necks as whole bones. I also feed green tripe and ground beef muscle/bone/organs. I supplement with salmon oil, vit E.


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

The chicken backs we (me and a few of my teammates) get from Bravo are very meaty. Some of the backs weigh around a pound each.

The backs I used to get from a local grocery store were nowhere near as meaty. Those backs weighed less than 1/2 pound each and I added much more boneless meat to make up for the high bone to meat ratio.

Point being - not all backs are created equal.


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## Russ Spencer (Jun 2, 2008)

I feed chicken backs and necks about 2-3x week as a 'treat'. I've never seen a case of upset or any other problems with them. I buy them by the case from the local market. Great source of protein, calcium and tooth cleaning exercises too. Some folks feed them frozen, but I thaw them the day of feeding.

If you're in Vegas, check with your local Scolari's and see if they'll special order a case for you. That's what I have to do here in TX with our local chain.


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## Kameron Bean (Jun 23, 2008)

I get my backs directly from Buddy's Chicken - which supplies natural chicken to the grocery stores here. Most times they are very meaty, and with a good source of organ meat on them. They are the staple of my dogs' diets, but I feed just about everything else (except pork) for variety. I haven't found a good source of green tripe yet, but I bought a couple of cans of the Merrick canned food - working dog formula - that says it has green tripe in it. Haven't fed it yet. As for the fat on the backs, if it seems like too big a lump, then I remove, if not, I leave it. I haven't had upset stomachs yet - but I didn't have any issues when I transitioned Bodo from kibble at all. Maybe I'm lucky. I did peel the fat off the chicken for the first week or so, and still do so as their weight dictates.


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## Mario Fernandez (Jun 21, 2008)

I feed chicken wings, Chicken backs, leg quaters. When I run out of food I will head to Walmart and get a 10lb bag of chicken quaters for 4.93 a bag, about 12 in a bag. Chicken backs I get from Bon chien. A nice alternative to chicken backs are duck backs, more meat and the dogs love them.

For tripe I would go to Mary Voss of www.greentripe.com

I use to buy all the time from her. She gets the tripe from a local slaughter house and packages and freezes it that same day. She use to make this treat called K9 magic, it is the best for OB and Tracking bait. I need to go buy some again.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

The chicken necks/backs I get here have the skin on. I take the fat off of 2/3 of them. 

The last time I was feeding raw, I had a dog that required extra fat, so I gave the extra to him. Worked out beautifully.

If it upsets your dog's stomach, back off on the fat. You don't want to cause an acute pancreatitis!

You should be able to order them from a butcher or meat shop in 40lb cases. It's nice if you can get them divied out into 10lb bags too.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Dave Immure said:


> For some reason I was having a hard time finding chicken backs in Vegas. The ones I did find seem a little fatty to me. Last night I gave my 5 month old GSD #40 2 of them and I think it upset his stomach. Since this is the first time I've ever fed chicken backs I was wondering if you guys trim off the fat, or just leave it on there? There is also a lot of organ meat on these.


If it seems fatty to you, I'd trim off the skin and the globs of fat. Watch the stool. Gradually add back in the skin/fat, continuing to watch the stool.

Although acute pancreatitis is often a cooked-fat (or rancid-fat) issue, I agree with Anne that a little prevention is well worth the trouble. Also, an inflamed gut (from diarrhea) is easier to avoid than to soothe back to normal.

I appreciate the kidneys that "come with" as a nice free organ source, but same thing: If it's a new item and especially plentiful, ease into it. 

5 to 10% of the diet as organ meat is what I aim for, but like fat, it's something I ease into.


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