Cheap food

[bigfatfarmer]

Hey I am still pretty new to hounds and hunting. I got hooked a short while back and was just wondering if any of you old timers had any good secrets about feeding your hounds and keeping cost down. I had no idea when I started out how much them fools can eat. I dont want to just buy crap dog food full of sawdust but the wife says the kids gota eat too. Any ideas on good cheap food would be great. Thanks

[livetohunt]

I feed them meat two times a week. Get it from your local supermarket ask what they do with there cut ends. Also know of a few guys that get old cows, pigs and sheep even horse from the livestock sale.

[Tim Pittman]

I know I'm gonna get alot of crap over this[because I'm a Black Gold dealer]but try Atta Boy,with the meat twice a week or mix it 1/3 to 1/2 with a good feed like Black Gold and you'll get awesome results.I keep the dogs in shape yeararound and this works great for me,I know some who go here and there and hunt year around and even run as hard as we do during cat season[LOL] and their pack looks great.
Tim

[livetohunt]

Yes I mix dry food with the meat. I also use this time to mix in any extra I need to give them like Meds and things they really dont care what they got to take then. .

[blackpaws]

i switched about a month ago to meat scraps and fat scraps from the local butcher. i also had some venison that was old and some friends had some old meat as well. i give each dog a chunk of meat and fat and a handfull of dog food each day. my dogs have never looked better. i even had one female that was completely nuts on the chain. would run in cricles all day and bark. since i started the meat thing she is way more content. lays around most of the day. they are not fat by any means but way more healthy.

[FullCryHounds]

This is great to see that more guys are feeding meat to their dogs. I've been trying to 'preach' this as much as I can for years. Your dogs are meat eaters and no dry food alone is good for your dogs. Even the best dry foods don't have everything your dogs need. Just watch what happens to your dogs a few months after you start feeding meat. They slick down, thier hair becomes soft and full and thier energy levels sky rocket. If you run your dogs everyday during the season, they can't do it on dry food alone, they just don't have the energy.

As far as where to get meat. It's everywhere and usually free. Try the butcher or find your local guy that picks up dead livestock. Horse meat is the very best you can feed your dogs. Shoot an extra elk or deer if you can. Roadkill is easy to find, just drive any country road in the morning and pick up a couple of freshly killed deer. Grind them up and you have enough for a year or more. Trappers are always glad to give you the carcasses from thier traplines. Mushers in Alaska can't get enough beavers to feed thier dogs. And thier dogs are even more athletic then hounds. Good luck and let us know how it's going.

[blackpaws]

the thing i like about it the most is that when you go down to feed them they don't inhale the food like they are starving to death. they are way more content but the energy level is there. i am sold on it and will never switch back to just dry food. the big plus side is that the meat is free.

[bearhntwi]

I feed about half meat half dry feed most of the time.At times I feed only meat,depending on how much we can get.All the meat I feed is smoked/fully cooked so if i keep it cool it last's a long time even if it isn't frozen.

[bigfatfarmer]

So the meat sounds like a good idea my question is does it have to be cooked or do I just feed it raw? Can I just grind a bunch up and throw it in the freezer and feed that? What about organs like heart liver stuff like that is that good to feed too?

[newby]

I just switched to feeding meat scraps, but my butcher doesn't give it away! It's still like $26 for 70lbs. How are you guys getting it for free? I feed mine about a cup and a half + a cup Diamond Hi-Energy a day and they're looking a little thinner than they did with 2 and a half cups of just the dry, but their coats look better, no more hotspots and their energy level is good! You guys that are feeding just every other day, how much do you feed?

[houndcrzy]

My old man raises and runs sled dogs. He feeds half boiled meat and half dry food to all his dogs. He told me one time the difference in there performance after starting them on meat was unbeleivable........there energy and endurance went through the roof and they look great. I've heard guys say they wont feed deer or elk as they think it may encourage the dogs to run deer or elk when they see them. I dont know how much truth there is to that?

[FullCryHounds]

I've heard guys say they wont feed deer or elk as they think it may encourage the dogs to run deer or elk when they see them. I dont know how much truth there is to that?

There a couple of old wisetales that some old timers used to believe in and to this day, there are houndsmen that still follow them.
They are #1, don't feed your dogs before running them. Thats probably the worst thing you can do for your dogs. They are no different then any other athelete that needs protein and carbohydrates before any workout. Ask any musher how much they are feeding thier dogs all day long while running. Probably more then you feed in three days!
#2, is to not feed deer or elk because it will make your dogs chase them.

Anyone that believes that is nuts! You can honestly tell me that a dog is thinking "OK, I'm eating deer meat, so if I go chase one, then I can eat it". First off, deer meat doesn't smell ANYTHING like any of the glands that are producing the scent that an elk or deer are giving off that our dogs are smelling. You think a lions or bears scent smells like its meat??
So that is just rediculous to believe that. I guess since I feed bison and horse meat, then my dogs are going to go chase a horse or bison. I can honestly tell you, when my dogs see a horse, bison, cow, deer or elk, they run right back to the truck and try to get back in or run along side it. They don't want anything to do with them.

Raw or cooked, doesn't matter. Some guys like to feed it raw, others cooked. Just get it in them and it will pay off huge.

[Coyote]

If a butcher is charging you for scraps you're getting screwed. He is getting paid for something he would end up throwing away. My suggestion is find a different butcher. The local butcher here sets aside scraps for guys he knows are running hounds. He will put them in the freezer and no one except for him is allowed in that freezer or those scraps.

[Grzyadms4x4]

Hell newby that's not a bad price. At least here in Phoenix I can't find scraps for less than 2 bucks a pound! Fullcry I have to disagree/agree with the comment about feeding before running or hunting. I think dogs should be fed before hunting, but way before it's time to go hunting. I'm afraid of the dogs getting stomach flop if they're fed to close to huntin time. I may just be paranoid, but I hear it's a horrible way for a dog to go out, and I figure it's better to be safe than sorry.

Zach

[livetohunt]

I always cook it but know of many guys that dont. I have heard that deer is some of the best you can feed. It's very low in fat. I know of many spots you can get your meat for free. Do some driving around talk to these guys let them know what you are feeding it to and your not going to be eating it. Offer to take them hunting, most of these guys will get you all you could ever need if they get to go bear hunting each year.