BigGameHoundsmen.com

Just looking for some options on keeping weight on the dogs. They have free range of the back yard about a 1/4 acre, I have a old tuff shed that I house them in leaving the door open during the day and lock them in at night. Shed is not insulated and have plastic 55 gal drums cut in half with straw/cedar chips in them. feeding once a day 4 cups to older dogs and 3 to the 2 pups. Food is hi standard purple bag. Hunting about once to twice a week.

Make sure they are worm free. I hunt 5 to 7 days a week in the winter. I go into the winter with the dogs heavy, feed twice a day, cook what I kill to mix with the food and pour fish oil or cooking oil over food when I don't have meat to mix with a good brand of dog food. They hold up well. Some need more than others and some won't eat when they are tired. Make sure they all eat both meals. Dewey

Agree with Dewey, also make sure the have water. Andy

Fish oil is good n I wet feed all winter . Very important to get the water to them .

How much fish oil per dog ? They do have plenty of water fresh 10 gallons every morning.

I have 4 kids so i end up with table scraps of steak and things like that, they get fed, anything a dog can eat gets fed to the dogs in the winter. I also mix a pound of hamburger meat with dry dog food and the below zero nights to help keep the weight on. I worm every so often too. I will feed them extra in the morning before i go to work also, its one of those things to pay attention to because once they lose the weight its hard to put back on in the winter.

Get used grease or oil from a local restruant and mix it in with their food this really helps keep them looking good. They usually will just give it to you as it cost them to get rid of it. Andy

i feed raw meat starting in October. just a small chunk of raw meat a day will put weight on your dog. i get old outdated venison from anyone that i can and just thaw in the microwave and give each dog a chunk. you have to be careful though because each dog is different. you don't want them too fat.

Water mixed with the dry feed is good too.

if you can get ahold of beaver meat it is really good for the dogs in the winter time. talk to the local trappers around ya. just be a little careful with the guts and poop from the beaver because it could make your hound a little sick but other than that very good feed. I gut all my beaver and quarter and freeze them.