# Cost of DIY Raw Feeding



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm just wondering how much anyone spends the DIY raw diet? Counting the supplements and meat costs. Plus the time spent and how often you cook/prepare the food (like once a week or actually every day). I'd like some more information on if its possible for me to do it or not, right now I feed the local brand of premade raw because its convenient and not overly expensive but if its possible (and cheaper) I'd love to switch to DIY.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

It is much cheaper to feed DIY raw. How much are you paying per pound for your food? Depending on what I feed, i pay .50/lb to $1.50/lb. I get a great price for rabbit, venison, llama, goat, sheep, beef, tripe, chicken, pork, etc. 
I don't spend much time preparing meals. I am feeding 4 dogs. One dog (Madina) has allergies to most things and gets fat very easily, so I have to spend more time preparing her meals. For her, we still weigh and bag the meals every other week.

When I was first starting out, every week or so my hubby and I would bag up meals and weigh them, with the right amount of bone, organ, and muscle meat. It took an hour or two I'd guess. After a while we got the hang of it, and now we just thaw out food as we go. I have boxes that are probably about 20-30 lbs, with the right amount of organ/meat/bone, and we distribute it to each dog, just eyeballing ratios and amounts. It just takes a few minutes to put the right amount in the bowl for each dog.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

At the high end of the meat spectrum, like buffalo, beef, and duck it costs about $2.25/lb. Chicken and turkey are about $1.40. I guess my biggest problem right now would be the storage space I would need to purchase a lot of meat in bulk. Right now my freezer barely holds the 8 4 lb chubs we purchase at a time. But that's the cost of living in a small apartment. Hopefully next year I have something bigger and maybe a freezer in the garage to hold all those things. Where do you get all of the organ meat and bone you need? I guess I should just start doing research now on how to properly do the DIY.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I just ordered 
20 lbs liver
90 lb turkey necks
40 lb chicken necks
40 lb turkey hearts
54 lb pork

for $180. That is a pretty average cost. That's a little over $1/lb. Jax and Banshee eat 40 oz per day plus 4 oz for the cat. That's a little over $3 day for three animals. Factor in fish oil, vit c, vit e, tripe, eggs, pumpkin. It's probably about the cost of a high end kibble per month


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

OK, Jax...where are you getting all those good from at those prices?!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

ahhahahahhhhaaa...it's a SECRET!!! I'll send you the info if you want. I"m getting duck necks in a couple weeks. 30 # for about $18.


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

Jax08 said:


> ahhahahahhhhaaa...it's a SECRET!!! I'll send you the info if you want. I"m getting duck necks in a couple weeks. 30 # for about $18.


Pretty please if it's something I can get too! We are very intereted in feeding RAW, I have just always felt like it wouldn't be cost effective because Elsa has a chicken sensitivity...but it seems your order was mostly non-chicken and still OK price-wise.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Yes Ma'am! I'll email all the info tonight.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

So my biggest road block is the freezer space then. I can barely fit 30 pounds into the freezer in the kitchen and thats because we don't eat any frozen/processed food. At most we have 5 lbs of meat for us frozen in there but otherwise its packed with dog food lol. Guess number one on the list after I buy a condo will be a chest freezer and then I'll look to find a place to order meat in huge quantities. I guess for the next 6 months it will have to be premade raw, I just don't feel as bad anymore knowing its only about a $1.00 difference per pound.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> I just ordered
> 20 lbs liver
> 90 lb turkey necks
> 40 lb chicken necks
> ...


Respectfully, I challenge that statement. Not a chance. $2.5 per day for the dogs plus the supplements. No way its the same as kibble, not even in a raw feeders dreams. Tripe alone is over $2lb.

I spend 70 cents a day per dog on Annamaet Ultra for the dogs in training. Are you saying you feed an adult dog about 650 calories per day?


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Right now I'm feeding all my guys for free but that's a whole different story.  Here's what I would be buying:

80 lbs Chicken Leg quarters - $.49/lb ($39.20)
80 lbs Chicken Necks - $.45/lb ($36.00)
30 lbs Pork Neck Bones - $.39/lb ($11.70)
60 lbs Pork Hearts - $.69/lb ($41.40)
50 lbs Beef Heart - $.55/lb ($27.50)
50 lbs Whiting - $1.49/lb ($74.50)
40 lbs Lamb Breast (bone in) - $1.19/lb ($47.60)
40 lbs Turkey Gizzards - $1.09/lb ($43.60)

That's a total of $321.50 for 430 pounds of food, which comes to roughly $.75 per pound.

Mauser, my GSD, eats about 2 pounds of food per day so his cost is $1.50 per day.

When I DO have Green Tripe they only get a small portion once or twice a week and I can get the tripe for $1.25/lb.

I don't feed supplements (other than Salmon oil and that's a negligible added cost per day).

They do get 1-2 eggs once or twice a week so add another $.40 per week (I get 12 eggs for about $1).

Forgot to add - I do not figure the dogs daily calories. I feed them the amount they need to maintain their ideal weight. If they are too thin, I feed more. If they are working more, I feed more. If they are older and lazier, I feed less.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

martemchik said:


> Where do you get all of the organ meat and bone you need? I guess I should just start doing research now on how to properly do the DIY.


You are lucky in that you are in the area for the UWP (University of Wisconsin Provisions). They are the BEST place to get stuff in bulk at great prices!!

You'll want to join the RawFedCanines-WI Yahoo group (RawFedCanines-WI : RawFedCanines-WI). People post to the list when they are getting an order together for UWP (they are in Madison).


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Check out this page on my website - I break down the cost even more and compare it to a high end kibble:

Cost


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I'm in a co-op and pay $50 a month to feed 3 dogs. I then buy turkey necks, green tripe and supplements to add to the variety I feed. So for the three it is about$75 a month(over-estimating) to feed.
I get venison free, so that helps. I don't feed much rabbit, duck or wild game. I wish my dogs liked rabbit, I can get it cheap.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I totally just scored 500lbs of turkey (necks, wings, hearts, liver, backs) for ... drum roll please..... $100.00!!!!

Oh yeah.. happy dance for me!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Where you going to store all that stuff?! I picked up a monte carlo sized trunk full of meat last week and luckily it was cold enough out to keep some in totes til I sorted it all out. It weighed about 300 and filled my freezer, fridge and the upper part of the fridge. I can't imaging what 500 would look like! Great score


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

sable123 said:


> Respectfully, I challenge that statement. Not a chance. $2.5 per day for the dogs plus the supplements. No way its the same as kibble, not even in a raw feeders dreams. Tripe alone is over $2lb.
> 
> I spend 70 cents a day per dog on Annamaet Ultra for the dogs in training. Are you saying you feed an adult dog about 650 calories per day?


You can challenge that statement all you want but since I write out the checks I happen to know what I spend.  Sucks to be you that you spend over $2/lb for tripe. I don't. Maybe you need to find a new supplier.


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## GSD_Xander (Nov 27, 2010)

If anybody knows of any great suppliers for good prices and is willing to share where they get it please PM me!!! 

I really want to switch to raw with the cost of Orijen going up I think I could save money switching and it would be super healthy 


If there are any places anybody knows of in the NW that would be good too!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I spend over $2 for tripe with shipping, but since I don't feed it as a huge amount per meal it isn't a biggie. I would love to get another local source for it. 
GSD Xander, call your local(50 miles or so) processors/butcher/ wholesalers and see what they will quote you case prices. Or get with a co-op to buy into the wholesale amounts. Hard to find little local meat outlets that are cheap anymore...even the ethnic shops are going pretty pricey.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

onyx'girl said:


> Where you going to store all that stuff?! I picked up a monte carlo sized trunk full of meat last week and luckily it was cold enough out to keep some in totes til I sorted it all out. It weighed about 300 and filled my freezer, fridge and the upper part of the fridge. I can't imaging what 500 would look like! Great score


I have a chest freezer (HUGE one) plus a friend has one that is not in use so I put the remainder there. It has been too warm outside this week otherwise I would have kept it out on the balcony in storage bins.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> I have a chest freezer (HUGE one) plus a friend has one that is not in use so I put the remainder there. It has been too warm outside this week otherwise I would have kept it out on the balcony in storage bins.


That's a great idea, but just a tip for anyone reading this, meat's freezing point is lower than one would expect... Just because it's below freezing outside, doesn't mean the meat will keep as long people may think


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Jax's Mom said:


> That's a great idea, but just a tip for anyone reading this, meat's freezing point is lower than one would expect... Just because it's below freezing outside, doesn't mean the meat will keep as long people may think


Very true, which is why I opted for storing at a friends.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

onyx'girl said:


> Where you going to store all that stuff?!


We have 2 full sized chest freezers in the basement just for the dogs stuff - one for RMBs and one for MM and OM. Then we have an upright freezer for us and any spillover from the dogs stuff!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Jax's Mom said:


> That's a great idea, but just a tip for anyone reading this, meat's freezing point is lower than one would expect... Just because it's below freezing outside, doesn't mean the meat will keep as long people may think


I have an old, broken freezer (doesn't get cold) that I had to replace this fall. I put it outside with the intention of getting rid of it but I have found a use for it. During the winter I transfer frozen stuff from the house freezer to the outside one. It's already frozen so it stays frozen and I have more space or can even turn off one freezer!

This summer I plan to use it to raise either tilapia, catfish or perch!!


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> Yes Ma'am! I'll email all the info tonight.


Me to me to, well I guess only if its mail order


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Sorry. They only deliver in NY State. Call the local restaurants, bars and grocery stores and ask where they order their meats from. The place I buy from is a supplier for those places.


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