# Suppliers/Deals - Michigan



## Bella67 (Jun 22, 2014)

Seems like we may be staying in Michigan for another few months due to work we got here. 
Anyways, I placed my order from Raw Feeding Miami 2 days ago and it should arrive next week. For the mean time, Troy has been on chicken leg quarters for a few days and his stool is solid and not runny at all. I plan on ordering bulk from Medford Meats when I get the hang of raw feeding but does any Michigan people know any butchers that give scraps or anything? I'm in the Detroit Metro Area.


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## Mesonoxian (Apr 5, 2012)

I don't know of any specific suppliers in that area, but it's definitely worth asking around. If you ever find yourself over on the west side of MI, and are interested in custom organ grinds for less than $1.50/lb (as long as you order more than 5 lbs), check out Earl's Meats in Holland. They've been GREAT people to work with! 

You could try posting an ad on craigslist or facebook asking hunters about last year's leftovers, or scraps from this year's processing. 

You may also want look into MyPetCarnivore if you're looking to order anything else from an online supplier. MPC has quality products, great customer service, and they have a variety of MI delivery routes.


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## jjk454ss (Mar 26, 2013)

Mesonoxian said:


> I don't know of any specific suppliers in that area, but it's definitely worth asking around. If you ever find yourself over on the west side of MI, and are interested in custom organ grinds for less than $1.50/lb (as long as you order more than 5 lbs), check out Earl's Meats in Holland. They've been GREAT people to work with!
> 
> You could try posting an ad on craigslist or facebook asking hunters about last year's leftovers, or scraps from this year's processing.
> 
> You may also want look into MyPetCarnivore if you're looking to order anything else from an online supplier. MPC has quality products, great customer service, and they have a variety of MI delivery routes.


Does Earls Meats supply other stuff for you? I really want to go to raw but can't see, to get a grasp on it. I'd love to talk to them if they might know more, or offer a complete solution.


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## Mesonoxian (Apr 5, 2012)

jjk454ss said:


> Does Earls Meats supply other stuff for you? I really want to go to raw but can't see, to get a grasp on it. I'd love to talk to them if they might know more, or offer a complete solution.


They have a good variety of grinds, green tripe, and whole organs that they regularly have available in their "dog food" freezer. I will occasionally pick something up for a novel protein (or if I'm strapped for GT), but I prefer to buy more whole pieces, if I can, and they generally grind everything. I can also usually get a lot of what I feed cheaper from other sources. If you place an order from Earl's Meats, rather than buying from the freezer, I believe you can request more whole pieces, not just getting it all ground. 

I believe they offer some complete/whole grinds (rabbit, chicken, maybe duck?) that you could feed as a balanced 80/10/5/5 meal, but they have a variety of MM only grinds, and MM + bone grinds as well. They also often sell packages of whole kidney and liver, if you decide to "franken prey" your dog's meals. (I generally take the "franken prey" approach, with the biggest pieces I can find.)

If you're looking at researching raw feeding, I highly suggest the facebook group "The Raw Feeding Community." The group files are a wealth of information, and everyone in the group has been nothing short of helpful to me, and as a whole are always very welcoming to newbies!


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## jjk454ss (Mar 26, 2013)

Mesonoxian said:


> They have a good variety of grinds, green tripe, and whole organs that they regularly have available in their "dog food" freezer. I will occasionally pick something up for a novel protein (or if I'm strapped for GT), but I prefer to buy more whole pieces, if I can, and they generally grind everything. I can also usually get a lot of what I feed cheaper from other sources. If you place an order from Earl's Meats, rather than buying from the freezer, I believe you can request more whole pieces, not just getting it all ground.
> 
> I believe they offer some complete/whole grinds (rabbit, chicken, maybe duck?) that you could feed as a balanced 80/10/5/5 meal, but they have a variety of MM only grinds, and MM + bone grinds as well. They also often sell packages of whole kidney and liver, if you decide to "franken prey" your dog's meals. (I generally take the "franken prey" approach, with the biggest pieces I can find.)
> 
> If you're looking at researching raw feeding, I highly suggest the facebook group "The Raw Feeding Community." The group files are a wealth of information, and everyone in the group has been nothing short of helpful to me, and as a whole are always very welcoming to newbies!


Thanks. Will stop into Earls Meats on Wenesday and see what they have. I'll check out the FB page too, but any other ideas in the Holland area for picking up BARF feeding supplies? Like everyone else it seems, I'm nervous to get started .


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## Mesonoxian (Apr 5, 2012)

jjk454ss said:


> Thanks. Will stop into Earls Meats on Wenesday and see what they have. I'll check out the FB page too, but any other ideas in the Holland area for picking up BARF feeding supplies? Like everyone else it seems, I'm nervous to get started .


Due to my (very) limited freezer space, I can't buy in bulk or even pick up any volume of scraps from my hunter friends - I do the majority of my Raw shopping at local grocery stores! (One of these days I'll buy a chest freezer, and my raw budget will thank me!) I'm still able to keep it affordable, but I _could_ be spending a lot less.

Always check the sodium content in what you're buying - especially when buying from a "regular" grocery store.

Bob's Butcher Block (on the North side of Holland) has okay prices. I have ordered organs and whole beef heart from them in the past, but it's usually more cost effective for me to stick to Earl's Meats, because I can get a wider variety of organs there. If you go to BBB, you will have to place an order for what you want - they very occasionally carry whole beef heart and beef/pork liver in store, but anything else they need to order in from their supplier.

- Chicken Leg 1/4s I usually get from Aldi ($0.95/lb), or Meijer (often on sale for $0.69/lb)
- I feed a fair amount of beef heart, I source that from a store in Shipshewana IN ($0.99/lb)
- Fish and Green Tripe are usually in my order from MPC (along with some other stuff).
- Lena is currently struggling with weight, so we're also feeding 73% lean ground beef every few days ($2.45/lb, usually).
- Organ grind from Earl's Meats - made up of the "other" organs, I source liver separately(~$1.40/lb))
- Liver from all over the place, depending on the protein(~$1.30/lb).
- Whenever anyone in the family(extended, too!) cooks up a turkey, they know to save the organ packet and turkey neck for me(free!).
- Other things I feed (less often) include: Rabbit, Buffalo/Bison, Venison, Cornish Hen, Goat, and Duck.

Lena is sensitive to Mutton/Lamb and Pork, so we try to steer clear of those proteins. I'll occasionally use pork heart, or pork organs, but we try to keep it very minimal.


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## jjk454ss (Mar 26, 2013)

Mesonoxian said:


> Due to my (very) limited freezer space, I can't buy in bulk or even pick up any volume of scraps from my hunter friends - I do the majority of my Raw shopping at local grocery stores! (One of these days I'll buy a chest freezer, and my raw budget will thank me!) I'm still able to keep it affordable, but I _could_ be spending a lot less.
> 
> Always check the sodium content in what you're buying - especially when buying from a "regular" grocery store.
> 
> ...


Thanks again. Have you checked out The Meat Market in Allendale? Seems like they might have a better selection of this type of thing, better than Bobs anyway. And they see cheaper. I love Bobs red hot beef jerky for me though


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## Mesonoxian (Apr 5, 2012)

jjk454ss said:


> Thanks again. Have you checked out The Meat Market in Allendale? Seems like they might have a better selection of this type of thing, better than Bobs anyway. And they see cheaper. I love Bobs red hot beef jerky for me though


I have never been there, and am always looking for more sources, thanks for the suggestion!


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