# Going raw - Freezer recommendations



## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Hello,
I'm fed up with kibble issues and am on my way to switching to raw. I found a co-op nearby that delivers and has decent prices. *I am looking for a good quality freezer that can hold a month's worth of food for 4 dogs.* 

I am just in the planning stages so I'm not sure yet how much food that will practically work out to be... I am approximating 2lbs/day for Whisk/Wiva and maybe 20oz/day for Puddi. That works out to about 165lbs a month. I will be adding a 4th later this year so I want to leave some extra room for when she comes along. So I'll estimate that the freezer needs to hold about 200lbs of meat. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

All suggestions welcome, and I appreciate your help!


----------



## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

I bought a small upright from Sears last year that is perfect. I didn't want a large one as I have a 2nd fridge in the garage. I have 5 gsd's and buy a month's worth at a time and this is the perfect size. I got it on sale for a little over $200.

Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more


----------



## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Great. Thank you! I will definitely be looking into that one


----------



## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

I think chest freezers are best for bulk raw food purchases, especially for those oddly shaped items like a whole leg or lamb heads. I bought one from Sears, though I forget the brand name. Holds ~400 lbs of food. More then enough for my 1 gsd and 1 papillon. 

I'm pretty sure mine is this one...








Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more

Forgot to add, even with just the two dogs my chest freezer is jam packed because I will buy certain things in bulk to feed over time, such as tripe & organs. So bigger is better IMO.


----------



## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Check craigslist. There's always deals on there.


----------



## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I got the largest upright freezer I could get and I feed three dogs and it's barely big enough. I make my own diets so want to keep all my ingredients separate. Even if I didn't, I think it's easier to keep your food rotated with an upright. It's too easy to lose things in the bottom of a chest freezer.


----------



## kbella999 (Jan 6, 2012)

They have the "Holiday" brand at Lowes and they get great reviews. I have one and love it. Just wish now that I had bought a bigger one. I believe the 7 cu ft one is suppose to hold over 200lbs but I could be wrong. They also have free delivery at Lowes.


----------



## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Chest freezers are the most efficient, but the least handy to use. I like my upright for things I need to be able to get at daily and the chest freezer for the larger bulk orders that I don't need to access daily. The chest freezer holds more. 

One thing to pay attention to in a chest freezer. If you buy stuff that is not frozen it will not freeze quickly when stacked in a chest freezer due to the lack of air movement around the food. It can go MANY days before finally freezing where as in a upright the meat freezes fairly quickly.


----------



## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

I got a cheapo chest freezer from Lowes, Shop Holiday 5 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer (Color: White) at Lowes.com

I have one dog and a cat- it holds 45 days worth of food (I feed 2 lbs a day).


----------



## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Verivus: Thank you! Helpful info and link! 
Lucy_Dog: I've been checking CL obsessively after your tip 
Elaine: Yes, I agree that I probably need the structure that an upright will allow me. I think I would lose everything in a chest. 
kbella999: Great, thanks for the tip.
lhczth: I'm torn between the chest and upright... I like the compactness and space the chest allows. On the other hand, I like that I can organize items easily in an upright. I wasn't aware of the freezing issue. I will watch out for this if I end up getting a chest. 
Josie/Zeus: Thanks for the link! 

Thank you all. I will have to weigh my options and decide between the chest or upright...


----------

