jon
Going Natural
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Post by jon on Sept 5, 2009 11:08:33 GMT -5
Still going... Not much progress with the kibble bunch. Tastes, but no eats. We're going to single out Inara as the next convert, and focus our attention on her.
I have discovered that pretty much nobody likes turkey. Neither necks nor wings get eaten. Right now, Meri is going to town on a big piece of ox tail.
Kaylee is back on mush for a couple of days - she had a lump removed from her neck, and two teeth extracted.
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jon
Going Natural
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Post by jon on Sept 5, 2009 12:16:09 GMT -5
Another question: Do you recommend cod liver/fish oil? If so, how much?
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 5, 2009 22:25:00 GMT -5
That's actually a good idea- focusing on one at a time. Makes it a lot easier for you to keep track of who's doing what! Just keep plugging away with the kibble heads. For the fish oil, I use Grizzly Salmon Oil in the bottle. They each get about 1/4 tsp every other day.
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jon
Going Natural
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Posts: 109
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Post by jon on Sept 12, 2009 0:07:22 GMT -5
Quick update - Inara is now on chicken mush - with no kibble. It took a couple of scruff 'n' stuffs, followed by some hand feeding, but she's eating it.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 12, 2009 21:03:28 GMT -5
Oh, that's excellent! One by one they are falling to the lure of raw meat . How are the others doing now?
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jon
Going Natural
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Posts: 109
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Post by jon on Sept 12, 2009 22:37:33 GMT -5
They're doing pretty well. The white crowd (Tommy, Mori, Otis) still like ground better than chunks. The remaining kibble eaters are the same. Once Inara is somewhat stable, Zoey will be next.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 13, 2009 20:37:08 GMT -5
That's great! Even if it's slower for some of them, it's still progress! Once a group get comfortable with what they are eating, push the envelope just a little bit. Like making a few slightly larger pieces for the ground group, or larger chunks for those eating pieces, and whole wing sections for those eating bone.
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jon
Going Natural
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Posts: 109
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Post by jon on Sept 14, 2009 17:09:19 GMT -5
So, for the grads, should I be feeding them whole wings? Right now, I chop them up into about 6 pieces per wing. Everybody still hates turkey :-)
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 14, 2009 17:42:07 GMT -5
You could try them with it, see if they know what to do. If they just stash it, and don't realize to start chomping, I'd try just cutting them at the joints. I guess your present bunch who are eating well just don't like turkey! I've got one group who flatly refuse beef in any way, shape, or form, and another group who love it Try leaving off the turkey for a couple of months with them, then reintroduce it. Sometimes, that's all it takes. Or...they may just never be turkey fans
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jon
Going Natural
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Posts: 109
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Post by jon on Sept 16, 2009 22:09:32 GMT -5
Well, bummer. My grinder died. One of the bones (chicken) managed to bend the spindle. I ordered a new one from Northern tool. Until then, I'm on dicing and smashing duty.
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jon
Going Natural
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Posts: 109
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Post by jon on Sept 17, 2009 17:43:45 GMT -5
Inara - I think she has graduated. I put her in with Meri and Pippin at dinner time (thighs, hearts and gizzards chunky style), and she grabbed a good sized piece and ate it (after making the rounds of the cage twice to find just the right spot). The whites (Otis, Mori and Tommy) still prefer ground. At present, that means me, playing sushi chef with a meat cleaver.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 17, 2009 21:05:54 GMT -5
Kind of a scary thought, isn't it . You should see me in the early morning with a cleaver if I've forgotten to chop the night/day before. Not a pretty sight . Congrats to Inara! She's eating like a big ferret now . If I recall correctly, that just leaves one to get off the kibble, doesn't it?
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jon
Going Natural
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Posts: 109
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Post by jon on Sept 17, 2009 22:52:21 GMT -5
Thanks!
Yes, I do my best chainsaw massacre impressions in the mornings too.
Sadly, There are several others in the queue to enlightment: Londo, G'Kar, and Zoey. Their time will come though.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 18, 2009 19:25:27 GMT -5
Oh! I guess I should read back through the thread . Call me lazy! You know- you really are doing a good job with switching so many. And the ones "on the road to enlightenment" will get there yet You just have to outstubborn them!
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jon
Going Natural
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Posts: 109
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Post by jon on Sept 20, 2009 13:36:36 GMT -5
Yay! New grinder should arrive tomorrow. I've been giving a mix of chopped and chunks to the white trio. They're actually eating the chunks! So, for awhile anyway, I'll mix them up - chopped in the morning and ground at night. We're going through LOTS of chicken. The white crowd seem to prefer thigh meat, while the rest like the wings.
A friend of mine at work has a mini-farm, (we're buying 1/2 steer from them next month), and she told me that they're going to be butchering about a dozen chickens next week - so, free necks, gizzards and hearts! We'll also be getting the beef organs - liver, kidney, heart. That'll make an interesting change for them.
We did have a small incident yesterday. One of the whites (I think it was Otis), got a big end bone from a thigh, and managed to get it stuck - all 4 canines embedded in the bone. He was not a happy camper. I scruffed him, and managed to remove it without either of us bleeding. Later I saw him do the same thing an a slightly smaller bone. He was able to dislodge it himself. I imagine it will be less of a problem as their jaw muscles get stronger.
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