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Post by luci on Apr 19, 2010 18:05:26 GMT -5
Why don't you like to thaw and refreeze? I do it all the time. Just so you know, most meat that is at the grocery store has been frozen for transit. If I didn't thaw and refreeze into meal sized portions I wouldn't be able to take advantage of quantity discounts or offer my animals a variety of meats each day. It's a stretch for me to get any of my animals to eat the same thing for two meals in a row. I'd never make it through a package of meat before it spoiled if I didn't refreeze.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Apr 20, 2010 12:45:50 GMT -5
I thought it was unsafe to continue to defrost a piece of meat, cut what i needed, and then freeze it again. I was wondering how the hell people deal with beef kidney, those things are as big as a ferret. One would probably last all year, but in my head i'm thinking i'd have to carve it up into portions sized chunks and then freeze it.
In my family's home growing up it was a big no no to defrost meat and then refreeze it more than once. I know it is flash frozen for transport, but after that, once is it.
So i'm planning to buy in bulk, and spend the time one day to make a bunch of packages of 3 day ration of puree and then freeze that. But i'm not going to defrost a kidney to cut what i needed every time i make a puree...
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Post by luci on Apr 20, 2010 15:46:32 GMT -5
For things like liver and kidney I thaw and then portion into little hunks that will feed the crew for a week and refreeze. I know some people freeze little meal packets that contain a little of this and a little of that, but I've found it easier to freeze my meats separately. I put six one ounce chunks in each pack which is a half day's worth here. I always have a couple of day's worth in the fridge and I feed something different each meal.
I don't freeze thaw freeze thaw more than to portion it out. It doesn't so much change the nutritional content so much as it changes the texture and color of the meat. And for picky eaters like cats and ferts that can be a turnoff.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Apr 20, 2010 17:50:53 GMT -5
I think we are agreeing and don't realize it. Since I've been making 6 oz puree's, enough for three days, i've been using about .3 oz of liver, works out to about 10%. she probably doesn't even get a whole liver in a week. Is she still getting enough? I'm gonna get some kidney, even though the beef kidney is the same size as my monster... probably will make enough portions to last a year. Is tripe considered an organ meat? I've spotted that recently in the stores.
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Post by luci on Apr 20, 2010 18:13:17 GMT -5
Gotcha. Sounds like plenty of liver. Once you add in kidney, halve the amount of liver and offer that same amount of kidney. The tripe you see in stores for human consumption is washed and bleached so as to make it without any nutrition. Green tripe is available to feed pets and that is full of nutrients. I've never fed it myself, but I'm told that it stinks like a barnyard and it's a gamble whether or not the ferts will eat it. I hear dogs love it, cats won't go near it and ferts are a question mark. As for feeding it as an organ or meat I'm not totally sure. This might be a question for the Raw board.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Apr 21, 2010 14:56:00 GMT -5
I put pork in the last batch. I think i'll try some turkey the next time. Gonna prolly give a defrosted chicken wing another shot, all cut up. See if she'll take some bony pieces to chew on out of the soupy.
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Post by luci on Apr 21, 2010 16:02:23 GMT -5
Good luck! Have you ever tried smashing the bony pieces with a hammer so she can get a taste of the marrow? She might need to know that there's something worth working for in there.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Apr 22, 2010 17:26:10 GMT -5
She chewed up a little bone tonight. Got her to gnaw on the end of a cut chicken wing bone. Took a few crunches but that was it. seemed definitly more interested once she tasted the marrow and realized it was crunchy, but still only interested enough for a couple more crunches and then ran off. Finished up her meal with soupy.
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Post by luci on Apr 22, 2010 17:35:12 GMT -5
Progress! Keep trying. Would she like playing a little tug of war with it? Sometimes a little competition goes a long way.
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Apr 26, 2010 10:29:20 GMT -5
This past weekend was the wedding shower. Among all the normal gifts I finally got a coffee grinder. How do you prep bones for the grinder?
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Post by luci on Apr 26, 2010 10:52:37 GMT -5
Oh my gosh, I have no idea. What bones are you planning on putting in there?
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Apr 26, 2010 12:47:34 GMT -5
I read somewhere that you can use a coffee grinder to make a really fine powder out of raw bones, or egg shells. I was planning on using thigh bones and wing bones if i could.
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Post by luci on Apr 26, 2010 13:58:36 GMT -5
Wow. I don't know about that. I know coffee grinders work great for egg shells, but I've no idea if it would be able to handle bones. Coffee grinders are pretty cheap, so I guess at the worst you're out $20-30 if it burns out the motor. Maybe smash the heck out of the bones with a hammer first?
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odin
Going Natural
Posts: 153
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Post by odin on Apr 28, 2010 18:57:07 GMT -5
Used the coffee grinder today on eggshells for the first time. Wow, what a difference. I could never get it this fine with a mortar and pistil. It was almost fluffy.
Discovered something else today... Cassi is allergic to beef. I'm positive of it. I finally got my hands on some beef kidney today, and put 5% in her latest puree. She took about three licks and puked all over the place for at least 10 minutes.
we had lots of problems with her keeping things down when she first got sick in february, but i remember trying wysong I twice, two different ways, dry and rehydrated, and both times she puked almost as soon as the stuff touched her lips. And one of the main ingredients in wysong is beef.
It's the only common factor. She's been fine and getting healthier and stronger ever since the switch, but the first time i put anything beef related she has a violent puke fit? it's the beef, gotta be. I remade her puree tonight, totally back to basics. thigh meat, three hearts, 5% liver, eggshell and i mixed in some chicken babyfood, just like i did in the beginning. Don't want her to imprint her puree as something that makes her sick. she's been up and around now for about 10 - 15 minutes, acting a little sluggish but normal. she's actually curling up in the blanket next to me, probably exhausted from the vomit fit.
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Post by luci on Apr 28, 2010 20:20:48 GMT -5
Poor baby. It definitely wouldn't be unheard of for her to have a sensitivity to beef. Heck, my Fierra seems to have a sensitivity to rabbit which seems just crazy since that should be a natural prey.
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