Does anyone on here who raw feeds make their own mince? If so what sort of mincer do you have? I want something that will do small bones as well as the meat (e.g chicken bones)

We mince our own chicken carcasses which cost 25p per kilo and tripe too. I purchased a mincer new (a german make) for £600. It copes really well with mincing these but I do snap the breast bone off the carcass to make it fit the mincer hole. We have two industrial sized freezers which I can get over 400kg of mince in. I mince for a whole day and the mincer copes really well with it all. Have a look on ebay but don't buy a 3 phase on, you need a single phase as the adaptors loose the power for the 3 phase. I can mince a whole tripe in about a minute, (cut up into smaller segments) It does a whole lamb paunch in seconds and a chicken carcass in seconds too. We tend to buy 300kg of carcasses in one go and it will take me about four hours to do. I use the larger mincer plate so we have chunky mince. Good luck

We tend to buy 300kg of carcasses in one go

How did you manage to find a supplier of such quantities and at such a low price? I have been trying as I'd love to cut the costs for my cats' food, but I failed miserably in finding suppliers of chicken carcasses in decent quantities and prices.

We have a local chicken processing factory very locally, I will pm you if you like the details but we are in the west mids. Try googling chicken processing in your area.

unfortunately its a halal killed but it is cheap and fresh. We can get 500 kg daily if we wanted.

i got so excited when you said they were in the midlands and then my heart sank when i read halal....the search continues!

What exactly is involved with Halal killing of poultry as the standard killing is pretty naf anyway, so is it any worse?

Normally from what I have seen on TV at processing plants they are hung up by the legs and a conveyer belt moves them along where a blade cuts their heads off as they pass over the blade, so some who pull their heed up don't get killed of not cleanly, then they go in hot water to loosen the feathers.

Our slaughter methods involve stunning first (electrocution in a water bath for chickens usually and a bolt gun to the head in cattle). Then we cut the throat to make the animal bleed out - thus killing them. The halal method skips the middle man and goes straight to the cutting and bleeding out.

Now as an agricultural student, I hate the concept of halal. (Won't eat at subway anymore!) BUT I have a few friends who took nutrition and have research that proves the animal suffers more with stunning, than it does with just a cut. Something about how long the brain is active for - when they are stunned they can still "think". So might have to reevaluate my opinion!

>Does anyone on here who raw feeds make their own mince? If so what sort of mincer do you have? I want something that will do small bones as well as the meat (e.g chicken bones)

Do you need to mince it? I get tripe from a local abattoir and chicken from anywhere I can. Unfortunately my local chicken processor has just closed down. I just bag the tripe up and freeze. Sheeps bellies go 2-4 in a bag for a days food and cows get cut into large chunks and then a days supply is bagged. Chicken was just bagged whole carcasses into a bag, or enough wings for a meal into a bag. When i come to feed the dogs I just .ive the big dogs large pieces of tripe and cut into smaller pieces for the little dogs. Chicken wings and carcasses can easily be cut up with garden secateurs or poultry shears.

I find just the bagging of large quantities of tripe etc takes some time and is not my favourite job. I have considered mincing it but that would add more time to the process for no real benefit to the dogs. I do have a hand mincer which handles both meat and bones which I use when I have pups although I often just buy mince for when the pups are tiny.

I don't agree with halal and will not eat ourselves but as this is the only poultry processing plant for miles around I have no option. Our cattle and lambs do not go to abattoirs where they have a halal killing day either.

Thanks Floradora, unfortunately I'm on the borders of Lincs/Notts/South Yorkshire so quite far from West Midlands.

Hi,

Yes I do want to mince it, I don't normally raw feed, its something we are starting with a couple of the dogs but having given them chicken wings they pretty much eat them whole am im really paranoid about them choking on bones etc! I know that's probably just me and they'd be fine but Id be a million times happier with the idea if it was all minced.

I thought a lot of chickens were gassed now ?.
Not Halal ones obviously, just the regular slaughter.

>Yes I do want to mince it, I don't normally raw feed, its something we are starting with a couple of the dogs but having given them chicken wings they pretty much eat them whole am im really paranoid about them choking on bones etc! I know that's probably just me and they'd be fine but Id be a million times happier with the idea if it was all minced.

It might be easier and cheaper to buy ready minced meat unless you have a good supply of unminced meat as a mincer strong enough to cope with chicken bones will cost  several hundred pounds. Alternatively if it is chicken wings for a couple of dogs get yourself a meat cleaver and a good chopping board and whack the wings with the cleaver they easily break up into quite small pieces. Or Alterntively look up vintage meat grinder/mincers on ebay. You can pick up  a hand operated mincer suitable for mincing chicken wings for £10-£15. Has the added benefit of increasing arm muscle strength :)

halal is the ritual slaughter of any animal according to islamic law. any animal not killed using this method is called 'haram' and not allowed to be consumed by muslims. the animal is (tied if large) hung upside down and a slit is made in the jugular. it is then allowed to bleed to death - thus cleansing it of its sins whilst prayers are recited. the animal obviously suffers and the bigger the animal, the longer it takes to die. if the really want to see it in its extreme there is a video of a camel being slaughtered on youtube with many people standing around watching. the poor beast is 'hogtied' and stuggles endlessly before giving up - all in the name of offering a sacrifice for Eid. as my religion is against halal i refuse to feed it to my dogs. also, having lived near an islamic butcher in the past, their hygiene regime leaves a lot to be desired.

muslims do not eat pork as the trotter is cloven and this is a symbol of the devil but ironically, cattle, goat, sheep etc are also cloven so do not understand this reasoning. and fish - due to their death as soon as they leave the water - are sent as halal by allah - so edible according to islamic law.