Best places to buy raw?

just wondering what types of places are best and cheapest to buy raw meat for my apbt. i get some from the grocery but that seems more expensive than the dry food i give him which is $40 for 15lbs. should i go to farms(there are alot in my area), meat wholesalers/distributors? thanks fro any replies.

 

butcher shops seem to be where the lucky ones get the best deal....free scraps
i just wait for chicken to go on sale and stock up

 

thanks Lee D, will definatly give them a try

 

I get mine from the butcher,used to be free but now they charge $7 for a big trash can full (probably 45 gallon can,but a big trash can anyway) I buy a pickup load a week and it's saved me a lot.I don't know how your grocery store could possibly be more expensive than any decent dry feed.10 pounds of chicken quarters are 6.50 or so at Wal Mart.I used to feed chicken quarters as the meat but have switched to butcher scraps. If I just had the one dog,I'd be tempted to buy the chicken though.

 

thanks for the advice gh32. do you just ask the butcher for leftovers or what exactly. that sounds like a damn good deal $7 bucks for a trash can full id be happy with 1/4 a trash can for $7 lol. thanks for the help

 

I just give them a call and see what they have,it varies somewhat from time to time but usually they have 3 to 4 barrels that I can have. Most of the time it's beef but in the fall I usually get some deer and elk in the mix. It used to be free but there a lots of dog owners here so they decided to start charging for it the last couple years but it's still cheaper than dry food for me. Look for a butcher in your area or a meat processor and they should have scraps for free or cheap at least.If there are lots of farms in your area there's got to be a butcher somewhere.

 

sweet thanks i rele appreciated the info, if i can that to work out it will be a big help. thanks again

 

I think you already answered your own question, dude. I'd hit up those farms that are plentiful in your area. Just choose the one with good quality live stock...one that does a good deal of business with the locals, just so that you can get reviews from different people who purchase meats for themselves. I think you may get the best deals there, imo. I wish I had a few that's close to me, like you said that you do. I'd be getting all of the good stuff like green tripe, whole game birds, fresh beef hearts, different meats...instead of my usual chicken parts & wholes, beef cuts and such. Yeah man, check out those farms.

 

Little mexican butcher shops have great deals on meat, all the time. The dudes usually give away free scraps too. Although just a few months back, they quit giving out scraps because a company was coming in and taking the scraps, so they could be used for dogfood.

 

i called my local buthcer and there scraps they turn into dog food,and its 69cents a lb

thats a fair price i would suspect

 

I probably wouldn't try to buy straight off the farms because I have cattle and we're getting $1.20-$1.50 per pound for calves 400-500 pounds.Old cattle that have outlived their productivity still go for .50-.60 cents a pound,so a 1200 pound cow would still be expensive just for dog food.A lot of the butcher shops on the other hand have cheap scraps available,that they have to get rid of anyway.Whole birds are nice if you find them but that's rare that i find whole birds,I have before but not usually.

 

We go to local grocer. Tried a couple butcher shops around but the scraps were mostly fat. not much bone and not as much meat as id like.

 

i get whole chickens $.99 a pound at a local meat shop

 

Wal Mart sell leg quarters for like $6.50-$7.00 for a ten pound bag. But if you get it just before it expires, the price is cut to like $5.25 per bag.

 

I came across this list of co-ops that might be helpful. DogAware.com: Raw Dog Food Co-ops and Local Groups i don't know how UTD it is but it sounds like a great way to source a variety of meats.

 

Check google for local co-ops in your area. Even if it's 20-30mi out of the way they have great deals and a variety of meats

 

Check y local poultry house, out wher im @, ill get 40lbs for 6bucks of chicken backs with organs, or 40lbs of leg quarters 22bucks, or the local walmart sells the close to exprired chicken leg quarters 10lb for 3.50 any other day its 5.90. Also , if yall have alot of mexican meat mearkets like carniceria or like la michoacanas, they usually have the leg quaters for 59 cent per lb..

 

wow thanks im definatly goin to try the butcher. idk if there are any mexican meat markets around here but if i find one il try it, also have a walmart not too far so il definatly give that a shot too. thanks again

 

The Slaughter house has been the best place for us

 

I wish I could get trash cans full for 7 bucks. Ha.