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Raw, frozen chicken necks as a treat?


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I have been reading about a variety of treats to try and came across several articles and forum columns where people use chicken, turkey and duck necks as treats for their dogs. All feed raw and most frozen necks. I can't find turkey or duck necks here but I have seen frozen chicken necks.

I've never heard of this but I am curious what you all think or if you use them? Our local butcher said he sells a lot of them but he did not know what people were using them for and was hesitant to recommend them especially for a puppy.

Roscoe is 13 weeks old and I'm trying to find new things to keep him both entertained and focused.

 

Thanks!

Lisa

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The biggest concern about chicken necks is that they're small enough to be swallowed whole and thus a choking hazard.

 

Your butcher or even the supermarket meat department manager may be able to order duck or turkey necks, though you may have to get a whole case. Also, look in the yellow pages or do a google search for meat wholesalers in your area. They should also be able to order them for you.

 

If you get turkey necks, you might want to ask for hen necks rather than tom necks, which can be very large and rather difficult for some dogs to fully consume.

 

I wouldn't feed turkey necks completely frozen. They're big enough to provide a good bit of chewing completely thawed, and frozen -- especially the really big ones -- could pose a risk for breaking teeth. I've actually stopped feeding my dogs all frozen bones because of tooth breakage. I may feed less dense bones like poultry backs partially thawed, but I thaw anything else.

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My neighbor sometimes drops off chicken necks and livers after they process their birds since she knows I feed my dogs a raw diet. I wouldn't spend money on chicken necks because they are all bone and very small. For free, I'll take them. :)

 

It takes my dogs about 45 seconds (chomp, chomp, swallow) to eat one so I wouldn't recommend them if you are looking for something to 'entertain' a dog. Gentlelake is correct about them being a good size for choking, especially for a pup that doesn't eat raw as a normal diet (he may want to quickly gulp it down out of excitment).

 

Turkey necks would be better or chicken quarters, bone-in chicken breasts or turkey wings are all larger and will take him more time to eat. I would just watch for stomach upset feeding raw meat with his normal kibble at first. IMO, I think stuffing a kong with canned food (or anything mushy) and freezing it would be a better idea. When I fill our dogs' kongs and freeze them it usually occupies them for 30-45 minutes.

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Thanks! I'll keep checking this for new feedback as well.

 

Rocoe has had raw food in tiny amounts all along with his kibble and I do utilize his Kong with frozen food as well, he loves sweet potatoe, banana, apple and berries. Our butcher charges basically for the packaging of the chicken necks, it was less than $2 for about 20 of them. I only tried him with one this evening after reading a post on another thread that people here have used them along with the other research I've done. He took about 15 minutes to nibble away at it going between his ball and the chicken neck.

 

When I asked the butcher about turkey, he said he can never seem to get the turkey parts in. I have not asked at other places so I will ask for turkey or duck. I hasn't considered the larger parts of the chicken but I will absolutely do that.

 

Roscoe is only 13 weeks old and thus far is not a gobbler of food, we have recently been utilizing the treats and a variety of foods more to encourage him to refocus on positive things and discourage him from biting. So far (thanks to many of you) it is working most of the time, although he is outsmarting me with new things every day.

 

Thanks again!

 

Lisa and Roscoe

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I tried frozen chicken necks a couple of times when my boys were puppies, but they disappeared without chewing and I was petrified about choking so I have never used them again. In fact, I think I still have a few frozen ones hiding in the nooks and crannies of my freezer.....

 

I have been able to find packs of turkey necks in my local supermarket here in Australia, and also packs of chicken frames, which are basically what is left once the wings, thighs, legs and breasts are taken off of the carcass. They still have a bit of meat on them, but are mainly the spine and breast bone. I have started giving these to my boys at least once a week and they love them, for all of the 5 minutes or so it takes them to chew and swallow them. I should probably try and freeze these first.

 

Packs of the frames and the necks cost around $5 in my supermarket, but I get four chicken frames or around five turkey necks in the packs.

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I use duck necks as a part of my dogs raw feeding. About every 5th meal or so are duck necks (the remainder are chubs that contain meat, organ, bone and veggies). Duck necks are big enough that the dogs need to chew them up quite a bit. About 3 necks equals a half pound meal. Chicken necks are fine for treats and for meals. A lot of larger dogs will gobble them almost whole. Mine don't, they chomp them a couple times before swallowing them down. But even frozen the won't really last long. Once a bit older, your pup might enjoy a frozen turkey neck to work on and be entertained. But one turkey neck is likely enough material to constitute a whole meal for a border collie.

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Where do you buy or find duck necks? I live in a pretty rural area with very few options for shopping, I'm even having difficulty finding turkey necks. I may have to take up hunting lol If only my dad were still alive... My pup was born on his birthday :)

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