We started off slowly when we first switched to raw. I really wasn’t quite sure if I would be able to handle the price or the food itself.
For about the first year the dogs got ground raw food for dinner, while we kept them on a grain-free good quality kibble for breakfast. After that first year or so, we went full in raw. The dogs got ground meat for dinner and turkey necks for breakfast.
After a while I noticed those turkey necks were getting bigger and bigger. I started to wonder if I wasn’t feeding them ostrich necks they were so big. When it got to the point that Hubby had to chop them smaller and wanted to use a hammer against my good Santoku knife, I said enough. We’re switching to chicken necks.
I buy enough food to last a little over three weeks, which means the 40 pound box of necks needs to be broken up to smaller more manageable bags. I used to do this is my bathtub but have found the kitchen sink is easier.
Anyway about the third or fourth time I bought the box of necks, Sandy said, “Oh I forgot to tell you, sometimes you’ll get a head in there, still attached to the neck.”
SAY WHAT?
You’ve got to be kidding? What do you do?
“Just close your eyes and feed it to them.”
NO THANK YOU.
Sure enough the very day she tells me about this I get a neck with the head still attached. I sit in the bathroom on the side of the tub screaming like a girl, “Ohmygodthere’saheadattached, there’s a head attached, bring the scissors, BRING THE SCISSORS!!!” EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Hubby came in laughing and cut the head off.
Well that was many moons ago, many, many boxes of necks and a number of necks with heads attached.
I no longer squeal like a child when I find one, I usually just cut the head off and go about my business.
And no, I still can’t feed the head to my dogs. Come on you guys, there’s eyeballs and brains not to mention that sharp little beak.
My point is the heads are all removed before they go into the smaller packages.
Until they aren’t.
On my typical morning I get up, go out to the kitchen, measure out the dog’s necks and set them to warm up in some tepid water. Then I go and get ready for work.
Since I have a dog who doesn’t typically chew HER food, once the necks have warmed up I cut them into smaller chunks.
The other day while I was doing this I noticed that one end of one of the necks was quite large and I thought, what the heck is wrong with this? Then I realized there was still a head attached.
Not really what I want to deal with at 7:00 am, but it has to be done. Using the scissors I start snipping just below the head.
And that’s when it happened.
Whatever I was snipping was making the beak move, it kept opening and closing it’s mouth, like it was talking.
Gif courtesy of PicGifs.com
It was like a train wreck. You know it’s happening and you know it’s going to be bad, but you just can’t look away. I did say a quick prayer of thanks that I never did acid growing up, because that flashback could have put me in the hospital.
When I related the story to Hubby later he gave a deep laugh and asked, “Did you get a video?”
No! And I didn’t feed it to the dogs either.
I’ll eat the chicken head, really I will. It sounds tasty.
AND the winner of the Vermont Soap giveaway is Frankie Furter from Frankly and Ernestly speaking!!
Think we’ll lefe the chicken necks to you to deal with! Great that they’re being used as food though and not going to waste.
I’d have the same initial reaction that you did. And I never “dropped acid” either — in fact, I never even smoked pot. So I was a “goody two shoes”. What can I say? I have just never liked the smell of the stuff. 🙂 — but I don’t think I’d continue buying the necks from a place that didn’t have the courtesy to remove the heads before packaging the necks. It would just gross me out.
Oh my gosh, that is awful! Mom could never do all that stuff you do with the necks and heads. Mom keeps us healthy with lots of exercise and a high quality dog food diet with some healthy homemade or purchased snacks here and there, just not ready to try that raw thing. It may be great but mom isn’t up to it. Kudos to you for doing that!
OMG! OMG! OMG! gross. I am seriously gagging over here, I have a pretty tough stomach except when it comes to things like this. I totally would of threw the chicken neck down and ran away screaming.
Oh boy…I’m glad Riley just eats kibble! I don’t know how well I would deal with heads still attached…haha! Good for you for being able to handle the necks and raw food, you’re a better woman than I! 🙂
Eesh–how horrifying. You are a sturdier woman than I Jodi!
It’s funny how something can gross us out at first, but we can get used to a lot of things even if we are girly girls. I’m not sure I would ever get used to heads though, but brains are supposed to be nutritious.
I have started baking homemade natural pet treats at craft shows. My dog Splotchy is my chirf taste tester. I try to cut the preservatives out of my family’s diet and she’s a big part of our family.
Ewww – I couldn’t handle it, really couldn’t. You are a stronger woman than me! lol
That would be a bit gross. I think I’d have a hard time with a neck and attached head. Cutting the beef hearts was a bit gross but – anything for the dogs!
Good grief! Needless to say – I won’t be feeding raw anytime soon…
Oh man!!! I don’t think even my old farm savvy would have gotten me through that one! yikes!
Wow lucky pups. My peeps once had to look after some owls and feed them frozen baby chicks. Yuk but the owls needed feeding. It was the defrosting part and then handling them that was yucky. Have a marvelous Monday.
best wishes Molly
That gives me major heebie jeebies to just think about, so I say, Thank dog there was no video!!! Egad.
Hilarious!
Turkey necks do come in two sizes–male turkeys have enormous necks, apparently. My place sorts them and sells accordingly, thank goodness. Those tom necks are way too much for Silas, even if I cut them in half.
Now, just in case (not to squick you out any more): the way to cut apart a turkey neck is with scissors. Pick a place that feels like it might be near a joint and snip down to the bone all the way around. Then just bend the neck until the vertebrae right there pop apart.
LMAO! You poor thing. I would of never expected a chicken head attached either. Have a great non chicken head Monday.
Oh dear dawg, I do not know if my Ma could handle that. Necks with the heads still on…no way!
*Cairn cuddles*
Oz
Bwa ha ha! You’re getting quite the lesson in all the ramifications of eating meat; something few people who aren’t farmers or hunters deal with anymore. 🙂
I was raised by Pennsylvania Dutch parents who taught me to appreciate (or at least tolerate) every part of an animal killed to nourish me. While I haven’t eaten eyeballs, I have had my share of brains, tongue, intestines, stomachs, livers, blood, etc.
I tell myself that when i embark on adventure travel I won’t shy away from any food offered me.
Your post just taught me I might even be ready to feed Honey raw. 🙂
Gah! As a girl that doesn’t eat meat, this would have sent me screaming down the hall, never to return to the kitchen 🙂 You are so much braver than I am. Thank you for not getting a video!!
OMD OMD…. we are SOOOO sorry to admit this..BUTT we are laffin our Collars off over the Talking Chicken Head thingy… SORRY… butt we just can’t help ourselves. THAT is FUNNY and we don’t care. Wish we were there to see it in pawson… butt your description is exquisite !!!
OMD WE WON??? WE actually WON the Shampoo. We can’t wait to sniff it. We are SURE it will be very MANLY!!! THANK YOU!!!!
Oh you should have taken video! lol Funny story!
Ha! Hilariously morbid!
Our raw comes in pre-ground form, and we throw in bones (ribs, shoulders, femurs, vertebrae) from our friends who hunt. After reading this, I’ve determined this is probably for the best.
BOL at least you don’t get chicken heads with kibble!! And yuck at the idea of feeding them the heads, especially with the beaks and stuff – I make sure nothing yucky like beaks are in my food!
Please don’t read that as a rant or judgement it wasn’t meant in that way in the slightest!! *friendly ears*
All I’ve got to say is… ICK! and I’m certainly glad there was no video!
THANK YOU for not having a video!! Yikes! That would’ve been gnarly!
Yikes! That’s okay, didn’t need to see that!
This brings back memories of the first time I had crawfish in New Orleans. You are suppose to twist the head completely off but one of the first times I did it I twisted but only the shell came off! I was looking at bulging eyes and head innards! I screamed!
Paaaaaahaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaa!
I think I’ve mentioned before that we used to feed the juvenile crocodiles chicken heads and the babies got heads that had been put through the mincer… except that the eyeballs didn’t seem to get ‘minced’ so we’d end up with a tub of slop with eyeballs staring up at you. I used to find chicken heads in the garden from time to time and because I live quite close to the crocodile park I’m guessing that kites have picked them up and dropped them in the garden on their way over. I don’t find any chicken heads any more and I don’t think they’ve stopped landing in the garden, I just have two ‘cleaners’ who get rid of the evidence. 🙂 So I’m SURE your dogs would loooove the heads!
BTW, I’m not going to tell Flo and Elsie that you heat S & D’s food for them, they’ll feel very hard done by; mine quite often get a frozen lump of chicken necks or a frozen (enormous – we also have big turkeys) neck. I find it keeps them from inhaling their food – they have to chew!
OMG Jodi. Just OMG. It’s really freaken hilarious…when it’s not me finding the chicken heads! And a “talking” one? Holy crap.
I am in tears I am laughing so hard! I would love to have seen this. Reminds me of chicken feet, we used to do that with them when we were kids 😉
ROTFLMAO! Oh that is seriously the best story ever.