[brutus'mother]

I feed trying to follow the raw prey model but it ends up being more of the "frankenprey model". I aim for lots of variety, parts and pieces from many different animals = Frankenprey.
I have been researching kibbles since I joined this site and eventually stumbled upon raw feeding. I hate to admit it but I didn't know squat about kibble. I read through the Nutrition and Grooming posts and before we brought Brutus home I went out and bought a bag of Canidae instead of the Beniful that I had planned to buy. Ugh!
From then the journey began, I read and researched information about kibble from as many sources as I could find. Anything related to large breed requirements I gobbled up and started a notebook.

My kids (16 and 18) had a blast making fun of me. Joked how I never cook dinner for them but the dog gets to eat like a king! And it was true. I analyzed eveything that went in his mouth. Training treats to kibble.

I ended up feeding Orijen LB Puppy formula while transitioning to raw. I knew my dog didn't NEED any grains and his digestive system wasn't capable of digesting them anyway. So, we went grainless while I did more studying!

It took me a while to build my knowledge and even then I was scared to death. I did make the switch and it has been the best thing for my dog.

Anywho...to answer the OP's question-Always feed larger. I know some rawfeeders that use wings, legs, backs, etc. Those small pieces scare me. I never feed a chicken part smaller than a quarter of a chicken. I buy whole chickens (4-6#'s each)when they go on sale. I invested in a pair of heavy duty poultry shears and I quarter the chicken. I have done the same thing with a turkey. I admit I use poultry for the bones because I am fortunate to live with an avid hunter and I have a huge stock of venision. But I also feed beef, pork, fish, and lamb. I would feed rabbit but my dgtr gets pretty pissy about that. She's had one for a pet for the last 6 years.

I started out measuring every meal on a kitchen scale. I now feed according to how he looks.

To answer moondog - absolutely. You must feed bones to get the calcium. Some people use whole eggs-though I'm not a big fan of that.
When I fed kibble I added cooked ground venison to it. But I would never suggest feeding an all ground meat diet. It takes away some of the advantages of feeding raw-no chewing=no work for the dog to eat and no benefit of the amazing teeth cleaning that eating raw meaty bones will do! But mostly because it is never going to balance out, not in a week or a month, ground meat simply does not contain what is needed in the diet to stand alone.

I feed Brutus in his crate. He cleans up wonderfully, never a drop of juice or blood left. I wipe his crate out with a vinegar/H20 mixture.

I do agree with Gina-there is some background learning to do before going raw. The sites angelbunny listed are some of my favorites and you can find other links from those sites.

I wish I had known more from the start with Brutus. I would have transitioned him to a raw diet as soon as I brought him home.

Sorry for the length, I just got back from vaca with no internet access. I missed RDN!