During the BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) era, it was taught that dogs should be given meaty bones, and that would provide everything they need. The definition of meaty bones was that they should be half meat and half bone. This claim was not accurate by any measure, and such meaty bones were not even available anywhere, although chicken drumsticks came close.
However, the sales of chicken necks, turkey necks, and chicken wings increased, and markets were found for both otherwise unused slaughter by-products.
There is only one use for wings
- to be treats
Of course, the very smallest breeds get a bit of work for their teeth, but it’s modest even for them. However, they also have modest teeth, and not all representatives of dwarf breeds have even those. But by any measure, wings are not food.
The world has changed quite a bit over time. When raw feeding wasn’t even in fashion yet, the use of beef throats for larger breeds was viewed somewhat… skeptically. If someone grinds throat into a meat roll, the judgment of poor quality is immediate.
If you give chicken or broiler necks, there are plenty of understanding individuals and other experiential experts. Apparently, quality can also be found.
This is due to the polarization of issues and factors in dog feeding, as well as double standards. But let’s remove both and adopt one and only one standard: calcium intake.
| calcium per a gram | calcium in one | covers dog kilos (100 % digestibility, req. 80 mg/kgBW) | 20 kg dog needs for calcium (50 % digestibility) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| chicken neck (60 g) | 13 mg | 780 mg | 9.7 kg | n. 3 pieces (189 g) |
| turkey neck (250 g) | 13 mg | 3250 g | 40 kg | 1 piece (189 g) |
| chicken wing (100 g) | 12 mg | 1200 mg | 15 kg | n. 2 pieces (209 g) |
As can be seen, it doesn’t matter whether you feed necks or wings, as there is always about 1300 mg of calcium per 100 g. This also means that the same gram amount is always given. For a 20 kg dog, you should calculate about 200 grams to satisfy the calcium requirement.
This raises another question mark. All of them have roughly the same amount of fat, about 7%. This means that in terms of fat intake, it falls below the requirement, and in terms of energy, they are diet food. If you don’t fear blockages caused by indigestible cartilage and bones, the best use for necks and wings is to fill the stomachs of those dieting. The same purpose for which many give porridge or parsnips.
A 20 kg dog quite often eats about 500 grams of medium-fat or fatty meat. If you were to replace almost half of it with wings or necks, without increasing the overall food, the dog would quickly start losing weight.
My biggest mental issue is the price. The meat relative intended for calcium intake costs around 5 euros per kilo. This means that the calcium source, which also poorly supplements the food, would cost more than the meat.
Or let’s put it this way: at the same price per kilo, you can get a complete food made from meat, which also provides calcium.
So what you need to weigh is:
- whether necks and wings are an essential part of dental care
- whether it matters that wings and necks take up part of the food
