Cost of Raw: 1 Year

Last October I posted about the Cost of Raw Feeding that I'd been documenting for 5 months. It's now been a full year since I started keeping track, from the last day in April last year through April this year.

For 2012, from April 30th through the end of December last year, here were the final numbers.
Average price per pound ($/lb): $1.21
Total pounds (lb): 562.72
Total cost ($): $517.92

Note: The $/lb does NOT include averaging in free meat or mice. I did not include the mice as they work out to be about $20/lb and would throw off the numbers. I bought about 1 lb of mice for nearly $20, just one purchase. I don't feed mice often; Everest gets one per week. It's not a major part of the diet, though it's great variety! If they were cheaper I'd give them much more often but at $1.50 per mouse (when I normally spend $1 per pound, and a mouse is nowhere near weighing a pound) they are just too expensive to feed often. In calculating total lbs, I did include the 1 lb of mice and 98.14 lbs of free meat. So, I never include the cost of mice in my calculations.

It is also important to remember that the freezer is almost never empty and at any given point I have usually enough to feed the dogs and cats for at least 2 weeks, and more if I just went shopping. Regardless, I will calculate 12 months worth of purchases as if it had all been used.

My first recorded purchase is April 30th, 2012. From then through the end of April 2013, here are the totals
Average price per pound ($/lb): $1.26
Total pounds (lb): 778.83
Total cost ($): $726.52
Average pounds per day (778.83 lb / 365): 2.13
Average cost per day ($726.52 / 365): $1.99

That is to feed two 40 lb huskies, and two cats. The dogs usually eat meals that are 12-14oz but sometimes a full lb (16oz), and the cats eat about 1/4 lb each per day.

I list each item and the $/lb, lbs, and cost. Here is an example of how much I'm spending for items I buy regularly. Price varies widely by location and source. These are all items I purchase at a military commissary, which is typically much cheaper than civilian grocery stores.

Chicken leg quarters: $0.80/lb (dogs only)
Chicken thigh filets: $1.99/lb (cats only)
Chicken drumsticks: $1.03/lb (cats only)
Turkey drumsticks: $1.31/lb (dogs only)
Beef heart: $1.00/lb (both, price varies from about $0.98-1.30/lb)
Whole sardines: $1.99/lb (cats get slices, dogs get whole + heads from ones sliced up for cats)
Beef liver: $0.92/lb (both)
Pork arm picnic roasts, shoulderblade/butt roasts: $1.29/lb (both- price varies from about $1.14-1.40/lb)
Chicken livers: $1.24/lb (both)
Chicken hearts and gizzards: $1.21/lb (cats only)
Split chicken breasts: $1.99/lb (cats get ribs and meat, dogs get some meat and bigger breast bones)
Beef kidney: $0.70/lb (both)
Whole chicken: $0.85/lb (dogs only, cats may get scraps; price varies from about $0.50-0.99/lb)
Turkey necks: $1.21/lb (dogs only; price varies from about $1.11-1.40/lb)

I also got about 150 lbs of free wild game meat such as venison, moose, elk, duck, and turkey over the last year.


Not included in the totals for the year, today I made a large order from a local co-op for the first time. I've not included this in the cost, even though it's still [barely] April because though i have placed the order I won't get the meat until May. I ordered 130 lbs of meat for $150, and also paid a $45 annual membership fee. They also charge a $5 "education fee" with each order, and have required volunteer time as a driver once or twice a year. Worth it!

Here's what I ordered:
Pork heart: 30 lbs for $29.10
Beef sweetbread: 20 lbs for $32.20
Chicken thighs (bone-in): 30 lbs for $30
Chicken hearts: 10 lbs for $5.76
Pork melts (aka spleen): 30 lbs for $32.70
Pork brain: 10 lbs for $17.30

That's 130 lbs for $147.06. The $45 annual fee will easily be made up for if I order a few times. Great prices and great variety!