Chicken Bone Substitutions


Don’t have access to a high-speed blender to grind up those juicy, calcium-filled, raw chicken bones? No worries, my cat people friends. Here are a couple of substitutions that will help you out in your mission to make your feline fur children as healthy as me. Making raw cat food without bone is easy. (Make sure to catch the important Things To Remember at the bottom of this page, too!)

  • EGGSHELL POWDER. It’s super easy to make, the least expensive of these substitutions, and you don’t even need a blender OR food processor (though both things make it a lot faster). Plus, this may be the best option to use if you are transitioning a cat with kidney/renal issues as eggshells have significantly less sodium and phosphorus than bone (the kidneys work to remove excess phosphorus from the blood and ill-working kidneys can’t do this very well). Once your cat’s health improves and he or she is cleared from kidney disease, you can start doing a 50/50 bone/eggshell split in the recipe for a couple of months before using only bone (if possible).

Here’s how to make your homemade eggshell powder:

1. Collect at least two dozen eggshells.

2. Rinse them well in cool water – keeping the cartilage inside in tact – before leave them out to dry.

4. Lightly bake them in the oven at 275-300 degrees for ten minutes, then let them cool completely.

5. Get your exercise by grinding them up by hand using a giant Ziploc baggie and a rolling pin (or wine bottle… because wine) until it resembles sand from the beach. *To achieve a finer powder, you can continue by using a coffee grinder. This is especially suggested if you plan on supplementing with this as a human (see “Important Things to Remember” at the bottom of this page).

6. Store the powder in an airtight container (preferably glass) in a cool, dry area. Use as needed.

Visual like me? Check out the video below where my Momager shows you the process from start to finish. As for how much to use in lieu of the bones? Depending on where you research, it is recommended to use HALF to a FULL TEASPOON of eggshell powder PER POUND OF MEAT.

In my amazing tiger blood recipe, we use around 5 pounds of chicken meat and skins. So, when substituting the bones with eggshell powder, I recommend using 4 TEASPOONS of eggshell powder per batch.

CHECK OUT HOW TO MAKE EGGSHELL POWDER HERE:


Now, I get it. Not everyone is particularly down with being all hands-on (or maybe you’re not a big fan of eggs to collect a bajillion shells).

Here are two additional bone-substitutions you can use in your raw cat food recipe:

  • MICROCYSTALLINE HYDROXYAPATITE (MCHA). This is an equally awesome option as eggshell powder (some may argue an even BETTER option) if you have the budget for it. MCHA is freeze-dried, ground RAW bone that is specifically from New Zealand or Australia. Why is that so awesome? First of all, the bone is processed just how we want it – completely raw and uncooked. Secondly, because of this, it contains minerals and nutrients in the proper natural ratios similar to raw bone you would grind at home. And finally, MCHA only comes from New Zealand and Australia which are known for having some of the highest standards when it comes to food and livestock regulations (yes, much higher than regulations within the US and many European countries). This means that this product comes from pasture-raised, pesticide-free livestock and that it is tested for unfavorable substances like heavy metals. I suggest Pure Encapsulations – Calcium (MCHA) as it is a very high quality brand and this version of the product does not include any additional ingredients – which can often be difficult to find (it is somewhat difficult to find MCHA alone, or at least without added magnesium). You can include MCHA powder when making the entire batch of my Raw Cat Food Recipe or you can add it in per meal. For the batch, use 12-13 capsules (ground up in a pill-grinder or coffee maker) and mix in well as you do with the other supplements. If you choose to include MCHA per meal, considering you are feeding your cat twice a day, use HALF a capsule per meal (ground up and mixed in, as well) or one full capsule a day.

 

  • FOOD GRADE BONE MEAL. Less expensive than the above option (but pricier than homemade eggshells) is supplemental Bone Meal. The difference here is that the bone is first COOKED then ground into a fine powder, leaving it at the bottom of the list of bone substitutions when making raw food (though it is still sufficient enough). Plus, the regulations are of USDA Food Grade standards, which are arguably a bit lower than that of Australia and New Zealand. However, if this is more within your budget or all you have access to – it is a viable option. One thing is for sure: it is vital that you choose a USDA FOOD GRADE labeled bone meal. I suggest NOW Food Brand USDA Food Grade Bone Meal (photo below) as they use minimal additional ingredients and are known for their high-quality, trustworthy supplements at a more affordable cost. Similar to eggshell powder, use 4 TEASPOONS of bone meal with my Raw Cat Food Recipe.

 

While the above are sufficient substitutes for raw bone in the raw cat food recipe, there are still a few IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

  • Raw bone is ALWAYS best. If you are planning on feeding your cat a raw food diet long term, the best option is to find a way to include the actual raw bone within the food in order to ensure they are getting the most well-rounded nutrition and benefits. This is especially important for growing kittens, who need essential nutrients to become the healthiest little house lions they are meant to become. Investing in a high-power blender is worthwhile, not just for grinding up bones but for human kitchen things, too. *Remember to always only use RAW bone and never give your pets cooked bones – cooking bones makes them very hazardous with sharp, splintered texture while raw bone is actually very soft and hydrated.
  • NEVER use typical, store-bought calcium supplements. What makes the bone, bone meal, and eggshells so special is not only their ratio of calcium to phosphate within the recipe – but also the fact that they contain a ton of additional nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Eggshells, for example, are VERY similar to bone with 90% calcium carbonate with the inner membrane of the shell containing keratin, glucosamine, hyraulonic acid, chondroitin sulfate, collagens, and even some magnesium and phosphorus. Plus, calcium carbonate has been shown to absorb equally as well as the commonly sold calcium citrate when it is eaten with food (which is no problem here)!
  • These supplements are great for humans, too! Yep, it’s true. Especially if you suffer from arthritis, joint pain, or osteopenia and osteoperosis (ladies), you may find benefit from taking any of the above substitutions – eggshell powder, MCHA, or bone meal. You can mix them into smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, soups, and more. The nutrients provided may even encourage stronger hair, skin, and nails! One teaspoon a day of the eggshell powder should do the trick (as for the MCHA and bone meal, simply follow the suggested dosage on the bottle of the brand).

 

Any other questions or comments? Leave them below my HOW TO MAKE EGGSHELL POWDER video on YouTube and remember to subscribe for weekly videos about cat stuff (… and whatever other totally unimportant non-cat-stuff my Momager feels like posting.)

 

So, there you have it. How to make raw cat food without bone, or how to make homemade raw cat food if you don’t have a grinder or blender (to grind up the bone).

 

Til next time, I’meow-t.