Hound Food

[EAST KENT]

I am interested to know what packs feed which type of nutrition.It interested me to find out if those packs now feeding "dry complete" feed have noticed any difference to when the pack was flesh fed. Of special interest is breeding..litter size and fertility ..always a first reflection on nutrition.These days the flesh round is expensive and all the daft rules make it far harder to comply,and feeding dry then becomes more economic. Any answers?

 

[polopony]

Not sure if this is the answer you're looking for but... My local pack stopped collecting deadstock because it was costing the hunt too much money and they could not afford to buy a new incinerator. Instead they collect meat from the slaughter house. I am a puppy walker and my young pups enjoy a regular delivery of flesh and meat pies

 

[EAST KENT]

It is more for packs that have changed from raw flesh to dry..and the effect on breeding, I know my local pack are still demon hunters on dry.

 

[k9h]

We feed cobby dog hunt kennel mix. We stopped collect due to f&m and never started again. Hounds do not smell any more, their coats are not greasy. They have never come home tired after hunting even after the hardest & longest of days
Breeding wise all seems to have stayed normal, litter size & pup sizes.

 

[4x4]

The largest hunt in England feeds Melton Mowbray pork pies direct from the factory -so I'm told.

 

[Hunters]

Originally, hunts fed 'fallen stock' collected from farmers as a 'quid pro quo' ancient arrangement for allowing farmers to hunt on their land.

This has been a tried and tested successful way of keeping a happy equilibrium amongst the hunting country and landowner/farmer fraternity.

One hunt in particular I know in the south has stopped picking up in the south of its country, the farmers believe that there is no picking up going on in any of the country & so some now deliver their deadstock to the kennels.

However, the big hunt is allowing local picking up to go on. If the farmers in the south learn of this it 'could' effect the hunting in the south, and I have yet to meet a stupid farmer who doesn't eventually wise up, but I've met a few who can hold a grudge....

 

[Clodagh]

I think hounds keep their condition better over the season on flesh, but I don't work in kennels so its only an observers view.

 

[4x4]

Hunters, with the price of diesel I can't see how it would be economically viable to deliver a dead calf from Old Basing/Hartley Wintney to (Vale of) Aylesbury? This is why the country is getting tighter as dead stock is just not being picked up - they prefer to give them pork pies (oh and probably the odd packet of crisps and a pint of beer and a sandwich)? Or is that just the huntsman?

 

[Hunters]

I know the huntsman you are referring to... lol !

 

[EAST KENT]

Any more? Only because I have noticed that dog breeders using dry only tend to get smaller litters.We still feed the traditional flesh and bones way,and our`s breed well for us.
Obviously hounds en masse might give an even broader picture.

 

[maggiesmum]

They're obviously not hounds but my ex in-laws breed dobermans, they've always fed raw tripe to the older dogs and sardines to the puppies, all their dogs to date have lived to good ages (14-15) and they've always bred strong puppies with good amounts of bone.

 

[irish_only]

Any more? Only because I have noticed that dog breeders using dry only tend to get smaller litters.We still feed the traditional flesh and bones way,and our`s breed well for us.
Obviously hounds en masse might give an even broader picture.

Not hounds, but my bitch has had a litter of eleven twice in a row, and fed on dry food.

 

[Stark Dismay]

they prefer to give them pork pies ..... Or is that just the huntsman

 

[CinnamonChristmasCookie]

Interesting thread, J. You might want to talk to Scott at the Dog Food Company whose website mentions litter size.

http://www.thedogfoodcompany.co.uk/about_us.html

 

[mirage]

Our deadstock goes to the local kennels,but we have to deliver it.

 

[Vulpinator]

I am interested to know what packs feed which type of nutrition.It interested me to find out if those packs now feeding "dry complete" feed have noticed any difference to when the pack was flesh fed. Of special interest is breeding..litter size and fertility ..always a first reflection on nutrition.These days the flesh round is expensive and all the daft rules make it far harder to comply,and feeding dry then becomes more economic. Any answers?

I still feed Flesh it holds the condition in winter a treat but when there is too much dead coming in it costs a fortune and makes hard work of the job i would rather just pick up from the farmers we hunt over and leave the rest to fend for them selves. or do what a lot of hunts do now and thats swap knackers for flesh from the local knackerman and top up with biscuit more cost effective and still keeps condition without the massive cost involved in getting rid of offal and bone.

 

[Houndman]

Mixture of dried kibble, flesh (from abbatoir - we do not collect fallen stock) and waste pastry (stale meat pies / pasties etc).

Proportion of tripe added only when hounds are in work (not during summer as we find it makes them more fractious)

During summer a higher proportion of biscuit and less flesh

I understand a neighbouring hunt near the coast gives a proportion of fish skins which are supposed to be excellent. If I remember correctly, they need to be descaled when you get them, boiled to kill parasites and there must be no bones - you need to remove all the heads and fins from them.