BigGameHoundsmen.com

I was just curious about other houndsmen's feeding schedules, homemade dog food etc.
Like do you feed in the am or pm?Does feeding in the am keep your dogs quieter during the day?
Is feeding in the am better than feeding in the pm, or vice versa?
What percent protein food do you use?
Do you split up feeding?
General ideas/beliefs/myths on feeding hounds?
Do you use vitamins/supplements? what brands?
All responses will get a free Hunt Tahoe Bear and Beat Up Poachers sticker

I feed my dogs my own mix of food. I get meat scraps and bones and cuts of fat and cook it up with veggies and eggs and a few other things once a week in a big pot. Then I keep it in an old fridge and mix it with some cheap dry food when I feed them. I have been doing it for a while now and it has really made a diffrence in the way the dogs look, act and hunt. When they are not being hunted hard I feed them once a day in the afternoon. When its hot out I wait till 9 or 10PM to feed them. When Im hunting them hard for Bear I feed them morning and night. I heard long ago not to feed your dogs before you hunt them and for a long time did that as well. But now I feed them all the time and they look and hunt better then ever and if they do have to spend a night or two in the woods they dont look like skin and bones when I get them back. If you had to go to work and work you butt off running up and down mts all day long how well would you work with out anything to eat? Dog are the same way they need to have carbohydrates and protein to have energy. If they dont eat then they will rob them from other places in there body. Thats just what works best for me but what do I know. Happy hunting.

I also feed my own mix. I put about 8 lbs of course ground meat, along with the days table scraps into a big pot of water and turn up the fire. By the time the water is boiling the meat is pretty well cooked so I add a 5 gallon bucket of very fine ground corn, stirring vigorously for 3 or 4 minutes, turn out the fire and continue stirring untill cooled enough that the corn next to the edge doesn't scorch. That will feed approximately 20 dogs. If short of table scraps then I add a vitamin/mineral. Other than a slightly different mix for my dogfood, I do everything else pretty much the way livetohunt described.

Bill

I feed at night, especially in winter when super cold, helps to keep them warm through the night.

but it makes sence what was said about feeding in the moring before a hunt, maybe I will start feeding a half ration before we go out.

The biggest myth is about not feeding your dogs before hunting. I would say if you're hunting right out of your place, then you might want to wait an hour but most guys do some amount of traveling before they get to where they are going to hunt. I think what Livetohunt said is dead on. Dogs are just like any other athelete. They need energy all day long, not when they are done hunting.
I'm feeding two types of dry food mixed together plus meat, usually horse, beaver or bison meat and I feed morning and night everyday. Add more meat when running them everyday and less during off season.

I feed twice a day.. If the dogs are being fed 2 measuring cups a day, I just split it up.. If they are at 3 cups then they get 1 am and 2 pm... I feed them before I hunt no less then an hour from the time I'm collaring up.. I feed dry kibble March thru Nov, the heavier hunting months I'll mix a little meat in with it from the butcher shop.. I also in the winter give them warm water in their feed to make sure they are getting enough water.. My guys go off their water when it is cold out and I haven't bought heated buckets yet.. I give them all a fish oil tablet in their food and the older dogs get a glucosamine tablet once a day also..

I feed once a day in the PM.I also mix meat scraps from the local slaughter house.I normally feed 24/20 when Im running them hard cut back to a milder mix in the summer months also been thinking of trying those protien bars before a hunt anyone have any experience with those?

I feed once a day when im not hunting and 2 times a day the day before the hunt and while i am hunting them. I have 2 dogs that will puke if i feed them right before i go out and i hunt close to my house, so the day before i start hunting ill feed a little bit mid day and again at around 10pm with diamond extreme athlete 32/25.

When should i expect my stickers.

I feed a Science diet ( I work for a vet and get a good $$) according to the dogs needs.. We feed am & pm year round with scrap meat in the pm. During cat season we add the SD High Engery to their rations and add a noon feed if we can and are hunting hard. Older dogs get joint supp.(Phycox Chews) and rimadyl as needed. During the summer we feed a lighter and when it is hot wait till later in the pm to feed.

outlaw13, I dont know how long you've been feeding that dog food, but if you just started keep an eye on your dogs. I tried it a while back and it over heated a feamle real bad trying to digest that high of protein. She had a hard time running with my other dogs and started loosing hair. Just something to keep an eye on.

Ross

I have been feeding it since bear season started and have not had any problems. all the dogs are running good and recovering fast. If i only get one race during the day and its short ill road my dogs before taking them home. I have two 12 year olds that are treeing bears still and looking good on the food. I also feed it to my puppies mixed in with diamond puppy food and they love it.

sounds likes its working good for you, just thought Id share my experience

Ross

right on and thanks. I am sure there are some dogs that can't take it just like some people can't eat certain foods but i would recommend using it if your dog can take it. If i had one dog respond bad and i knew it was the food i would still feed it to the other dogs and find something that suited that dog better.