# Fletcher's First Raw Chicken Neck



## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

There's a local farmer's market once a week where I was finally able to touch base with a farmer and locate some chicken necks for Fletcher to try.

They were frozen into a big bag, so I had to let them thaw slightly so I could separate them into smaller packs, but finally got that done yesterday.

This morning, Fletch had his first neck. Since I didn't know how he would eat it, and didn't want him to try to swallow it whole, OR run around the house with it, so I held it for him.

At first all he did was lick it, then looked at me like "What now?!?"

After a while he started picking at it with his front teeth, then gradually he was pulling bits off. Eventually he pulled enough away that I could snap off one of the vertebra and give it to him. He seemed super surprised at this development! But quickly threw the piece back to his big chompers and crunched it up.

Eventually I got tired of holding the neck and snapped what I could into smaller pieces. Eventually I got a knife and chopped the last few neck bones apart and gave them to him. He crunched them up nicely and swallowed them down.

So.... I know they can handle a full neck and eventually get it apart themselves, but I'm not interested in having him get covered in chicken juice.

Is it *bad* if I cut the neck up into pieces that he can crunch and eat without using his feet and/or getting it everywhere on himself and around the house?


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Buck does not get covered in chicken juice, but I was petrified when I gave him his first one. I did buy him a snood (you could make one with a t-shirt sleeve) which I have used the few times he's had large, meaty bones.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

It sounds like Fletcher really enjoyed that treat!

I give Dulcie her wings outside. She doesn't want to eat them right on the ground or deck (which is a good thing, IMO) and so I put down a clean towel and she takes her wing there to crunch away.

I just bought some turkey necks and when I opened the package there were three HUGE turkey necks with a ton of attached meat. When I cook turkey, the neck in there looks about the right size and I expected the same thing, but these necks have so much extra meat etc attached that they really are huge.


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## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

Yes, I have to say I was surprised by the large size of some of these chicken necks.

I think the first few times I'll cut the necks up, and see where we are once he has some experience.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Thawed bones are a pain in the neck to deal with for me. So I keep them always frozen... and that's the way Tonka gets them. He thaws them out himself!


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