# New food item



## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

They looked like tomatoes in the first shot, but I have no idea seeing them cooked.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Tomatillas? If so, be careful. Tomatoes are toxic to dogs.


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

I have no idea what they are, but I know they are not tomatoes... 

also, tomatoes are only toxic if they are green (and the green bits like leafs) the red fruit is actually fine. 

Tomato and Dogs - Are Tomatoes Poisonous to Dogs and Cats?


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

Nope. Not a vegetable. Not a fruit. Cammie and Bob do not like veggies. Think carnivore.


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

I'm going to guess some form of testicle. 


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I'm betting testicles, too, mostly because I can't think of any other organ that looks so much like a, well...ball. I ordered lamb and goat testicles from My Pet Carnivore last month, but they don't look quite like that raw, and I'm definitely not going to cook them to see what happens! (Jazzie loves them, eats them whole. Luke, on the other hand, won't touch them unless I cut them into small pieces. Go figure.)


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

No -- not testicles.


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## exile (Dec 15, 2013)

Eyeballs, .......? wait, I think I'm going to be sick....


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

exile said:


> Eyeballs, .......? wait, I think I'm going to be sick....


That was my next thought...after lamb fries...


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Hmmm. Ovaries?


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

JudyD said:


> Hmmm. Ovaries?


You may be on to something....


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Egg yolk? From very healthy hens that get plenty of greens 


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

poodlecrazy#1 said:


> Egg yolk? From very healthy hens that get plenty of greens


Yes! YES! *YES!!!*

Here’s the story. I buy all of my meat directly from farmers. In addition to the well-known benefits of buying directly from farmers (no antibiotics or added hormones, sustainable farming practices, better for the environment, better tasting and healthier meat, humane treatment of animals, better lives for farmers, etc.), buying directly from farmers can give you access to foods that you would not be able to buy at the grocery store. My dogs love organ meat, especially turkey or duck gizzards and hearts. I was delighted when a farmer that I buy from told me that he had just slaughtered 10 turkeys and I could have all of the organ meat! Only $2 per pound -- what a great deal. When I got my big bag of fresh turkey organ meat home and opened it up, I was surprised to see the little yellow balls in addition to hearts, livers and gizzards. I tried to think of all of the organs that a turkey might have and none of them seemed like they would look like a smooth yellow ball. So I asked the farmer. The answer -- they are undeveloped eggs from the inside of the slaughtered turkeys! They look just like an egg yolk with a thin membrane which I guess later turns into a hard shell. I’m not sure how or when the white of the egg develops. I boiled them just as you would hard boil an egg, and Cammie, my nursing momma, got most of them. But of course, Bob had to have a few of them too.


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## kcp1227 (Jan 25, 2013)

I never would have guessed that. How cool!


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Fish eggs of some type?


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

That is so awesome! I wish I had a farmer I could buy from like that. My dogs always get our organic chicken eggs but organic meat straight from the farm would be amazing! It is quite interesting to see how eggs become eggs as travel through the reproductive system. As they travel down the oviduct they go through stages. From releasing the yolk to coating the white to then coating the shell, and for some breeds of chicken "painting" color onto the shell, and then pushing the finished egg out. On rare occasions you can get a double yolk where there are two yolks inside one egg or even more rare is when an egg gets pushed back up the oviduct after the shell is coated and the process happens again giving a humongous egg with a fully formed egg inside.It is quite amazing to get one of those! Here is a video explaining how the egg is formed and the different stages it goes through. The clear membrane you had on your yolks is the chalaza. So they were pretty early in the processes when he harvested them. 
http://youtu.be/l_D1qTNDyJc



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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

poodlecrazy#1 said:


> That is so awesome! I wish I had a farmer I could buy from like that. My dogs always get our organic chicken eggs but organic meat straight from the farm would be amazing! It is quite interesting to see how eggs become eggs as travel through the reproductive system. As they travel down the oviduct they go through stages. From releasing the yolk to coating the white to then coating the shell, and for some breeds of chicken "painting" color onto the shell, and then pushing the finished egg out. On rare occasions you can get a double yolk where there are two yolks inside one egg or even more rare is when an egg gets pushed back up the oviduct after the shell is coated and the process happens again giving a humongous egg with a fully formed egg inside.It is quite amazing to get one of those! Here is a video explaining how the egg is formed and the different stages it goes through. The clear membrane you had on your yolks is the chalaza. So they were pretty early in the processes when he harvested them.
> How an Egg is Made - YouTube


What a great video! Thanks for the explanation. I've seen eggs with 2 yolks, but never heard of an egg within an egg! 

If anyone is looking for a farmer who sells directly to the public, see either of these sites:

Eat Well Guide :: Local, Sustainable, Organic Food
Eat Wild


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## Nicofreako (Aug 19, 2013)

That is so interesting! I am in Texas, and I buy all my meat from local ranchers and farmers as well, and for the same reasons. I usually get beef hearts and livers for my girls, but I may have to stretch out a little and see if they might sell me a grab bag of organs on the cheap


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

poodlecrazy#1 said:


> even more rare is when an egg gets pushed back up the oviduct after the shell is coated and the process happens again giving a humongous egg with a fully formed egg inside.It is quite amazing to get one of those!





peppersb said:


> . I've seen eggs with 2 yolks, but never heard of an egg within an egg!


Funny how I read this today and now I just got the TV on while doing something on my laptop and a program called "Rude Tube" is on, which shows interesting and/or weird youtube videos, and this was one of them: 

Big Egg


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Wild Kitten said:


> Funny how I read this today and now I just got the TV on while doing something on my laptop and a program called "Rude Tube" is on, which shows interesting and/or weird youtube videos, and this was one of them:
> 
> 
> 
> Big Egg



Lol what a coincidence! Doesn't it make you feel so bad for that poor hen! It's hard enough passing a regular egg much less a huge one. Lol. 


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

Wow! The things you can learn on poodleforum!!! This is so interesting! Thanks to Poodlecrazy and to Wild Kitten for the fabulous videos.


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

poodlecrazy#1 said:


> Lol what a coincidence! Doesn't it make you feel so bad for that poor hen! It's hard enough passing a regular egg much less a huge one. Lol.



Yeah I would guess it got to be pretty uncomfortable if not painful..


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

Peppersb, do you just ask the farmer to save all of the organs, or are there certain ones? I was actually getting ready to start a thread asking what organs from chickens they can eat. My mom raises chickens, and she is getting ready to butcher some. I was thinking she could possibly save the parts she might normally throw away so I could freeze them in portions and feed them to Hans. I would feel so much better feeding him chickens she raised instead of grocery store meat.


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## peppersb (Jun 5, 2011)

FireStorm said:


> Peppersb, do you just ask the farmer to save all of the organs, or are there certain ones? I was actually getting ready to start a thread asking what organs from chickens they can eat. My mom raises chickens, and she is getting ready to butcher some. I was thinking she could possibly save the parts she might normally throw away so I could freeze them in portions and feed them to Hans. I would feel so much better feeding him chickens she raised instead of grocery store meat.


I completely agree with you about trusting the chickens that your mom raises more than grocery store meat. The chicken organs that your dog will like are hearts, livers and gizzards. Chicken gizzards have quite a bit of fat around them, so it can be a bit time consuming to clean them up. I think they are often thrown out for that reason, but if you feel like cleaning most of the fat off of them, your dog will love them. Turkey gizzards are easier just because you are dealing with a bigger organ. 

In the Philadelphia area where I live, there are dozens of farm stands in different neighborhoods. They are open for just a couple of hours a week, usually Saturday mornings. The farmers themselves come and sell their meat, eggs, produce, etc. It is really nice because you can talk to the farmers and find out how the animals are raised and slaughtered (that stuff is important to me). You can either buy from the selection that they bring to the farm stands or you can pre-order. If you want organ meat, it is usually best to pre-order, especially if you want a lot of it. The meat (organ meat as well as other meat) usually comes frozen, but the bag of organs from 10 turkeys that had the undeveloped eggs in it was fresh.


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