Chicken meal is a very common ingredient found in most commercial dog foods But what exactly is chicken meal, and should you be feeding it to your canine companion? In this article, I’ll explain in simple terms what chicken meal is, how it’s made, its pros and cons, and some alternatives for more nutritious dog food.
What is Chicken Meal?
Chicken meal is made from chicken flesh and skin that has been mechanically separated from the bones, ground up, and dried at high temperatures. This intensive cooking process removes most of the water and fat, leaving behind a powdered concentrate high in protein.
Chicken meal can come from any grade of chicken meat approved for use in pet food, including lower quality cuts. The exact nutritional quality can vary quite a bit between manufacturers.
Key Things to Know:
- Chicken meal is dried and ground chicken flesh and skin, with or without bones
- Intensive cooking removes moisture, concentrates protein
- Quality can vary greatly between brands
- Often made from lower grade chicken parts
How is Chicken Meal Made?
Here’s a quick rundown of how chicken meal is produced
- Chicken carcasses are processed to remove the meat and skin from the bones
- The meat, skin, and possibly bones are ground up into a slurry
- This mixture is cooked at temperatures between 240°F to 270°F for 40-60 minutes to remove moisture and fat
- The rendered chicken slurry is pressed to remove any remaining fat and moisture
- What’s left is a protein-dense yellow or brownish powder called chicken meal
The high heat and extended cooking time destroy a lot of the natural nutritional value of the chicken. But it creates a very concentrated, shelf-stable protein ingredient.
Is Chicken Meal Good for Dogs?
Chicken meal does provide a concentrated protein source for dogs. But there are some downsides to be aware of:
Pros:
- High in protein
- Cost effective protein source
- Long shelf life
Cons:
- Quality and ingredients can vary greatly
- Heavily processed at high temperatures
- Nutrients are damaged by extended high heat
- Contains rendered fats and proteins dogs would not eat in nature
- Protein sources can include low quality chicken parts
While chicken meal provides a cheap way to pack protein into dog food, the quality of that protein can be less bioavailable than less processed alternatives.
Healthier Alternatives to Chicken Meal
If you want to avoid heavily processed mystery ingredients like chicken meal, here are some healthier alternatives:
-
Fresh Chicken: Whole chicken or gently cooked chicken provides more digestible protein and nutrition than chicken meal. Look for brands with whole chicken, chicken breast, or thigh as the first ingredient.
-
Cage-Free Chicken: Opt for humanely raised chicken from cage-free sources over lower quality feed grade chicken parts used in chicken meal.
-
Dehydrated Chicken: Air dried or low temperature dehydrated chicken retains more nutrients than high heat chicken meal. Some brands use this in their recipes instead of meal.
-
Whole Prey Diet: For the least processed option, consider feeding a whole prey diet made from raw or gently cooked free-range animals. This provides balanced nutrition from whole food ingredients.
While chicken meal has some benefits, fresher and less processed chicken ingredients are healthier alternatives. Take a close look at the first 5 ingredients to select a high quality protein source for your dog.
The Bottom Line
Chicken meal can provide an affordable concentrated protein source for dogs. But the quality and nutritional value of different chicken meals can vary greatly between brands.
For optimal nutrition from high quality ingredients, look for dog foods with fresh chicken, dehydrated chicken, or cage-free chicken breast as the first ingredients. Avoid unnamed animal meals and by-products for better transparency into what your dog is eating.
By understanding what chicken meal is and its pros and cons, you can make better choices when selecting commercial dog food for your furry friend. Your dog will thank you for taking the time to feed them quality whole food ingredients when possible.
Why is Chicken Meal Used in Dog Food?
Okay, so named meat meals, and just “meat meal” are two very different things. The question then is why do so many dog foods use any sort of meal in the first place? There are a few reasons.
Accurate Protein Percentage: Because chicken meat, for example, is roughly 63% water and 29% protein by weight, most of this weight is cooked out of the meat before it hits your dog’s bowl. This is a problem because the protein percentage on the back of your dog’s food isn’t a true representation of what you think you’re reading on the ingredient list.
Think about it. If the first ingredient is chicken, and the second is whole grain corn, which actually contributes more to the nutrition of the food? The ingredient that goes into the mix dry and doesn’t lose 63% of its weight during cooking!
This is how, if raw chicken isn’t made into chicken meal before going into the dog food formula, (even though the packaging might claim a high percentage of protein) your dog might be cheated out of a significant amount of vital nutrients!
High Protein Content: Dogs are natural carnivores and require a diet rich in animal protein. This isn’t just for muscle growth and keeping their energy up. High quality animal protein is necessary for heart health, immune function, and tissue repair as well. Named meat meals help to provide the right concentration of the right type of protein to keep your dog healthy.
Nutrient Density: Named meat meal is packed with essential nutrients, including amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients are vital for maintaining strong bones, healthy skin and coat, and optimal organ function. By including a named meat meal in your dogs diet, you are providing them with a more well-rounded, nutritionally balanced meal that supports their overall health.
Safety and Quality: Chicken meal used in reputable dog food brands undergoes strict quality control measures to ensure safety and nutritional integrity, and nutritional value. By choosing dog food that includes chicken meal or any other named meat meal, you can have confidence in the safety and quality of the ingredients.
Why Do We Keep Saying “Named Meat Meal”?
Using named meat meals ensures that the pet food contains a specific and identifiable source of high-quality protein. “Chicken Meal” is made from the same chicken youd purchase at a grocery store. Things that we would happily serve our family for dinner! This is true of all named meat meals.
On the other hand, things like “meat meal” (without the animal name) come from ambiguous sources. Meat meal is defined by AAFCO as the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices. It can’t contain extraneous materials not provided for by this definition. While named meat meals are from the choice meat of a single animal, this ingredient may be from mammals other than cattle, pigs, sheep or goats without any further description.
You just don’t know what you’re going to get and you see “meat meal” on a label. Unlike named meat meals, the parts used do not have to come from animals intended as part of the human food chain. Imagine all of these parts going into a blender, then being cooked until it’s absolutely devoid of moisture, then dropped in your dogs bowl.
This is why all of our Kahoots-branded products will only ever contain the highest quality meats and named meat meals available. No ambiguous mystery “meat” in our products. If we wouldn’t be comfortable serving it to our own family, why would we serve it to your dog?
Chicken MEAL vs Chicken BYPRODUCT | What is the difference? | 5Strands FAQ
FAQ
Is chicken meal good for a dog?
Is Chicken Meal Good for Dogs? Yes! There are plenty of nutritional benefits of chicken meal, which is why you’ll often find it in dog food. For starters, chicken meal is packed with protein, an essential nutrient that plays a role in everything from muscle growth to immune functions.
What is chicken meal made of?
What does it mean when cat food says chicken meal?
Named meat meals, such as “Chicken Meal” or “Lamb Meal,” are used in pet food because they provide a concentrated and high-quality source of meat protein in dry foods. These meals are made by rendering and grinding whole meats like chicken or lamb into a fine “meal” consistency.
What does meal mean in dog food?
What are some easy chicken meals to make?
One of the best chicken recipes you can make at home is a scratch-made chikcne potpie.
What are some quick and easy chicken recipes?
One of my favourite chicken recipes is quick, easy, one pan apple cider chicken with butternut squash, apples, and thyme, cooked in an apple cider sauce. Serve this fall meal in just 40 minutes. Don’t forget some crusty bread to soak up all that juice.
What are some chicken dinner ideas?
Chicken pairs SO well with cheese, avocado, and spices, in everything from flautas (pretty much taquitos + chimichangas, if you’re unfamiliar) to quesadillas. Grab a pack of tortillas (or make your own !), and you’ll have myriad different options for how to serve your chicken.