While dehydrated chicken feet may not be on everyone’s to do list, we usually have quite a few feet lingering around here certain times of the year. We butcher our overstock of roosters for meat. I don’t like to eat the feet (or cook with them) but I like to dehydrate them for dog treats. Less waste.
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Buying natural dog treats from pet stores can get pretty pricey, especially if you have more than one dog. Making your own dog treats at home can save you money! Plus, you know the exact ingredients and how it was made!
Our Source Of Chicken Feet
While I realize not all people live like us, there is a decent amount that do. We humanely raise and butcher our own chickens here. That way, we know how they were raised and all ingredients involved. We try our best to not waste any of the animals we process. That being said, I will not eat the feet or organs, but our doggies love those parts!
Each chicken we butcher (obviously) has 2 feet. That’s 2 treats per chicken and making dehydrated chicken feet for dog treats is super easy!
If you do not butcher your own chickens, you may look into local butchers in your area for local sources of your own.
Items Needed
- Dehydrator
- Chicken Feet (fresh or thawed)
- Snips/scissors
How To Dehydrate Chicken Feet
- You want to make sure your chicken feet have been cut at the “knee” joint, or where the feathers and skin meet.
- Make sure to clip the toenails as short as you can. This will reduce any choking hazards for your furry friends.
- Give the feet a good scrub down to get rid of any/all dirt and bacteria. This is also a good time to make sure there are no infections on the feet. You don’t want to give your pets contaminated treats!
- Dry the chicken feet as best as you can. The drier they are, the shorter time they will take in the dehydrator to dry.
- Place the clean chicken feet in the dehydrator trays, making sure to not overlap.
- Set you dehydrator for around 160 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 3 days.
- Consistently check your chicken feet to see if they are done. It may not take 3 days for your feet to fully dry. It all depends on your climate, dehydrator, and how dry the feet were going in.
- Once your chicken feet are dry, place them in an airtight container. I like to use a quart size (or larger) mason jar to store my dehydrated chicken feet.
Before feeding treats to your canine friend, make sure to check the feet for any mold, bad smell, splintering, etc. Please discard these treats as they may harm your pet.
Always make sure to give your pet plenty of water while they are enjoying their treats!
Only give treats while you can observe them. Some dehydrated chicken feet can splinter and create choking hazards for your furry friend.
Dehydrated Chicken Feet
Equipment
- Dehydrator
- Snips/scissors
Ingredients
- Chicken feet Fresh or thawed
Instructions
- Make sure your chicken feet are cut at the "knee" joint, where the skin and feathers meet.
- Using your snips/scissors, clip the toenails as short as you can to prevent any choking hazards for your canine friend.
- Clean the feet. You don't want dirt or bacteria on your best friends treats.
- Dry the clean feet as well as possible so it does not take longer than necessary in the dehydrator.
- Place chicken feet in dehydrator trays. Do not overlap.
- Set dehydrator at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 3 days.
- Consistently check the chicken feet to see if they are done. The exact drying time depends on the climate, your specific dehydrator, and how dry the feet were going in to the dehydrator.
- Once the chicken feet are dried, place in a quart size (or larger) container and seal tightly.
