Mr. Lipinskir equested more information regarding my freeze drying
methods, which I'll share again:

Mr. Lipinski asks: (I've numbered his queries to simplify the
responses)

1) how do you freeze dry your ferret food, as I am given to understand
that your are expert in this practice?

I don't consider myself an expert- just resourceful and so far
successful.

2) Do you have specialized equipment for freeze drying?

Just a frost free freezer, a sharp knife, poultry shears, styrofoam
meat trays, ice cube trays and patience

3) Can you please tell me the physical state of your ferret food at the
time you submit it for freeze drying?

Fresh raw, cut into strips 1/4" thick by about an inch square if meat
or fish; chicken necks get cut into one inch long hunks. I generally
don't freeze dry any other boney items besides necks as they take too
long to dry and drying the larger bones defeats the purpose of offering
soft wet fresh raw bone to the ferrets to eat.

The pieces are cut and placed into ice cube trays then stacked to allow
the air to circulate within the frost free freezer. Liver is spaced out
upon styrofoam meat trays and stacked for drying.

4) Is it at room temperature or is it frozen solid?

Neither - just fresh raw refrigerated to start with.

5) Is it liquid in form?

Only if it starts out as duk soup.

6) If liquid, how viscous, like gravy or like thin soup?

My soup is rather like thick gravy.

7) Can you please tell me how long a period of time it takes to reach
the powdery state of the freeze dried substance?

The only substance that becomes powdery when freeze dried is the soup.
All other items retain their original form except that now they are
very light in weight and leathery in texture.

As for time it varies depending upon the moisture and fat content of
the original item. Liver seems to take forever. At least several weeks
to a couple months.

Salmon dries rather quickly - within about ten days.

Poultry takes a little longer - closer to 2 weeks or slightly longer.

Ground meat mixes take very long too, but can be hastened if the
frozen cubes are then cut into 1/4" thick pieces.

Soup takes a few months, I don't cut the soup cubes to hasten their
drying, because I usually reconstitute the soup before feeding anyway.
But eventually these cubes become very dry and can be broken into
crumbly, powdery form.

TO test if the item has dried completely I cut open the piece and look
for uniformity. If the inside is the same color and consistency as the
exterior, the piece is done.

Cheers,
Kim

please visit :
for ferret help and info:
http://holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi
http://ferretopia.proboards51.com/index.cgi
yahoo groups Natural Ferrets

for fun:
www.vanityferret.com

[Posted in FML 6076]