This is exactly what some manufacturers want you to believe.  Poultry
by-product has NEVER contained feathers or blood.  Chicken meal starts
with deponed chicken which contains about 40% connective tissue and it
only comes from chickens.  Because of the connective tissue it is of less
quality than quality by product meal.  It does not contain feathers or
blood either.  Chicken by product meal starts with the intestinal tracts
of chicken and contains some muscle meat but not the deponed chicken meat.
It does not contain feathers or blood.  Depending on the supplier and the
quality a manufactures wants to buy, this meal does not contain dead birds
(DOA).  Poultry by product meal is the same as the CBP meal only it can
contain turkeys, pheasants, ducks and geese.  However, it almost always
contains turkey and chicken because there are very few processing plants in
the US that process either ducks, pheasants or geese.  How do you know the
difference in quality by reading the label?  You don't.  You have to call
or write the manufacturer and then look at the results of the meal.  No
matter what the manufacturer tells you how your ferret looks acts and
feels is the true answer.  Quality cost.  Therefore, those companies that
advertise that there food is just as good as a top quality food such as
Totally Ferret but cheaper is not true.  You get what you pay for.
 
DR Tom Willard
 
[Sukie's note:  Dr. Willard's doctorate is in veterinary nutrition.]
[Posted in FML issue 3411]