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]