Raw chicken BARF: a balanced homemade dog food recipe
BARF-style: chicken thigh, chicken liver, beef kidney and broccoli. Calcium from a powder instead of bone.
Raw · Muscle 78%, Liver 6%, Organ 6%, Veg 11% · checked against AAFCO adult maintenance, per 1,000 kcal
Raw meat can carry Salmonella and Listeria: the AVMA and FDA warn against feeding it. If you feed raw, handle it like raw meat for your family, and keep it cold.
For 1,000 kcal a day
About the daily calories of a 42 lb neutered adult. Scale it to your own dog below. Grams are for the food as listed (raw weight for raw entries).
| Chicken thigh, meat only, raw | 739 g |
| Chicken liver, raw | 53 g |
| Beef kidney, raw | 53 g |
| Broccoli, raw | 106 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 4.45 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 1/2 tablet |
| Copper tablet, 2 mg (gluconate or bisglycinate)2 mg copper per tablet (not copper oxide) | 1/2 tablet |
| Manganese tablet, 10 mg10 mg manganese per tablet | 1/4 tablet |
| Vitamin E softgel, 100 IU (d-alpha-tocopherol)100 IU vitamin E per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Vitamin D3 drops, 400 IU per drop400 IU vitamin D3 per drop | 1 drop |
| Kelp (iodine) tablet, 150 µg iodine150 µg iodine per tablet | 1 3/4 tablets |
Balanced: 0 short, 0 over
What the recipe misses without supplements
On its own, this recipe is 8 short and 0 over: calcium (short), calcium to phosphorus ratio (short), copper (short), manganese (short), zinc (short), iodine (short), vitamin d (short), vitamin e (short).
- A classic BARF plan is about 70% muscle, 10% bone, 5% liver, 5% other organ and some vegetables.
- We leave out the bone: the calcium in raw bone depends on the cut and we have no lab data we trust for it, so the plan adds calcium you can weigh.
Scale it to your dog
About 1,020 kcal a day. One batch for 7 days:
| Chicken thigh, meat only, raw | 5,284 g |
| Chicken liver, raw | 377 g |
| Beef kidney, raw | 377 g |
| Broccoli, raw | 755 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 32 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 3 1/4 tablets |
| Copper tablet, 2 mg (gluconate or bisglycinate)2 mg copper per tablet (not copper oxide) | 3 1/2 tablets |
| Manganese tablet, 10 mg10 mg manganese per tablet | 3/4 tablet |
| Vitamin E softgel, 100 IU (d-alpha-tocopherol)100 IU vitamin E per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Vitamin D3 drops, 400 IU per drop400 IU vitamin D3 per drop | 2 drops |
| Kelp (iodine) tablet, 150 µg iodine150 µg iodine per tablet | 13 tablets |
Checked after rounding: 0 short, 0 over
Full AAFCO check of the balanced recipe
Per 1,000 kcal against the AAFCO adult maintenance profile, after rounding the supplements.
| Nutrient | Per 1,000 kcal | AAFCO min | Max | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein and amino acids | ||||
| Protein | 166 g | 45 g | – | OK |
| Arginine | 10.9 g | 1.28 g | – | OK |
| Histidine | 4.67 g | 0.48 g | – | OK |
| Isoleucine | 7.45 g | 0.95 g | – | OK |
| Leucine | 13.3 g | 1.7 g | – | OK |
| Lysine | 14.6 g | 1.58 g | – | OK |
| Methionine | 4.42 g | 0.83 g | – | OK |
| Methionine + cystine | 6.29 g | 1.63 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine | 6.36 g | 1.13 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 12.2 g | 1.85 g | – | OK |
| Threonine | 7.35 g | 1.2 g | – | OK |
| Tryptophan | 1.77 g | 0.4 g | – | OK |
| Valine | 7.72 g | 1.23 g | – | OK |
| Fat and fatty acids | ||||
| Fat | 35 g | 13.8 g | – | OK |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 5.89 g | 2.8 g | – | OK |
| Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio | 17 : 1 | – | 30:1 | OK |
| Minerals | ||||
| Calcium | 1.89 g | 1.25 g | 6.25 g | OK |
| Phosphorus | 1.73 g | 1 g | 4 g | OK |
| Calcium to phosphorus ratio | 1.1 : 1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | OK |
| Potassium | 2.38 g | 1.5 g | – | OK |
| Sodium | 0.87 g | 0.2 g | – | OK |
| Chloride(estimated) | 0.87 g | 0.3 g | – | OK |
| Magnesium | 0.21 g | 0.15 g | – | OK |
| Iron | 14 mg | 10 mg | – | OK |
| Copper | 2 mg | 1.83 mg | – | OK |
| Manganese | 3.03 mg | 1.25 mg | – | OK |
| Zinc | 22 mg | 20 mg | – | OK |
| Iodine(estimated) | 0.26 mg | 0.25 mg | 2.75 mg | OK |
| Selenium | 0.28 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.5 mg | OK |
| Vitamins and choline | ||||
| Vitamin A | 6,715 IU | 1,250 IU | 62,500 IU | OK |
| Vitamin D | 423 IU | 125 IU | 750 IU | OK |
| Vitamin E | 104 IU | 12.5 IU | – | OK |
| Thiamine (B1) | 1.08 mg | 0.56 mg | – | OK |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 4.02 mg | 1.3 mg | – | OK |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 6.01 mg | 3 mg | – | OK |
| Niacin (B3) | 51.1 mg | 3.4 mg | – | OK |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 4.32 mg | 0.38 mg | – | OK |
| Folic acid (folate) | 0.46 mg | 0.054 mg | – | OK |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.028 mg | 0.007 mg | – | OK |
| Choline | 519 mg | 340 mg | – | OK |
Balance your own recipe instead
Keep your own ingredients and grams. The check is free; exact grams, doses and a PDF for your vet are $19 per dog for 12 months.
Check my recipeNot veterinary advice. For healthy adult dogs only. Review any diet with your vet, change food over about a week, and weigh your dog every 2–4 weeks.