Chicken in Dog Food

Chicken is one of the most common ingredients in dog food. In this article, we’ll explore different types of chicken in dog food from chicken meal to chicken by-products.

Definition of Chicken Ingredients

When it comes to pet food, manufacturers can choose between lots of different chicken ingredients to include in their products.

Some manufacturers include specific parts of a chicken like meat, giblets, gizzards, cartilage or necks into their formulas.

Chicken is a highly popular ingredient used in dog food due to its palatability, affordability, and excellent protein quality.

But chicken in dog food can vary in quality and it’s not always easy to understand the composition and purpose of ingredients.

For this reason, we have compiled an overview of the AAFCO’s official definitions for chicken ingredients[11]:

Protein is included as fresh chicken or processed chicken meal. Both can include by-products such as giblets or cartilage.

Chicken refers to fresh chicken meat and skin with or without bone, from chicken parts or whole carcasses. It can not include feathers, heads, feet or entrails. If the bone has been removed it may be called deboned chicken.

Chicken by-products are heads, feet, whole carcasses or viscera such as the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, crop, gizzard, esophagus, or undeveloped eggs and intestines.

Chicken meal is a rendered protein made from flesh, skin, bone, chicken parts or carcasses. It’s made from by-products but not from added feathers or heads, feet, and viscera. Its Ca:P ratio has to be 2.2:1 or below.

Chicken by-product meal is a rendered protein and basically the same as chicken meal but can include heads, feet, and viscera. Again, its Ca:P ratio can not exceed 2.2:1.

Chicken fat is a common source of fatty acids, flavor, and energy:

Chicken fat is obtained from chicken tissue during rendering or extraction. It can be treated with antioxidants to preserve it from becoming rancid.

And chicken broth or chicken digest are common flavor ingredients to make dog food more palatable:

Chicken broth is obtained by cooking chicken bones, chicken parts or chicken meat. It contains mainly water and protein and can’t exceed a moisture-to-protein ratio of 135:1.

Chicken digest is made by artificially digesting chicken tissue (except feathers) with heat, acids or enzymes.

Fresh Chicken

Fresh chicken meat is typically listed as “chicken“, by far one of the most widely used sources of animal protein in dog food[1].

Mechanically deboned chicken in dog food provides lots of highly digestible protein but fewer minerals[2]. Chicken with bone is sometimes called chicken with ground bone.

Chicken is a complete protein for dogs, it provides all the essential amino acids and taurine. It is also high in omega-6 fatty acids[7].

But chicken meat might be a little less digestible when compared to pollock, salmon, beef or pork[14].

Nutrients in 100 g[13]Meat*Meat/Skin*Giblets*
Water75.5 g66 g74.9 g
Energy119 kcal215 kcal124 kcal
Protein21.4 g18.6 g17.9 g
Fat3.08 g15.1 g4.47 g
Ash0.96 g0.79 g0.99 g
Amino acids
Arginine1.29 g1.17 g1.19 g
Histidine0.664 g0.544 g0.417 g
Isoleucine1.13 g0.924 g0.897 g
Leucine1.6 g1.35 g1.43 g
Lysine1.82 g1.51 g1.3 g
Methionine0.592 g0.493 g0.447 g
Threonine0.904 g0.767 g0.811 g
Phenylalanine0.849 g0.721 g0.81 g
Tryptophan0.25 g0.207 g0.204 g
Valine1.06 g0.902 g0.955 g
Fatty acids
Saturated0.79 g4.31 g1.36 g
Monounsaturated0.9 g6.24 g1.12 g
Polyunsaturated0.75 g3.23 g1.09 g
– Linoleic acid0.55 g2.88 g0.75 g
– α-Linolenic acid0.02 g0.14 g0.03 g
Cholesterol70 mg75 mg262 mg
Minerals
Calcium12 mg11 mg10 mg
Iron0.89 mg0.9 mg5.86 mg
Magnesium25 mg20 mg18 mg
Phosphorus173 mg147 mg197 mg
Potassium229 mg189 mg228 mg
Sodium77 mg70 mg77 mg
Zinc1.54 mg1.31 mg3.32 mg
Copper0.053 mg0.048 mg0.243 mg
Manganese0.019 mg0.019 mg0.149 mg
Selenium15.7 µg14.4 µg55.2 µg
Vitamins
Vitamin C2.3 mg1.6 mg16.2 mg
Vitamin A16 µg41 µg2660 µg
Vitamin E0.21 mg0.3 mg
Vitamin K1.8 µg1.5 µg
Thiamin0.073 mg0.06 mg0.088 mg
Riboflavin0.142 mg0.12 mg0.987 mg
Niacin8.24 mg6.8 mg 6.66 mg
Pantothenic acid1.06 mg0.91 mg3.21 mg
Vitamin B60.43 mg0.35 mg0.42 mg
Vitamin B120.37 µg0.31 µg11.4 µg
Folate7 µg6 µg345 µg
Choline65.7 mg59.7 mg
Betaine8.5 mg7.8 mg
*Nutritional data of broilers or fryers intended for human consumption.

It’s highly digestible and a lean protein.

Some manufacturers specify exactly which fresh chicken parts they used. Some examples from our database:

  • Chicken breast
  • Chicken backs
  • Chicken necks
  • Ground chicken
  • Chicken bone
  • Chicken leg quarters

But some manufacturers rather opt to use easier-to-handle options such as freeze-dried, dehydrated or dried chicken.

Some ingredients are listed with descriptive claims about animal husbandry. But these often sound more substantial than they are.

For example, all chickens have to be raised without hormones. And basically, all chickens raised for meat are kept cage-free. And there is no general definition of what humanely raised even means.

If you want to be sure to get premium ingredients your best bet is to maybe look for products that use organic chicken.

Chicken Cartilage

Chicken cartilage is a type of connective tissue that is commonly used in dog food as a source of extra nutrition and flavor.

It is composed of various components such as collagen and contains chondroitin, glucosamine, and hyaluronic acid.

Chicken cartilage in dog food is thought to have some benefits in maintaining joint health, but the evidence for such claims is weak.

Additionally, chicken cartilage can add some flavor and texture to dog food, making it more appealing to dogs.

Chicken By-Products

According to the AAFCO, by-products are “what is left over after the intended product has been made[12].

In the case of chicken, by-products refer to heads, feet, or viscera that are left after all parts produced and intended for human consumption are removed[11].

Chicken viscera are defined as all the organs in the great cavity of the body. This includes the esophagus, heart, liver, spleen, stomach, crop, gizzard, undeveloped eggs or intestines[11].

Some products list viscera as chicken giblets or chicken offal.

Fresh by-products can also include whole carcasses but not from animals that have died by other means than slaughter[12].

Comparing the quality of different by-products can be difficult as companies have a wide range of animal parts at their disposal.

But in general, pet food-grade by-products are nutritious and valuable ingredients, even if they don’t sound particularly appetizing. But that’s no surprise, not being eaten by humans is their one thing in common, after all…

Chicken Meal

Many dog food brands use chicken meal as a key ingredient providing a concentrated source of protein for dogs.

In fact, chicken meal is one of the most commonly used sources of animal protein in dog food[1].

It is made from anything that qualifies as chicken, i.e. flesh, skin, bone, chicken parts or carcasses. But not from heads, feet, viscera or added feathers.

Chicken meal may or may not contain bone. To ensure an adequate mineral content, the AAFCO specifies a maximum Ca:P ratio of 2.2:1.

Rendering is high-temperature processing.

It removes the moisture and separates the fat of chicken from the protein. In fact, chicken meal loses most of its fat content while rendering which is collected separately[7].

This creates a stable nutritious protein powder and chicken fat.

Because it’s difficult to store and handle raw ingredients properly in a pet food manufacturing facility, many pet food plants use rendered byproducts in a meal form.

AAFCO: Byproducts[12]

Chicken By-Product Meal

Based on a 2020 report, chicken by-product meal is again one of the most commonly used sources of animal protein[1].

This meal is also made by rendering. Meaning, the raw materials are ground, heated, pressed and drained to release fat and water.

Some people believe it is inferior to chicken meal. But in reality, this is just a pet food industry verbiage.

Both ingredients are made from plenty of by-products and are a concentrated from of chicken protein.

The only real difference is that chicken by-product meal can be made using heads, feet and viscera.

Yes, too many connective tissues can make the amino acids in by-product meal just slightly less digestible. But overall, both ingredients have a very similar chemical composition.

The problem is, despite what companies beating the “No By-Products” drum would like us to believe, we have no way of knowing which animal protein meals are better than others.

The Science Dog: What’s the Deal with Meals?

Chicken Fat

Along with beef fat and unspecified animal fat, chicken fat is one of the most commonly used fats in dog foods[1].

It’s high in oleic acid and contains vitamin E and lots of linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. Learn more in our article about chicken fat!

Chicken Digest

Chicken digest is a flavor enhancer with meaty and savory notes.

Chicken digest contains proteins and fats from tissues such as chicken liver or viscera that have been chemically broken down with heat, acids, or enzymes.

In fact, many of the “natural flavors” or named flavors such as “chicken liver flavor” are actually animal digests.

Simply labeling a product as “chicken-flavored” does not necessarily mean it contains any real chicken. In fact, a small amount of chicken digest may be enough to create a flavor that resembles chicken.

Chicken Broth

Putting chicken broth in dog food is a way to add moisture and nutrients, it can also increase your dog’s appetite.

Naturally, some manufacturers use chicken broth as a wholesome and well-accepted replacement for water in their products.

Does Chicken Cause Allergies in Dogs?

Chicken is a highly popular and widely used ingredient. It’s tolerated by the majority of dogs without any problem.

For dog food products, chicken, chicken fat and chicken meal are the top three most commonly used animal ingredients.

Pet Food Production and Ingredient Analysis 2020[1]

But basically, any protein can cause an allergic reaction in dogs.

When a dog is exposed to a certain allergen, such as chicken, on a regular basis, their body can become sensitized to it.

This means that their immune system begins to overreact to repeated exposures to chicken and treats chicken protein as if it were a threat.

This can cause a variety of symptoms in affected dogs, most commonly skin irritation and itchiness.

Since the overall exposure of dogs to chicken protein is so high, it is one of the most common allergens.

Food allergies are not at all as common as most pet owners believe. But among dogs with food sensitivities, chicken accounts for roughly 10% of all food allergies[4,5,6].

Chicken allergens can be cross-reactive between poultry and fish or poultry and mammal proteins[10].

Meaning, if your dog develops a chicken allergy, there is a possibility that he will also react to meats from other sources.

That doesn’t mean that chicken is a bad protein or that it has a greater potential to make your dog allergic!

It’s just that a great number of dogs are allergic to chicken because it’s one of the most widely used proteins and a great number of dogs eat chicken every day of their lives.

And a higher frequency of dietary exposure means a higher chance to develop an allergy. In other words, the most common allergens are also the most widely used ingredients such as beef, dairy, lamb, chicken, egg, or soy and wheat.

We hope this article brought you some insight into the ingredient definitions, nutritional properties, and adequacy of chicken as a dog food ingredient!

Further Reading

[1] Pet Food Production and Ingredient Analysis (PDF). 2020. Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), North American Renderers Association (NARA), Pet Food Institute (PFI)

[2] Tjernsbekk et al. Raw mechanically separated chicken meat and salmon protein hydrolysate as protein sources in extruded dog food: effect on protein and amino acid digestibility. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpn.12608

[3] Food Safety and Inspection Services: Chicken from Farm to Table.

[4] Biel et al. Detection of chicken DNA in commercial dog foods. BMC Vet Res. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-022-03200-z

[5] Laflamme et alMyths and misperceptions about ingredients used in commercial pet foods. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2014.03.002

[6] Verlinden et alFood allergy in dogs and cats: A review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2006. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390591001117

[7] Montegiove et al. Comprehensive evaluation of lipidic content in dry pet food raw materials: Comparison between fresh meats and meat mealsSci Bull. Ser F Biotechnol. 2020.

[8] Montegiove et alAn Alternative Approach to Evaluate the Quality of Protein-Based Raw Materials for Dry Pet Food. Animals. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020458

[9] Silva et al. Amino acid profile and digestibility of different protein sources in dog food. Journal of Nutritional Science. 2016. https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2016.3

[10] Olivry et al. Identification of major and minor chicken allergens in dogs. Veterinary Dermatology. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/vde.13029

[11] AAFCO Official PublicationChapter 6. Free Access.

[12] AAFCO: Byproducts.

[13] U.S. Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov

[14] Faber et al. Protein digestibility evaluations of meat and fish substrates using laboratory, avian, and ileally cannulated dog assays. Journal of Animal Science. 2010. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2009-2140