Egg yolk alternative for home made?

My cat really isn't a big fan of raw egg yolk.   He won't touch it by itself, and using it in this homemade raw:  http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/making-raw-cat-food-for-do-it-yourselfers he will tend to only pick at it.  

After some experimentation I narrowed it down the the egg yolk, as he'll happily eat everything else.

He's declined the raw egg enough now that even if I mix it with other things or try to work him up to it, I don't think it will happen.

Is there an alternative or supplements that I can add that keep the food balanced?  Perhaps cooking it and adding something to make up for what is lost in the process?

thanks

gosh, I have absolutely no idea.  Hoping someone will come around who might have some answers for you.  Honestly, I've searched around and don't even know where to look for an answer for you...sorry.

Maybe these will help?

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/308397/omitting-egg-yolk-from-ground-raw

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/305125/u-stew-contains-egg-yolk-in-cat-food-version-but-not-in-dog-food (looks like the UStew pre-mix is now back to having egg yolks)

Can you try a different raw recipie that doesn't contain eggs? Here's a TCS thread with recipies that you can browse through: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/272287/raw-recipe-thread

I've done some searches and read through those threads, but I haven't really found too much info on yolks and their necessity.

All I've really found, from the catinfo.org site which is a very similar recipe:

Quote:

If I was not so lazy, I would use the eggs that are listed in the recipe below.  Truth be told, I have not added eggs to the recipe for many years so I will leave that open as an option.  If you can swing it - add them.  They are very nutritious - especially the yolks.

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Egg yolk is an excellent source of nutrients in their natural form which is one of the primary reasons people turn to a home-made food for their kitties. But, if your cat won't eat the food when it contains egg yolk then providing some of the nutrients via a supplement is the next best thing. Exactly which supplements you would need to add and in what amounts would depend on what else you are feeding. 

How have you tried feeding the egg yolk? In your thread you say he won't eat them by themselves or mixed with something else. But when mixing it with something else have you tried adding just a tiny bit to start then slowly increasing the amount over time? 

Also, how much yolk are you trying to get him to eat? In my homemade I only use 5 yolks in an about 17 lb (68 servings) recipe. That is only a tiny bit of yolk per serving. 

I haven't tried mixing small amounts in yet.  I'll give that a go, but I only feed him a meal of raw every few days, as I didn't know how crucial the egg was and didn't want him eating too much unbalanced.

I'm giving him the amount of egg yolk in this recipe: http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/making-raw-cat-food-for-do-it-yourselfers which is about 2 raw yolks per kg of meat. 

providing some of the nutrients via a supplement is the next best thing. Exactly which supplements you would need to add and in what amounts would depend on what else you are feeding. 

Click to expand...

He's getting a rotation of can foods besides the raw.  Any more info on this would be great.  

hawaii500 said:

 
I haven't tried mixing small amounts in yet.  I'll give that a go, but I only feed him a meal of raw every few days, as I didn't know how crucial the egg was and didn't want him eating too much unbalanced.

I'm giving him the amount of egg yolk in this recipe: http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/making-raw-cat-food-for-do-it-yourselfers which is about 2 raw yolks per kg of meat. 

providing some of the nutrients via a supplement is the next best thing. Exactly which supplements you would need to add and in what amounts would depend on what else you are feeding. 

Click to expand...

He's getting a rotation of can foods besides the raw.  Any more info on this would be great.  

Click to expand...

The feline-nutrition.org recipe calls for closer to 1.5 eggs per kg. That is a little more than 2x what I use. 2 eggs per kg is 3x what I use. Maybe you could first try decreasing the amount you feed him?

mschauer said:

 
The feline-nutrition.org recipe calls for closer to 1.5 eggs per kg. That is a little more than 2x what I use. 2 eggs per kg is 3x what I use. Maybe you could first try decreasing the amount you feed him?

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I was just going from memory, whatever they have listed on the site is proportionally what I measure.    My hunch would be that I will need to add a very small amount and possibly work up to more (if I can get him to eat it all).   So I would need to add something to make up for the lack of yolk in the meantime?  

In the short term I wouldn't worry about adding anything to substitute for the egg yolk.  Your food won't be outrageously out of balance such that a nutritional deficiency would be of concern.

Also, I've realized that I use Eggland's Best eggs which are from chicken that have been fed a nutritionally enhanced feed so I can use fewer of them.

I just checked what I normally buy, and they are LARGE organic free range eggs; fed organic grain.  Either way I'll attempt to work him on them.

Would cooked yolk be the next best thing?  I actually haven't tried, but perhaps he'll take to that.    I also figured I could try and mix small amounts in with his can food, the advantage that it's easier to disguise in there.  Maybe that way he'll get used to it, or at least he would get it that way which is something.

I don't know why but I really thought the egg yolk would be the last thing he wouldn't eat.  I'm glad it's not a deal breaker though as I've got the routine of making the food down ok (still freaks me out a bit),  and to be honest I don't think I could get anymore disillusioned with commercial can/dry food.  

I also have some Ezcomplete on the way which hopefully arrives / is eaten.   Ideally, I'd like to feed a mix of that , home made and the occasional can food.  Mr. Cat's approval pending of course.

I also use large eggs. 

Cooked egg yolks would be better than no egg yolks but some vitamins will be degraded by cooking.

EZComplete contains egg yolk powder but it also contains other ingredient that may well mask the egg yolk flavor.