Air Dried Dog Chews Compared: Feet, Necks and Rabbit Ears

Our air dried dog chews run from a small crunchy chicken foot to a whole turkey neck, and the right one depends mostly on the size of the dog and whether it chews or gulps. A chicken foot is the smallest and shortest chew of the feet. A turkey neck is the biggest and lasts longest. Duck feet and duck necks sit in between, and a rabbit ear is a light chew most dogs finish in a few minutes.

We make all five in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and each one has a single ingredient. This page lines them up on what each one is, how long it lasts, which dog it suits, what comes in the bag and how to watch a dog work on it. We only say what our own sheets say. If a detail is not here, we do not have it.

What air-dried means here

Air-drying pulls the moisture out of a whole piece slowly, so the chew ends up firm and crunchy instead of soft. Nothing is added. The ingredient list for each chew is one line long: chicken feet, duck feet, duck neck, turkey neck or rabbit ear. Rabbit ears are dried in the same small batches, and the rest are air-dried.

It is also not the same as cooking. Cooked poultry bone goes brittle and splinters, which is why a roasted bone from the dinner table is never a chew. Our turkey necks are whole and dried, with the meat and connective tissue still wrapped around the bone.

The five chews side by side

• Chicken feet. The smaller of the two feet. Crunchy and crisp. Packs of 6 or 18 feet.
• Duck feet. The bigger, denser cousin of the chicken foot. Skin, tendon, cartilage and bone, air-dried until they crunch. One bag of 8.
• Duck necks. A firm, crunchy whole chew. Shape and size vary from piece to piece. One size.
• Turkey necks. Whole and air-dried low and slow. Bigger and longer-lasting than a duck neck. 1 neck per order.
• Rabbit ears. A light, crunchy whole-ear chew. A pack of 5 ears.

Chicken feet: the quick one

A chicken foot is the one to start with for a smaller dog or a quick reward. It is crunchy and crisp. Shape and color vary slightly from foot to foot, because it is a natural product, and some sharp edges are possible. Take any small piece away that a dog could swallow whole.

It also comes in two pack sizes, 6 feet or 18 feet, so you can try a few before you commit to a larger pack. For a tiny dog, start with a piece and not the whole foot. You can see the details on our air-dried chicken feet page.

Duck feet: the step up

A duck foot is bigger and denser than a chicken foot, so it lasts longer for a bigger dog. The bones stay pliable enough to break down as the dog chews rather than shattering. We point medium and large dogs at duck feet, and we point gulpers at them too, since there is more to work through. They come as one bag of 8 feet.

Duck necks: a firm whole chew

A duck neck is a firm, crunchy whole chew. It is best suited to medium and large dogs that can work through something hard and crunchy. Pieces differ in shape and size, so two necks from the same bag will not look alike. We cover it in more detail in our duck necks guide.

Turkey necks: the longest one

A turkey neck is bigger and longer-lasting than a duck neck, and that is the point on a long afternoon. It is for medium and large dogs that chew rather than gulp. It is not for toy or small breeds, and not for a dog that swallows chews whole.

Roughly forty to fifty-five percent of a neck is bone, so count it as part of the day and not on top of it. Keep a session to about fifteen or twenty minutes, and take the piece away once it is small enough to swallow or shows a sharp edge. A turkey neck is sold as one neck per order, and the full sizing by mouth is in our turkey necks guide.

Rabbit ears: light and quick

Rabbit ears are the lightest chew on the list, a whole ear that most dogs finish in a few minutes. For a small dog, break an ear in half first. Take the last piece away once it is small enough to swallow whole. Because they are a whole natural chew and not a cut or ground product, shape and size vary from ear to ear. Our rabbit ears guide has the rest.

Picking by dog size

• Smaller dogs: chicken feet, or a rabbit ear broken in half.
• Medium and large dogs that chew: duck feet, duck necks or turkey necks.
• Gulpers: start with duck feet, and stay in the room.

Start with the smallest chew your dog cannot swallow whole and see what happens. If it is gone in a blink, size up. If the dog gulps instead of chewing, size up and watch more closely. Match the chew to how the dog behaves, not to the breed on the paperwork.

Watching a dog with a chew

Every one of these is a supervised chew. Sit within reach and let the dog work. Fresh water should be down. Take the last small piece away before it goes down whole. The label on our chicken feet puts it this way: "Feed as a chew treat. Not intended as a complete diet. Provide fresh water and supervise while chewing. Discard small pieces if they present a swallowing hazard."

A chew counts toward the day's treats, not on top of them. If your dog is on a prescription or restricted diet, ask your veterinarian before adding a new chew.

Storage

Reseal the bag after opening and store it in a cool, dry place. Chicken feet need no refrigeration once dried. Our full lineup of treats is in the treat collection.

Questions

Which air-dried chew lasts the longest?

Turkey necks. They are bigger and longer-lasting than duck necks. Duck feet last longer than chicken feet for a bigger dog, and most dogs finish a rabbit ear in a few minutes.

Which chew is best for a small dog?

Chicken feet, or a rabbit ear broken in half. For a very small dog, start with a piece of a chicken foot and not the whole foot. Duck feet, duck necks and turkey necks are aimed at medium and large dogs.

Do these chews have bones in them?

Yes, they are whole pieces. Duck feet are skin, tendon, cartilage and bone, and the bones stay pliable enough to break down as a dog chews. A turkey neck is roughly forty to fifty-five percent bone.

Are these single-ingredient chews?

Yes. Each one is the named part and nothing else, air-dried with no added ingredients. Rabbit ears are dried with no added ingredients.

How many chews can a dog have in a day?

One foot is a reasonable day's chew for most medium and large dogs, and a foot a day works for most medium dogs within their calorie budget. Count every chew against the day's treats.

Where are they made?

In small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. We make them and ship them ourselves.