Barking Heads

Barking Heads Adult Dry Food: Bowl Lickin' Chicken review

Name: Barking Heads Adult Dry Food: Bowl Lickin' Chicken
Brand: Barking Heads

62.3/100Good

DryAdult

Flavour

A plainly labelled kibble with half the recipe given to one named animal, chicken or lamb. What sets it apart from most dry food in our Good band is that the 50% meat figure comes with its working printed underneath. Even the herbs are dosed.

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Our view

Likely to suit

Dogs that do best on one named meat. Here it is half the recipe
Owners who like every ingredient named, most of them with a dose
Homes with several sizes of dog. The feeding guide runs from toy to giant
Dogs that get bored, as the two flavours swap the meat over the same rice and oats

Worth watching

Salmon oil in both recipes. Neither works for a dog that must avoid fish
Carbohydrate close to half the dry matter. Rice, oats and peas make it a conventional load for a kibble

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

62.3/100Good

Protein and processingGood

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for adult dogs, with a feeding guide from toy to giant breeds. Before ordering, check your dog can have fish, since salmon oil is on both labels.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Bowl Lickin' Chicken 62.3
Chop Lickin' Lamb 61.2

All two Good. Typical dry food: Good.

Nutritional balance is the one Average pillar on each, so the choice between the two comes down to your dog's palate.

What's in it

Freshly prepared free run chicken31%The biggest part of the 50% chicken headline.
Dried chicken14%The share that matters most. Dried meat keeps its weight through cooking.
Chicken gravy, chicken fat2.5% eachThe fat entry is the one the lamb recipe does not carry.
Rice26%With the oats, a familiar starch most dogs handle without fuss.
Oats
Peas10%Two points lower than in the lamb.
Lucerne
Salmon oil1%The omega 3 source. Fish, so a fish-free dog cannot have it.
Yeast products, chicory root extract1000mg/kg eachPrebiotics, both dosed in print.
Seaweed, dried carrot, mixed herbs, beta glucanscarrot and herbs 500mg/kgSeaweed for minerals. The herbs are peppermint, rosemary, oregano and thyme.

Vitamins A, D3 and E, and trace minerals in standard forms, plus a second zinc as a glycine chelate, the form a dog's gut absorbs more readily.

Named ingredients

Chicken 50% (31% Freshly Prepared Free Run Chicken, 14% Dried Chicken, 2.5% Chicken Gravy, 2.5% Chicken Fat), Rice (26%), Oats, Peas (10%), Lucerne, Salmon Oil (1%), Minerals, Yeast Products (1000mg/kg), Chicory Root Extract (FOS 1000mg/kg), Seaweed, Dried Carrot (500mg/kg), Mixed Herbs (Peppermint, Rosemary, Oregano & Thyme 500mg/kg), Beta Glucans.

Against the range

Meat: 31% fresh, 14% dried, 2.5% gravy, 2.5% fat; Lamb: 34% fresh, 14% dried, 2% gravy, no fat entry.
Fat: 14% as fed; 12% on the Lamb.
Carbohydrate, dry matter: 46.5%; 47.9% on the Lamb.
Salmon oil: 1%; 2% on the Lamb.

The slightly richer of the two, and the label declares its moisture, so the dry-matter figures assume nothing.

Both recipes declare 50% of one named meat and print the split underneath: fresh, dried and gravy on both, with a fat share on the chicken only. Dried meat is 14% on each, and protein is 24% as fed on both. Rice at 26% and oats carry the starch, with peas at 10% or 12%. Salmon oil is the omega 3 on both labels, so fish runs through the range.

The tail is the same on each: yeast products and chicory root extract at 1000mg/kg apiece, seaweed, and dried carrot and mixed herbs at 500mg/kg. Zinc is added twice, once as a glycine chelate.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

370 kcal/100g

Protein

24%

Fat

14%

Fibre

3.5%

Ash

7.5%

Moisture

8.5%

Dry weight

Protein

26.2%

Fat

15.3%

Fibre

3.8%

Ash

8.2%

Carbs

46.5%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

47.5%

Added water

2.5%

Carbs

42.7%

Veg

1.5%

Oils

Other

4.8%

Pricing & size