Raw food for Border Collies: how much to feed

By Feed RawPublished 13 October 2026Updated 23 October 20265 min read

Short answer

Most adult Border Collies weigh about 14 to 25 kg and eat 2.5 to 3% of that in raw food a day, so around 450 to 540 g for an active 18 kg Collie. Working and sport dogs often sit at the top of that range or above, so watch their shape and adjust by about 10% at a time.

Black and white Border Collie lying on the grass

Border Collies were bred to work sheep all day, and in New Zealand plenty still do. Whether yours is a heading dog on a farm or a city dog with a ball habit, raw food for Border Collies is mostly about matching the food to the energy. That energy changes from week to week, so this guide is about moving the amount up and down with it.

How much to feed a Border Collie

Collies vary a lot in size, from light, rangy working dogs to heavier show types, so weigh your own dog rather than going by the breed.

Weight	Moderate (2.5%)	Very active (3%)
14 kg	350 g	420 g
16 kg	400 g	480 g
18 kg	450 g	540 g
20 kg	500 g	600 g
22 kg	550 g	660 g
25 kg	625 g	750 g

A quieter older Collie may need less, around 2% or below. Our guide to raw feeding older dogs has those amounts, and the feed calculator works it out for your dog.

Working, sport and city Collies

A Collie working stock every day, or training for agility or herding trials, will usually need the very active amount, and some need more in their busiest weeks. A Collie that gets a good walk and a game of fetch fits the moderate column. Either way, check their shape every couple of weeks: you should feel the ribs easily without seeing them. If they’re dropping weight, add about 10%. If they’re getting round, take 10% off.

Our guide to feeding working dogs covers amounts, timing around work and feeding a team.

Moving the amount with the season

Collies often swing between busy and quiet weeks. A trialling dog in the competition season, a farm dog at lambing or mustering, or a city Collie on summer holidays at the beach can need noticeably more than the same dog in a wet, quiet winter. A simple way to manage it for an 18 kg Collie:

A week that’s	Share of weight	A day	Each of two meals
Quiet: rain, rest, a few days off	about 2%	about 360 g	about 180 g
Normal: walks and a game	about 2.5%	about 450 g	about 225 g
Busy: training, trials, work	about 3%	about 540 g	about 270 g

Change by one row at a time, give it a couple of weeks, and let their shape decide. Our guide to the dog body condition score shows how to check.

Timing meals around work

Most handlers feed the main meal after the day’s work, once the dog has settled, rather than before. Two meals a day suit most Collies, with a smaller one in the morning on working days.

On a trial or training day, that might look like a light breakfast, about a third of the day’s food, then the rest in the evening once they’ve cooled down and had a drink.

Foods that suit a Collie

Active Dog Mix: beef, horse, offal and green tripe, made with busy, active dogs in mind.
Breeders Mix: beef, horse, goat and offal, a good everyday base and handy if you feed several dogs.
Beef Neck Bones: a raw bone that matches both beef-based blends.

Collies are usually good eaters, but a few are choosy. If yours is, our guide to getting a fussy dog to eat raw has six things to try.

For a Collie that can’t have beef, Wild Mix brings horse, goat, venison and alpaca with offal, and Goat Bones keep the bone part beef-free too.

Something to chew

Collies like a job, and a raw meaty bone gives them one. Match the bone to the diet, choose a piece they have to chew, and supervise. A frozen block of food on a lick mat or in a rubber feeding toy also slows down a dog that inhales their dinner.

For a busy mind on a rest day, a feeding toy packed with part of the day’s food and frozen overnight keeps a Collie occupied for a good while, and it all counts as part of the day’s amount.

Ordering for a Collie

An 18 kg Collie on the moderate amount eats about 405 g of mince or blend a day, so a 10 kg box lasts about three and a half weeks. A carton of bones lasts months. Delivery is $5 an order whatever the weight, so a box of mix every three or four weeks on a subscription, plus a carton of bones now and then, keeps it simple. For a 20 kg Collie on the moderate amount, feeding from our boxes comes to about $3.40 to $4.10 a day.

Thawing is easy to keep on top of: a block of about 500 g is a little over a day’s food for an 18 kg Collie, so move two blocks to the fridge every second evening, and keep the thawed food in a lidded container for no more than two to three days.

A pet Collie or a farm team?

This guide is for the one or two Collies at home, whether they’re city dogs, sport dogs or a farm dog that lives with the family. If you feed a team of heading dogs and huntaways, our guide to working dog food in NZ covers feeding a kennel: adding up the team’s daily total, feeding after work, and ordering in bulk for several dogs. Breeders Mix is made for feeding a lot of dogs from one freezer.

Common questions

How long does a carton last a Border Collie?

An 18 kg Collie eating 450 g a day gets through about 405 g of mince or blend a day, so one 10 kg carton lasts about three and a half weeks. A very active Collie gets through one in about three weeks.

Should a Collie puppy eat the same food?

Young dogs eat more for their size and need more meals. Our guide to how much raw food to feed a puppy has amounts by age.

How much should I feed a Border Collie a day?

About 2.5% of their weight for a normal week and about 3% for a busy one: around 450 to 540 g for an 18 kg dog.

Do working Collies need a different food?

Usually just more of it, and a meal after work rather than before. Active Dog Mix is made with busy dogs in mind.

Can Border Collies have raw bones?

Yes. Match the bone to the rest of the diet, beef neck with the beef-based mixes for example, pick a piece they have to chew, and supervise. A bone a few times a week covers the bone part.