Check, but I think beef has most iron. Ask the butcher for soup bones or dog bones. Marrow is very rich, so make sure it's okay for the patient, or if you need to remove it. Roast the bones first then low and slow in the water.

I would do my best to find bones from grass fed animals, both beef and chicken rather than animals raised industrially. You might see what White Oak Pastures has to offer.

I use my own homegrown and grassfed beef and I raise my own chickens, so I use those. The things they sell for "soup bones" in my local stores are exactly that, just bones with little or no meat. The local processing places will give me "meaty soup bones" when they process my beef if I ask for them. If you are buying large bones, like the joints, be sure they are split or cracked if you want the marrow to cook out of them or if you want to remove it.

If I were buying the bones I'd probably go with neck bones or oxtail or beef shanks or short ribs, something with bones but at least a little meat. Neck bones may be your cheapest option, here the shanks and shortribs have gotten nearly as expensive as steak. I make big batches to can, so I use a Nesco roaster, put all the bones in there and let them roast. When they are brown I add water, some carrot, onion, celery and seasonings I like which include black peppercorns and bay leaf. I start after supper and let it simmer all night and for as long the next day as it takes to become flavorful and break those bones down enough to get all the goodness from them. I chill the resulting broth so the fat solidifies at the top and I can remove it easily.

Chicken is made with backs and necks, but if you can use whatever "parts" are available and on sale. If you aren't squeamish about it, the chicken feet make awesome broth. I use the same method but the chicken bones will break down more quickly and get to the point where they just break up when you try to get them out of the broth.

I've made smaller batches in a crockpot but I prefer the 5 quart Nesco roaster, you can roast and then simmer in the same utensil that way.

Good luck to you and your "patient"!

Annie