Getting ready to butcher my guineas...

Yeah, guineas are pretty small compared to chickens, but I'm definitely prepping the whole birds. Not only do I LOVE eating down to the bone and tasting the marrow, I also enjoy dark meat, and I could never willingly throw away perfectly good meat. It makes my gut churn.

Besides, I think the thighs are my favorite on any bird species And the skin ain't bad either!

I have seen folks suggest skinning birds. Seems less wasteful if you don't want to pluck.

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No, not really a stew, I drained the birds and then made home made gravy with the broth/fat that was left over, there were no veggies cooked in the crockpot with the birds, there wasn't any room! LO. I don't care for wine, but the thought did cross my mind as I was adding things to the pot!

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LOL the 6 that I picked where aggressive buttheads (as well as being more meaty than the others).

I'm ok with handling cold, processed poultry... I cook 1 or 2 20+ lb turkeys each year for the holidays, sometimes fresh if we can find one, so I can deal with handling a bird and all the goodies that come prepackaged inside of one lol, but it has to be cold and already gutted when I prep it... the warm part of butchering (and handling warm guts) is what gets to me

Who knows tho, the way the economy is these days eventually I may not have a choice and I will have to butcher my own meat... or turn vegetarian, lol. At least I have a green thumb!

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And do you bite their heads off with your teeth for a quick humane kill too kfacresagain???

I agree, not much meat on those lil birds, but it's not about quantity with Guineas, it's about quality! I took the meat off 2 birds, kept the white and dark meat separate and compared amounts... there's almost as much dark meat (thighs and legs combined) as there is breast meat, per bird (I didn't bother with the wings).

And as far as the dark skin goes, only the 2 smallest slightly Pied Pearl Greys had the dark skin... I also had 2 Buff Dundottes, a very Pied Brown and a very very Pied Pearl Grey butchered and they did not have dark skin at all, not even on the legs. I'd imagine the French Guineas will have dark skin tho. Yes the dark skin is ugly, and I am so not a fan of eating skin... but but truthfully I'd rather eat the dark skin off one of my own dark colored Guineas than ANY skin off of commercially raised/processed/handled poultry any ol' day! (You can actually scrub that dark pigment off with a stuff bristled brush, I just didn't bother). And besides... the Guinea meat is very lean, so depending on how ya cook it, it typically needs the skin ON or the meat dries out too much.
JMO tho

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Typically, when raising Guineas for meat birds people pen raise them and butcher them young, the older free ranged birds get tough/stringy and have a stronger flavor, kinda like a gamey tasting ol rooster lol... (that's what I was told any way)...
Luckily mine were young, pen raised and very tender

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And do you bite their heads off with your teeth for a quick humane kill too kfacresagain???

Maybe??

there's almost as much dark meat (thighs and legs combined) as there is breast meat, per bird (I didn't bother with the wings).

We've butchered 100s of guineas, of every color, and I agree. When you can hatch out 30 at a time, then go to your uncle and buy them by the 100 for .25 each.... it makes much better sense than buying chickens. Then when you let them free range, and feed them ZERO-- it's even more payout... The problem comes when it's time to butcher-- although mom says the ones roosting over the sidewalk get it first... get out the ole .22 and start shooting away. You know, guineas are smart little buggers. The first one, you can walk 10' from, and with a scope, you can shoot it in the head.. by the time you're to number 10-- you're sling'n shots at it from 1/4 mile away.
JMO tho

Warm guts are kinda gross, but they are also kinda pretty too. I hope this doesn't gross you out more, but the guts will keep contracting after an animal dies. If you pinch them, they'll contract a little more as a reflex. After you get over the 'eww', I think it's anatomic art. Kinda like when you have the fresh heart and can see all the vessels.

I'm a little weird though, having survived vet school


In other news, I'm still trying to decide who to eat and when. Gimpy knee guinea is getting along well, so no need to end her 'suffering.' I should prolly pick a mean boy, mark him, and take him off the perch first thing in the morning. These cocks are getting so hormonal.

Oh good gawd... yuck, lol. I didn't watch the butcher guy's son mess with the guts at all, he just reached in pulled em out and tossed em in the bucket. Thanks for the warning tho, lol.

Speaking of hormonal... (me and the birds, lmao), I was just out there giving one of my bully males the evil eye... contemplating on butchering him, lol. He's a jerk and a half! (And pretty good sized too, lol).

My 'babies' turn 13 weeks tomorrow so I should start the bloodbath soon.

Besides, I'm getting a little soft taking the for daily walks. Today they discovered a large rock and had fun.