Guinea pigs as meat

[RJSchaefer]

Pulling this thread from the dead!

OGG, that was some awesome info. I totally needed another project.

I'm thinking these would be the perfect "next animal". How are yours doing? Eaten any yet?

Inquiring minds wants to know!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Pulling this thread from the dead!

OGG, that was some awesome info. I totally needed another project.

I'm thinking these would be the perfect "next animal". How are yours doing? Eaten any yet?

Inquiring minds wants to know!

you wouldn't happen to be the same RJSchaefer from RT wouldya?

sorry about the long wait this thread tapers off to nothing and I find I forget about it and come back in a month or so.

yes actually I did finally eat one. it wasn't bad at all. having issues uploading certain videos, not sure if its the video or youtube or my laptop... but anyways i'm workin on getting it uploaded and I will link it here promptly after I get it finished. it is from live GP to me tasting it. honestly it tasted a lot like rabbit but has less of its own flavor. I made it in the crockpot due to stuff going on at the time and it turned out seriously tender and fell apart when I pulled it out. texture of the meat was much like canned tuna, the fineness of it and how it fell apart. unlike chicken or rabbit meat even.
next one I cook will be done with marinating the meat better and using bbq sauce and cook it nice and slow over a good bed of coals at the fire.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

update videos in order since the last ones I linked to here...

march 22 update


may 1 update


6/1 update


as well as just subscribing to my channel on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/girlwalkswithgoats

 

[RJSchaefer]

you wouldn't happen to be the same RJSchaefer from RT wouldya?

sorry about the long wait this thread tapers off to nothing and I find I forget about it and come back in a month or so.

yes actually I did finally eat one. it wasn't bad at all. having issues uploading certain videos, not sure if its the video or youtube or my laptop... but anyways i'm workin on getting it uploaded and I will link it here promptly after I get it finished. it is from live GP to me tasting it. honestly it tasted a lot like rabbit but has less of its own flavor. I made it in the crockpot due to stuff going on at the time and it turned out seriously tender and fell apart when I pulled it out. texture of the meat was much like canned tuna, the fineness of it and how it fell apart. unlike chicken or rabbit meat even.
next one I cook will be done with marinating the meat better and using bbq sauce and cook it nice and slow over a good bed of coals at the fire.

Yes I am.

We ended up getting potbelly pigs instead of guinea pigs.

I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on your channel, though. Biodiversity, ftw!

Are you breeding for size? How big are they ending up?

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

ya I want to get pot bellys or those kunekunes to raise for meat. pretty cool and small enough to get in less trouble and easier to butcher yourself.

the big thing about the guinea pigs is once you have your stock (which can get a lot for free often times) and your area set up they are super cheap to feed.
right now I have 1 herd boar, 6 breeder sows, 5 new baby sows, 3 new baby boars (if I keep any it will only be the largest one), and 2 "teen" boys that should be sold this week. so total of 17.

mine only get 1.5cup grain mix every third or fourth day. I have a large storage tote that I use to haul cut forage to the GPs and rabbits. I do one or two loads for the rabbits and two loads for the GPs. plus they get tons of hay (we bale our own) and what they don't eat turns to bedding.
the grain mix is what I use for my rabbits. it is 1part wheat, 1part steam rolled barley, 1 part oats. I was doing 2 part oats but they would leave half the oats I the bowl so I cut it down.

and now i'm starting to do a small setup for the rabbits and GPs sprouting the wheat and letting it grow for several days into sort of wheatgrass matts which I cut into sections and feed out. they seem to love it. I think this is going to be really good come winter time.

I am breeding for size. i found a guy on youtube who also raises for meat and has bred up for nice faster growing and larger GPs. {youtube search "crianza de cuyes Georgia" should bring it up. channel name is "LeonRFpoa"} it cost more then i like to admit to for transporting them but i got a pair from him. they definitely growing faster!

if anyone is interested i made a facebook group for this topic! i update it all the time.

any questions feel free to ask!

 

[Jeanette56]

Could you post the link to your Facebook page?

if anyone is interested i made a facebook group for this topic! i update it all the time.

any questions feel free to ask!

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Could you post the link to your Facebook page?

you'll need to friend me in order to add you. its set to "secret" because I don't want nutty PETA people join and make a wreck of it.

https://www.facebook.com/homesteadnowhererabbitry.ohio

 

[Jeanette56]

I understand! Thanks for the link. I've sent a 'friend' request.

Jeanette

you'll need to friend me in order to add you. its set to "secret" because I don't want nutty PETA people join and make a wreck of it.

https://www.facebook.com/homesteadnowhererabbitry.ohio

 

[gardendude]

While in the mountains of Peru last summer I ate guinea pig. It was deep fried so it was greasy and some parts were over cooked but the taste was fine. I don't know about comparing it to every other meat, it tasted like guinea pig. Mild flavor with crunchy skin. They seem way easier to keep as a food animal than rabbits or chickens. I am not able to raise any at this point but would like to find the a source for the larger meat cuys they have developed for eating. They are up to twice the size of pet gp and grow faster. I checked out the you tube vids. pretty cool and sustainable living is all about being creative and not being squeamish!

 

[chshafer]

Back when my husband and I were just dating I used to take my Guinea Pig along when I would stay at his parents for long weekends. Every time I went over his father would ask to hold the GP, heft it up and down a few times, then hand it back and tell me it's not big enough to eat yet. I could never tell if he was joking or not.