Guinea pigs as meat

[EweSheep]

To compare the quail and GP isnt all that different. How to prepare and feed ratio and raise them are a different matter.

I had GP when I was younger and never thought of eating them. Even my aunt told me about the Southern Mexicans and Peruvians eating GP was just a common thing and they do not think anything of it.

It would be interesting to see how GP can be prepared. I would love to try one even it does nt have enough meat but if it is rich and can be used in stews and soups, why not!

If I remember right, Andrew Zimerman said they taste BEST when grilled.

Oh if they are to be raised as meats, should it be the Peruvian blood that we need to have becuase it would be like eating a Leghorn vs Cornish Xs because of the breed. Or like pig/hogs we raise, potbellies vs Duroc/Hamphshires, for many generations, we try to get to the meat frame rather than the pet purposes of the pig world. So I dont think we have "meat" GP here in the US yet.

 

[Akane]

Guinea pigs are actually far more efficient at turning food into meat than any other livestock we raise. They take far less feed per pound of body weight. The only problem is the small amount of meat on each guinea pig so you end up having to butcher alot of them and if you don't want to serve them whole do a lot of cutting and processing. It ends up being more work in some ways but raising and feeding them is much quicker and efficient than most anything else you could raise for meat. Guinea pigs can reproduce as young as 3weeks although a few months old is more common and while they have a 2month gestation their young are born ready to live independently. Guinea pigs produce weak milk that isn't useful. The pups start eating solid food right away and by 3days old could be weaned without any physical problems. Mentally they tend not to develop and will fight with each other more if they aren't left with adults to teach them. It takes very little space, effort, and time to raise a guinea pig.

I've been debating raising guinea pigs for meat but not for myself. I don't eat that much meat and after raising quail decided I don't want to raise it for myself. However I would love to be able to feed my dogs a raw diet. Raising small mammals like guinea pigs or rabbits and birds would make an excellent diet for my dogs and cats. I was actually involved in guinea pig rescue for awhile so I have thought of them as pets but I also know all the facts of what good meat sources they make as long as you don't mind the small amount per animal. I'm just not sure I can kill a mammal. None of the ways I saw for rabbits I really liked... I looked into buying a bolt gun but they are expensive.

Peruvian guinea pigs are actually having problems. They keep butchering the biggest ones so the pigs get smaller and smaller. They've been trying to bring other bloodlines back in and some scientists actually genetically altered some guinea pigs to be giant sized. For that reason getting Peruvian stock is probably not required and may not even be a good idea.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I would not mind raising capybara for food, they eat mainly grass, we have plenty of that. I do not know if they are available for breeding here in the US.

 

[Akane]

Capybara are aggressive and difficult to keep. That's why even zoos don't usually have them. I'm told they are somewhat dangerous and hard to confine.

 

[CityChicker]

Don't Capybara's get HUGE? I will have to go google them now, LOL...

I can't imagine Guinea Pigs being a very efficient food source. I would think poultry is much better in regards to feed conversion, etc..., but that is just conjecture with very little information on my part. Don't Guinea Pigs only have a couple babies every 3 or so months at most though? That combined with them being so small, I just can't imagine they are the best option (although, being economical and/or efficient is not always the one and only motivator for why we choose a food source).

Anyway, I know nothing factual on the subject, but it is very interesting! The pictures posted are awesome. I don't think I would want all those piggies under foot!

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
They get pony sized--larger than Shetland, smaller than Welsh.

Compared to a pig, steer or sheep, they probably aren't the most "economical" choice, but they are indigenous to the area and provide protein in an otherwise low-protein diet.

My mom put her guinea pigs in a meat loaf dish for fun and they fit quite nicely.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
I would think guinea pigs would be economical, especially in a place that was fairly temperate year-round. They eat mainly grasses, which are free most of the year, they wouldn't cost much at all to keep if you had a place for them to forage.

I still wouldn't eat one

 

[PattiXmas]

Gross!! I couldn't eat one - it looks like a red rat on a plate. YUCK!

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
My thoughts exactly! And how could you eat something so cute?

This is Debbie (tri-colored) and April (brown and white). You can see Debbie's little piggy butt cheeks in this pic some, so cute!! Especially when she has her booty sticking out of their igloo house.

How could you eat one of these cute girls?

 

[deb1]

Quote:
Okay, I need to read the posts more thoroughly. I thought that you had written that your mother put the guinea pigs in the meat loaf for fun. I was thinking "I don't want to come to your house for any 'fun' meals.' Then I realized that I had misread your post.