My Jumbo guineas

[Fenika]

lol, I think it would be a mercy to slaughter them yourself, then save the feathers

I pick plenty of feathers off the ground. They are steadily molting right now. Hopefully by the time I slaughter two (or more!) this weekend, the pin feathers will have grown out.

Post pics of those earrings!

 

[JazminesZoo]

Lovely birds ~ I love the look of Guineas , but then again again I like the "oddities" in life. I have could not live without my Olympus Digital SLR. It is around my neck 99% of the time & when it isn't around my neck it is within reach

 

[Fenika]

Your keet in your av is looking cute

I love the angle.

I took a bunch of new pics today. I haven't had a chance to see if they are any good. I hope I have time to get some more pics tomorrow.

Cuz on Sunday a few more get the axe.

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Yeah, I'm strange. I can bond with and enjoy watching my 'food' and still take it and slaughter it. I've seen a lot of stuff in this world and I prefer it this way.


Oh, and my sweet mother has volunteered to come help me slaughter on Sunday. She is driving half way up to go to BJs, so she said she'd come the rest of the way as long as we slaughter 4-6. I told her she also has to get educational video for me to post

I dunno what I'm going to do when I'm down to the last two. I'll miss having guineas around but I don't want to keep meat birds through the winter, as awesome as they are!

Good thing I can't tell anyone apart anymore. Aside from that one male with short wattles that might be a female with long ones... Guess I should find out.

 

[Fenika]

Another slaughter post from me.

Today we did 6 guineas, my mother and I. We figured out how to stagger our tasks (I'm the killer-gutter and whatever is needed. My mom is the scalder-plucker-runner) and did pretty well. From catching the first bird to getting the last one gutted took 2.5 hrs. That included a short regrouping- sharpen knives, get the first three on ice, whatever. From catching the first bird to getting all the birds weighed, pin feathers 99% off, necks and feet off, etc, and bagged took 5 hours including a short break. Not bad at all for us greenhorns

That meant I was right on time for frying up liver for lunch! It was so good, and my mom looked up nutritional facts on liver so that made it all the better. I have a little leftover in the fridge too.

I still have to clean up, but carcass weight (body and necks) ranged from 1.45kg to 1.81kg. Four hens and two cocks. The heaviest was a cock. Average weight was 1.58kg. Not bad. Females are about the same as the males it seems. Definitely not larger.

For viscera the average liver was 30g, the average heart 10g, and the average gizzard and associated fat was 43g. So that's a total average of 1.663kg per bird for this set. They are 16.5 weeks old.

I have 8 birds left.

I'm cooking the 1.8kg cock on Tues or Wed

and putting the other 5 in freezer camp, though my mom wants to take one home of course

 

[BreezeCrestChickens]

What does guinea taste like? I've always heard of people eating them but never really had a chance to try it myself! Is it like chicken? Or more like duck?

 

[Fenika]

Neither! It's so hard to explain because it's so unique. Folks say it tastes like pheasant, but since I've not had that, I can't comment.

The meat is so rich and flavorful, but in such a delicate way. It's not subtle, yet it's not overpowering at all. It goes nicely with spices and sauces that don't overpower it (I was going to have it with cranberry sauce, but that would have been too strong).

That probably doesn't help, but that's the best I can do

It *might* taste a little like a heritage meat chicken, but I've not had that either. Maybe someone else can compare???

 

[JazminesZoo]

I have not heard anything but AMAZING things about the taste!! Alot of gourmet recipes I cannot wait to try!

 

[BreezeCrestChickens]

I have pheasant and it was DELICIOUS! So I'll assume its similar. Like turkey and chicken but has their differences! Ah...but I love my guineas a little too much to slaughter them....maybe? I'll let my flock build up first...hopefully LOL! Here's praying I have a boy and a girl!

 

[bemba]

Nice pics, so how big are they compared to normal birds...... I don;t think we have that type here in Oz (then again we have next to nothing copared to you guys) darn those quarantine laws

Has anyone got a comparison shot of a jumbo and a normal?

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

I must get some guineas next yr. I love the taste of their eggs.