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Eat Guinea Pigs!

 
                                              
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CrunchyBread wrote:
I saw a setup one man designed which suspended GP cage over a fishtank to recyle their poop instantly.   Much as I like the idea of not having to muck out a stable of them, I know I also read that part of their diet is actually supposed to be supplemented by eating some of their own poop.  I have no idea how that's supposed to work, but there you go.  I'd be afraid that if they had no access to any poop ever sitting around they might actually have a nutritional deficiency.

But then again, I only know what I've read.  I never even raised a hamster.



yep your right. apparently they have two types of poop. One is designed to recycle their nutrients they NEED to eat that one, and evolved doing so, its perfectly safe... the other type can serve as a decent feed. So yeah letting it freely drop into the water wouldnt be ideal......
 
                          
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Y'know, in this whole thread I've been fascinated.  Part of the interest for me is in confronting my own squeamishness at killing anything, let alone an adoreable little chirruping fuzzball.  I am a happy omnivore, but I've never killed anything larger than a mosquito.

I did once clean and cook a pheasant--still warm!--that my husband had proudly shot.  It almost made me want to vomit, but I did it. 

I accept that killing is a natural part of life, but I don't know how well I'd adapt to the necessity of doing it myself.  Maybe it's strange, but I can handle any other part of permaculture with no squeamishness at all.  But killing would still be really tough for me.
 
            
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I believe it's called cacophagy. Rabbits do it too. Sort of like a substitute for a rumen.
 
                                              
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CrunchyBread wrote:
Y'know, in this whole thread I've been fascinated.  Part of the interest for me is in confronting my own squeamishness at killing anything, let alone an adoreable little chirruping fuzzball.  I am a happy omnivore, but I've never killed anything larger than a mosquito.

I did once clean and cook a pheasant--still warm!--that my husband had proudly shot.  It almost made me want to vomit, but I did it. 

I accept that killing is a natural part of life, but I don't know how well I'd adapt to the necessity of doing it myself.  Maybe it's strange, but I can handle any other part of permaculture with no squeamishness at all.  But killing would still be really tough for me.



i can certainly relate. i have yet to kill and eat any of my fish or chickens, although they arent of size either.

Im going to have issues with it for sure, but Im a solid meat eater, and am working on growing lall or most of my food. I dont trust the meat in stores and organic isnt sold here.

i look at it this way, if I was a insect the fish or chickens would chase me down and eat me.and if they farmed me, hopefully they treated me as well as i try to treat them.
 
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SILVERSEEDS wrote:

  Ive got no room for pigs, nor the ability to feed them, and no where close enough space to keep a breeding population.



That is my problem as well. Still with 4-5 per meal and with using them one meal per week... That would be 20 animals a month... about 60 per breed... so about 20 breeding females. I would have to keep 80-100 just for once a week meal. Sounds like a lot... what kind of sqft would I need? I guess as it is about the only choice I have, I should just try it. It seems it would be more likely to succeed than rabbits or at least get us used to raising animals. Maybe we would only get to eat them once in a while if I had 1 male and three or four females. If it wasn't working out... cook the breeding stock.
 
                                              
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Len wrote:
That is my problem as well. Still with 4-5 per meal and with using them one meal per week... That would be 20 animals a month... about 60 per breed... so about 20 breeding females. I would have to keep 80-100 just for once a week meal. Sounds like a lot... what kind of sqft would I need? I guess as it is about the only choice I have, I should just try it. It seems it would be more likely to succeed than rabbits or at least get us used to raising animals. Maybe we would only get to eat them once in a while if I had 1 male and three or four females. If it wasn't working out... cook the breeding stock.



I couldnt get solid answers for that really. because the numbers I saw didnt mention how many meals they had of them or how many family members.... but everything listed low numbers.

as i understand it, they breed fast though, so i get the impression its not a massive population you would need to have to eat them once a week.... keeping 80-100 of these guys though, would probably relate to a goat or two to feed Id guess?? and youd be able to harvest as needed, and always be fresh....

how much room you need is up to you i guess. the more the better but they can handle tight quarters technically. you could probably go vertical to, with a cage that has lots of cool stuff for them to climb and such in there.

Im decided now, Im going to try it. ive been on the fence for awhile but this thread got me back into thinking about it. and like you said, if it doesnt work out to good, I can just eat what i have at the time, and leave it at that.... they can eat kitchen scraps, and grasses and weeds i pull... I think it should fit into my set up really well....
 
                          
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I'll be interested to learn about your setup. Going vertical seems like a creative solution.  Giving them things to climb and play on does seem kinder.  I still do wonder about how difficult it would be to kill and eat something you'd cared for so well, though, even to the point of playing with it and developing it's mind a bit with toys.

I certainly will not judge you.  I'll just be interested to learn how you deal with that issue.

I'm also curious how you're going to deal with breeding.  Will you carefully regulate matings, or just leave them all together and take whatever comes along?  If you do intend to regulate matings (to decrease incest, improve desirable characteristics, or just guard the health of the females from overproduction) I wonder how you'll manage the various timetables of mating and weaning, and how you'll keep track of who's who.  Maybe GP's all have unique markings, but with 80-100 of them (or more) I'd imagine it'd get very hard to remember their individual differences.

Then again, if you do not separate them to control mating, I wonder how much negative impact that might have due to underage matings, incest, etc.  Maybe it would be fine for a long time.  I read that it is normal to keep a whole family of them in one box in the kitchen.  I have no idea if or when any problems might show up.  So I do hope you'll report your experiences for us.
 
                                              
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CrunchyBread wrote:
I'll be interested to learn about your setup. Going vertical seems like a creative solution.  Giving them things to climb and play on does seem kinder.  I still do wonder about how difficult it would be to kill and eat something you'd cared for so well, though, even to the point of playing with it and developing it's mind a bit with toys.

I certainly will not judge you.  I'll just be interested to learn how you deal with that issue.

I'm also curious how you're going to deal with breeding.  Will you carefully regulate matings, or just leave them all together and take whatever comes along?  If you do intend to regulate matings (to decrease incest, improve desirable characteristics, or just guard the health of the females from overproduction) I wonder how you'll manage the various timetables of mating and weaning, and how you'll keep track of who's who.  Maybe GP's all have unique markings, but with 80-100 of them (or more) I'd imagine it'd get very hard to remember their individual differences.

Then again, if you do not separate them to control mating, I wonder how much negative impact that might have due to underage matings, incest, etc.  Maybe it would be fine for a long time.  I read that it is normal to keep a whole family of them in one box in the kitchen.  I have no idea if or when any problems might show up.  So I do hope you'll report your experiences for us.



I will likely report progress as i have it... havent sorted all those things out myself yet.

as for keeping them all together or having controlled breeding. I suspect i may do a male cage, and a female one. Because uncontrolled breeding of these can get out of hand fast i would imagine.

Also inbreeding Is an issue. It is not something those in south america usually take into account, but I will try to ensure i dont have that issue. thats one of the draws is that you can get by just having one big cage, but i dont want to do it like that....

as to eating friends... thats been an issue on farms forever.  though more so after the advent of disney.... Im sur eI will manage.
 
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I'd rather eat someone I knew had the best possible life, than someone who was abused or neglected, that's for sure.
 
                                              
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H Ludi Tyler wrote:
I'd rather eat someone I knew had the best possible life, than someone who was abused or neglected, that's for sure.



I agree totally!!! im not down with those animal factories, throwing them around.

Sure we raise them for food, previous cultures understood that link much more maturely imo. Yes even Europeans.
 
                          
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H Ludi Tyler wrote:
I'd rather eat someone I knew had the best possible life, than someone who was abused or neglected, that's for sure.



I agree 100%. 

There's a line from Terry Pratchett concerning farm animals: "We determine the time of their birth, and the time of their death, and in between we have a responsibility."  It means that animals are not just things.  They are alive and deserve a certain amount of respect, protection, and caring.  The only way you earn any claim to deserve benefit from their lives, is if you helped them have a decent life.

But as someone inexperienced in killing, I'm just wondering how folks handle it.  It's easy enough to just not think about it when my meat comes in styrofoam packages, but how do I handle the reality of actually TAKING the life I helped raise? 

Even as an atheist, I can see this as a thorny spiritual question.
 
            
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Speaking from personal experience, it was a gradual desensitization. I was first initiated cleaning fish I'd caught growing up. As odd as it may sound, it's not so much to take the leap from ripping the guts out of a still-twitching fish to dispatching a bird. I've only processed rabbits and poultry thus far, but I feel I could make the leap to goats with a little mental preparation (the plan is to eat the male culls from our small dairy herd). My main concern is that they have been raised to the highest standard of care and lived happy, healthy lives (I do not buy industrially processed meat); and of course that they are dispatched neatly without excessive suffering.
 
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Crunchy - I still haven't got quite as far as the actual killing part. 

I started off being presented with a ready killed, gutted and plucked (well, I think it was skinned actually) chicken and all I had to do was stick it in a roasting dish and pop in the oven.  Then one day my other half had killed a chicken and then was taken ill for a few days.  I was left with a choice of letting the chicken go rotten and disposing of it, or preparing it myself.  It grossed me out to do it, but I couldn't bear the thought of just wasting it.  After that I took over all the gutting and skinning of the poultry, and by now I can happily select and catch a suitable fowl, carry it safely out of sight to where my husband is waiting, pop some string round it's feet, put in position with it's head under a broomstick and hold the broomstick in place while my husband pulls the chickens feet and snaps the neck.  I still can't do that bit, but I can take the still-flapping chicken and hang it up.  I'm pretty sure I could do the whole thing if  I had to now, but as yet I still have to take that final step of being the one to pull the feet and snap the neck.

The first time we raised a batch of chicks we ended up with one hen and ten roosters.  As soon as the roosters reached the stage where all they wanted to do was to tear each other apart, we soon decided that we either had to let them kill each other, or do the deed for them and actually get some benefit from the process ourselves.  I think they suffered less with a quick death than they would have if we'd let them fight to the death. 

 
                                              
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CrunchyBread wrote:
I agree 100%. 

There's a line from Terry Pratchett concerning farm animals: "We determine the time of their birth, and the time of their death, and in between we have a responsibility."  It means that animals are not just things.  They are alive and deserve a certain amount of respect, protection, and caring.   The only way you earn any claim to deserve benefit from their lives, is if you helped them have a decent life.

But as someone inexperienced in killing, I'm just wondering how folks handle it.  It's easy enough to just not think about it when my meat comes in styrofoam packages, but how do I handle the reality of actually TAKING the life I helped raise? 

Even as an atheist, I can see this as a thorny spiritual question.



I agree on all points. but after contemplating this for years, heres where I am... if i can express it well....

i do owe my animals respect... respect for what they give me, and our endless cycle of life and death. Respect for the fact, I might be in someone elses farm and not see it, as my fish might not realize Im the one raising them. Or perhaps in another time and place i will be the chicken in someones back yard... Or COULD of been anyway....

that said, life IS a cycle.... part of that cycle is taking life. heck many plants are alive as you eat them. As a homesteader I took it upon myself to raise animals, for my food. I see it as a trade, in the wild most of their offspring would be eaten anyway!!! in this case I ensure Im the one eating them. I also ensure that my animals will never die out, and will be healthy, and hopefully happy, their lineage is carried with me. If I treat them well, i think this is an honest trade, though I know not all agree.....

within that is the simple fact I do need to kill the ones meant for food. its part of the cycle. within the cycle (and yes many disagree here to i know) is the fact humans are omnivores. So I dont see any spiritual dilemma, only a social one. We are far removed from mentalities that are intertwined with these styles.  Just like your saying with the styro foam meat being fine, yet in reality in most cases it was treated WORSE then anything you raised.... some cases WAY WAY worse.

So taking the life of my animals for me is just part of the cycle, I wouldnt be honoring that balance without it... Im not relating this well I think, so try to read between my words to see what I mean...  

If i wasnt going to eat them I shouldnt let them breed(unless i know others who want some). seems kinda mean not to let them do one of the basic drives of life. The more Ive thought on that, I slightly question the idea of keeping non food pets. Not that I care if others do.... i just mean for me.

Its also important to me, to use the rest of their bodies, not just the meat. the bones become part of a long term soil amendment. and guts can be food for other animals in some cases or soil as well... the hides or feathers can be made into my clothe or blankets in some cases, lots of others im sure... I know many will not use meat in a compost pile, or bones etc... I am strongly in favor of it myself. all part of the cycling of nutrients on a given site imo.

eventually i will die, and presumably fertilize some grass, that will feed some guinea pigs....
 
                                              
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I was thinking more about this, because i posted something to another forum on it, and someone else wondered why I dont just use rabbits.

GPs are tastier, and a better quality meat then beef let alone rabbit. (having low amounts of key things we need from meat, unless you eat the bone marrow, stew helps but really sucking it out is ideal if all you have is rabbit) It can handle a lower input feed, and still be desirable, where on wilder stuff rabbits do just fine, but then taste gamey..... theres some other things to, but guinea pigs to me are the clear winner for the nutritional reasons alone..... they are also more personable then rabbits imo, which I like.

that said..... i got to thinking.... Lets say I can raise 60 guinea pigs at a time, and feed them, the whole ball of wax. If I decided to have 10 rabbits also, since they are bigger... the same amount of feed might leave me with 45 guinea pigs. Id probably still have roughly the same amount of meat as im sure rabbits are as efficient as GPs. But the rabbit is lower quality nutritionally speaking.... so that wouldnt make much sense unless you just prefer rabbits, which is fine.....

BUT... and this will be super gross to many here, their guinea pigs poop apparently according to all I read is a decent feed in and of itself!!!  So with the same amount of feed for the guniea pigs, (Im making up the numbers but I think its a solid estimate) Id be feeding the original 60 GPs, and their poop could perhaps feed the 10 rabbits. although Id give the rabbits some additional nutrient dense things to. So perhaps it would be more like 55 GPs, and 10  or more rabbits from the same amount amount of feed 60 GPs would of needed. You might be able to feed more rabbits then that actually, i was being conservative..... i think. 15 might be closer.

either way you could have more protein from the same original input, and the same amount of compost for the garden in the end..... youd need additional space for the rabbits of course.... but they are pretty easy to keep happy.

i think I might try this, and see if rabbits do well on it. I will have to try to find out what animals have been fed on GP poo also... see if it works for rabbits or might....

I will have to research this a bit more.... but according to many it really is safe. even used for fish in water, which would be less safe then keeping it dry Id guess. 
 
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I think I'd have trouble (at least at first) with the cute factor, but not as much as I would with a rabbit.  In general, I'm a wuss when it comes to slaughtering mammals ... I'd far prefer to off one that is a stranger (e.g. a deer) than one I have "known" since it was a baby.  Eventually I'll learn to NOT grow attached to the ones destined for the table, but I'm definitely not there yet.  Regardless, I see some BIG potential avgantages for guineas over rabbits, the biggest being their superior ability to handle heat.  Rabbits in NE Georgia could be problematic in the summer, and even though there are rabbit breeds less affected by heat, I suspect that GPs would probably do better.

Doug
 
            
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SILVERSEEDS wrote:

I was thinking more about this, because i posted something to another forum on it, and someone else wondered why I dont just use rabbits.

GPs are tastier, and a better quality meat then beef let alone rabbit. (having low amounts of key things we need from meat, unless you eat the bone marrow, stew helps but really sucking it out is ideal if all you have is rabbit)



Bold statements for someone who has never tried the meat of one. You're taking this as a granted based on your grandmother's experiences?
 
                                              
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M. Edwards wrote:
Bold statements for someone who has never tried the meat of one. You're taking this as a granted based on your grandmother's experiences?



yeah of course. I grew up eating her recipes. If she says Id like something, she would have a very high rate of being right on it.... the nutritional quality is the same no matter how it tastes.... Read about them, people rave about them.....

have you ever eaten rabbits? were they grain feed, or free ranged? Ive have free ranged ones. they were enclosed so fatter then wild ones, but eating wilder stuff... it wasnt to great... I liked it well enough. but I like beef better. actually the same stew we made of them is when my grandma told me how tasty GPs were....
 
            
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I actually prefer wild rabbit to farmed. I know gamey meat doesn't appeal to everyone but to me grain fed rabbit tastes like grain fed everything else: ambiguous and lacking in character. 
 
                                              
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M. Edwards wrote:
I actually prefer wild rabbit to farmed. I know gamey meat doesn't appeal to everyone but to me grain fed rabbit tastes like grain fed everything else: ambiguous and lacking in character. 



that REALLY depends where you live in my limited experience. I had both poor and decent ones in ohio by my tastes. squirrel much tastier...  i ate one here in NM once, and well, Im not sure anyone would eat them if they had a choice....
 
            
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Notice I said "to me", denoting it as an opinion. So it's not really anything that can be argued.
 
            
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I'd go on to say I personally wouldn't eat any of the wild Lagomorpha here on the valley floor. You have to be mindful of what they're eating and other environmental factors like (especially here) exposure to agricultural poisons. That's more an issue of knowing what you're doing than taste.
 
                                              
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M. Edwards wrote:
Notice I said "to me", denoting it as an opinion. So it's not really anything that can be argued.



I wasnt arguing anything... just adding my opinion..... of course taste varied greatly in the areas i mentioned. I certainly cant say you wouldnt like the wild ones here.... but Id be surprised....

It as also my opinion GPs are tastier then rabbits... and yes based on my trust in my grandmas tastes.... I didnt need to say its opinion as taste is always relative, always will be. I knew kids who LOVED to eat cat and dog food.
 
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pubwvj wrote:
Digestive tract (guts), lungs, bladder, bones, skin, brain, etc. Lots of "packaging" there.



My brain automatically interpreted "packaging" as the man made stuff wrapped around meat before sticking it in the freezer.  Then opening these packages to cook and throwing out the aluminum foil and butchers paper, resulting in the waste.

So now that I am understanding more clearly, yes that would be lots of "packaging".
But could the "packaging" be fed to other animals to reduce waste and feed costs?
 
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Silverseeds,  although I personally am not interested in eating GP this thread might have convinced me to raise some.

What do you think about raising GP as a food source for other animals? 

Obviously their manure can be used to feed fish.
Would it be cost effective to feed dogs GP instead of buying dog food?
Would chickens eat the poop?  I believe chickens would eat the innards.
Could I sell GP to pet stores for pets and snake food?

I am starting to think they may have a place on the homestead, even if it is not my pot.
And then if times get really bad, maybe even in my pot!
 
                                              
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 being that it is more then twice as efficient at feed conversion compared to animals such as cows or goats... i really think its total meat weight after the "packaging" is off would still be pretty efficient.

 goats have tons of packaging to for their size, cows a bit fatter, but I bet for their size guinea pigs might have a similar meat to "other" ratio as a cow. Id be highly surprised to find that a cow which is much less efficient with its food has more then twice as much meat in relation to "other" as a guinea pig.... either way cows are out of my league for now, guinea pigs aren't.

 im going to try to use their skins to make slippers, or a winter coat or something. maybe try a gunia pig rug, since i always wanted a bear rug.....

 Other parts, like bones i want for my soil. Long term phosphorous... chickens might be able to use some of it???

 
 
                                              
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Shawn Bell wrote:
Silverseeds,  although I personally am not interested in eating GP this thread might have convinced me to raise some.

What do you think about raising GP as a food source for other animals? 

Obviously their manure can be used to feed fish.
Would it be cost effective to feed dogs GP instead of buying dog food?
Would chickens eat the poop?  I believe chickens would eat the innards.
Could I sell GP to pet stores for pets and snake food?

I am starting to think they may have a place on the homestead, even if it is not my pot.
And then if times get really bad, maybe even in my pot!



i had already written the other post....

Well I cant answer all this stuff. I looked into this awhile back, and this thread reinvigorated my interest.... so im studying them now...

i dont know to much about dogs actually or their preferred diets. Ive got a friend who feeds them lots of squirrels, so Im sure it could be a part of their diet. I couldnt tell you how much. Its an efficient animal to raise according to all Ive read, so i imagine if would certainly make the list if you were looking for animals to raise for your dog. In which case animals that were a days worth of food Id guess would be ideal....

I dont know if chickens would eat the poop. Ive found three small references to using GP poo for feed for other animals. I havent found good info on it, and ive been looking all night. im thinking of trying to raise rabbits on it, with a bit of nutrient dense foods for the rabbits to.... chickens would love the innards im sure.....

Skip the petstore!!! try to find someone with a snake and sell right to them!!! but yeah i think pet stores do sometimes buy animals from people. youd want to contact the store before hand most likely. In which case i bet getting the snake and growing it to size might turn out to be more profitable then raising the GPs.... lots of petstores are stocked from animal farms who likely sell cheap sick animals... not all but lots...

Yeah they are proven in war zones. i ran across a few stories out of africa. war torn zones where outside people tried many ways to help them get solid food choices. the war messes it all up, GPs though, were th answer. they were easily feed, easily concealed, unlike larger animals... so suddenly they had a protein source. Very interesting actually.

 
                                              
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http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/guineapigsaf.htm

this guy didnt actually raise them it looks like he got GPs as a gift. the one he ate was only a pound, so Imnot sure it entirely accurate when the regular GPs get to 2 pounds easy enough, and theres larger ones around.

still very interesting comparison. i think i want both GPs and rabbits now.
 
                          
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Interesting article, Silverseeds. 

I'm gleaning that the plusses and minuses may nearly balance, but will be tipped depending on one's personal situation and taste.  Same as most things, I guess.  Just depends which factors matter more to you personally.

I feel sorry I don't live in your area.  I'd join you for a GP dinner someday, just to see what it was like. 

You'll get hate mail if you post a video on YouTube about this.  But it's information that could help some people.  I'm almost leaning towards trying this myself, as it would seem to fit in with a low-income apartment-dwelling lifestyle, but I haven't got the courage yet.
 
                                              
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    I just had a worrying thought here on this subject.....

    I can get guinea pigs and rabbits here just fine from pet stores. might I run into legal issues here though? Is it me that decides what is a farm animal or the state?

  Might i get busted for animal cruelty? I do intend to kill and eat them. ceertainly going to treat them pretty well, even compared to most people who raise them as pets (though some do much better, having more space or money) but killing is killing.... Id have no issues killing my chickens, but Im rather wondering about the guinea pigs and possibly rabbits... rabbits might be okay, but the guinea pigs especially....

    anyone have thoughts or solid info on this?
 
Tyler Ludens
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I only have thoughts.  Personally, I don't think people should not do things because they think or fear "the authorities" might care what they do.  Mostly the authorities don't care.  Don't flounce - don't make a big deal about what you're doing.  Keep a low profile, don't be a neighborhood nuisance.  Keep your place clean.  Treat the animals as well as you can (nice spacious pen, clean water, good food, etc).  Don't slaughter them where anyone can see, and don't talk about it.

In my opinion. 

 
                                              
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  I agree 100 percent, after all Im sitting here beside my new herd of guinea pigs and rabbits.... the thing is though, Ive talked on it here and two other forums. So its not exactly a secret now.

   though locally no one knows, nor is it terribly likely the few who may find out over time will care.

   If they work well though Id like to include them, when i get around to showing others in my immediate area how to homestead here well, low tech.... (its a POOR area, a lazy one to sadly but theres enough good folks)

  unfortunately I think this will hardly be the only issue, the back to the land/local/homesteading/ permie movement will face that is like this either.... So going about it as you said, is the answer imo... I do agree... I guess Im just thinking out loud here...
   


     
 
Tyler Ludens
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Silver, you are still using a pseudonym here, so only someone really intent on "getting" you would track you down to your real self.  Personally I don't think that is likely to happen. 

 
                                              
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H Ludi Tyler wrote:
Silver, you are still using a pseudonym here, so only someone really intent on "getting" you would track you down to your real self.  Personally I don't think that is likely to happen. 




no probably not, but if you knew me, youd see I like to have all bases covered, preferably twice.

Plus, was curious about peoples thoughts on using underused domestic animals like this in relation to what we view as pets in our society.

As for my name, theres atleast 5 people here who know it... its no secret... I just prefer silverseeds, and am known on a few boards as this...

ZB are my initials for anyone keeping track. I still dont want it as my handle here.
 
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GP's are eaten in most latin-american countries... Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia... they also rise rabbits but they prefer by far GP's meat.
Have been talking right now to my mum's nurse, who is from Ecuador, she says they would pay 20 to 30 US$ for a dish with 1 GP with potatoes and gravy...  also 12 to 15 US% for one GP at the GP farm... GP´s are a national dish in Ecuador and they are not cheap tough.
Here in Spain there are lots of inmigrant people from Ecuador and Bolivia and also from Colombia and i think it would be a nice business to rise GP's and sell them directly to those people.
Here's a video about Colombia's GP festival  or cuy festival as they call it... (btw if you want to get links about eatin or raising GP's use the key words cuy (singular) or cuyes (plural) cuy is the onomatopeic sound GP's make, sort of naming woof to dogs or meow to cats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCd8wkl-y-c

Here´s a short .pdf in spanish about family-comercial cuy raising

http://www.bensoninstitute.org/publication/thesis/sp/cuyecuador.pdf

 
Nacho Collado
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for those interested in eating GP's here are a short videos about  killing and de-hairing (peeling) it's much like a pig slaughtering... GP's are kill by exanguination with a cut at the troath region and letting the blood out. otherwise the meat would get too dark if you simply kill the GP only with a blow on the head.
de-hairing is made with hot water, once the hair is loosened, you have to peel it quickly before skin cools down and make it dificult to take all hair out. aditionally you would have to burn the few hairs left in the skin with an open flame as in pigs. but this is not necessary if  de-hairing has been done quick and properly
(viewer discretion is advised)
[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4D1OR4CS7M[/flash]

here's another video of the gutting process (most like done in pigs)
[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaBCVq8EBs4[/flash]

further preparation
[flash=200,200]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn_TTtVf_54[/flash]
 
Burra Maluca
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Slightly off topic, but I just found this link about capybaras (which are, in my mind, enormously overgrown guinea pigs).

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/behavior/Spring2002/Willoughby/other.html

Apparently they were once declared to be fish by the Roman Catholic Church so that could be eaten over Lent.

 
                                              
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 thanks cimarrron.

  i kept having fights break out, until i figured out it was one guy starting it all the time. He is in his own box now.

  I had one of these as a kid, he did make noises, but the poor guy must of been sad or something. when you get a whole bunch of them together they apparently make many more types of noises, besides just the cuy sound. They are very personable.
 
                                              
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Burra Maluca wrote:
Apparently they were once declared to be fish by the Roman Catholic Church so that could be eaten over Lent.



 
Len Ovens
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Burra Maluca wrote:
Apparently they were once declared to be fish by the Roman Catholic Church so that could be eaten over Lent.



Aquaculture?... Does that make the pen into a pond?
 
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