The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Musky on November 29, 2017, 10:40:54 am

Title: Game Birds Offered - Help please!
Post by: Musky on November 29, 2017, 10:40:54 am
Morning all, been offered a selection of game birds from a friend for nothing – only trouble is they are full birds and need plucking/gutting/hanging or whatever they need doing to turn them into a nice oven/freezer ready bit of meat. Due to a forthcoming holiday and lack of space at home, preparing them is not an option – anybody recommend anywhere what to do with these so we can take advantage of the offer and not waste them?

We are in West Yorkshire.

Game available for collection tomorrow so need to move quickly if anybody can help?

thanks
Title: Re: Game Birds Offered - Help please!
Post by: Marches Farmer on November 29, 2017, 10:56:32 am
They really do need to be plucked and drawn.  The bacteria in the guts will contaminate the meat otherwise.
Title: Re: Game Birds Offered - Help please!
Post by: Louise Gaunt on November 29, 2017, 01:36:57 pm
My sister often gets game birds at short notice from her gamekeeper son. If she doesn't have time to pluck, draw, dress etc I think she just takes off the breasts and skins to remove feathers. This does limit later use if the meat, but may be a way of utilising some of the carcass.
Title: Re: Game Birds Offered - Help please!
Post by: harmony on November 29, 2017, 01:48:44 pm
We do what Louise has suggested above.
Title: Re: Game Birds Offered - Help please!
Post by: vfr400boy on November 29, 2017, 10:44:52 pm
I just take brests out just peel skin back and run knife down Brest bone , will be a video on YouTube, then I freeze them in bags of 6 ready for a meal, ferrets get rest of carcass and any that are badly shot, takes less than a minute to Brest them out