3 yrs in with Guinea Pigs, Findings

[birdhands]

So I began with American GP's, standard pet sized (because I couldn't, and still can't, find any cuy), and now I'm running a herd of 40 or so.
They are very healthy, live on hay and forage, no problems breeding.
In a coop, colony style, separate sexes.
I always breed the biggest boar to the biggest sows, and still they are 1.5lbs full-grown. This has been disappointing.
Don't get me wrong- they're super cute, good on the nerves, eat everything, provide me with awesome compost, and are low-maintenance.
But I sure wish they were bigger, especially because I have yet to figure out the ideal time and temp for scalding.

I could really use help with scalding parameters and any ideas on how to breed them bigger.

PS. I know they'd be bigger faster if I gave them free choice pellets, but that's just not my jam.

 

[Mini Lop Mama]

... boars and sows?? Bucks and does?

 

[birdhands]

Yes, bucks and does for rabbits, boars and sows for GP's. I didn't make it up. What's even funnier is that the young are called pups.

 

[Mini Lop Mama]

Yes, bucks and does for rabbits, boars and sows for GP's. I didn't make it up. What's even funnier is that the young are called pups.

Oh! Oh! I forgot we are talking about guinea pigs

 

[Aqrabuamelu]

The size is the major reason I haven't jumped on the GP bandwagon. West-central PA. here, with a son, grandsons and great-grandkids east of you in the Asheboro area. We've been to Grandfather Mountain for the Scottish Festival a couple times. Pretty darned good!
I'm seriously considering a backyard free range setup. I"m in town and I've allowed my lawn to naturalize for the past 20 years. It's got White Clover, Violets, Sorrels, Plantains, grasses, wild Strawberries, mints and much more for them to pick over. I can add two types of Sunchokes, the greens and the tubers to their diet. I've also got Viburnums and a small Willow for winter feed along with hay. The GPs are supposed to be trainable just like chickens, trained to return to the hutch in the evenings. Not at all like rabbits!
From what I've found out so far about scalding, the water just needs to be a simmer, not a rolling boil and the immersion time is around 20 to 30 seconds, until the hair pulls easily, then scrape the skin and finish with fully dressing out.

 

[Shea]

Scalding temps should be between 165 and 145 f. And if you have access to a chicken plucker it would be worth trying to dehair that way.
Is ther anyway to ship in cuy? It would not be "cheap" persay but finding an animal transporter is possible.

 

[Shea]

This person in Kentucky bred and sold cuy 2 yrs ago. May be worth contacting them. Details were in the description.

 

[ladysown]

those would be cool to own!

 

[birdhands]

Shea, that's precisely what I'm looking for! I looked carefully through the YouTube profile but can't find any contact info, though. I didn't even see Kentucky anywhere. Am I missing something?

 

[birdhands]

Aqrabuamelu, I have a lot of my extra boars outside free ranging. They do really well, but if a weasel or a mink comes by they tend to disappear.

I have all my animals trained to come to a call, except the guineas. I haven't given up, but it's been hard so far because there's not really anything they want to come for (as far as treats go) that beats the grass and other plants outside the coop. I think I'll get there though. Probably carrots and apples will do it.

They do really well on bamboo in the winter.

 

[ladysown]

Shea, that's precisely what I'm looking for! I looked carefully through the YouTube profile but can't find any contact info, though. I didn't even see Kentucky anywhere. Am I missing something?

This link was in the description: facebook.com/rodentcountry/

This phone number was on the facebook page.

Pembroke KY
Text 931-801-3653 She has cuy available as far as I can tell.

 

[birdhands]

So grateful! I contacted her and she's still successfully breeding the cuy. I can hardly believe it! She told me to check back in a few weeks, so I'm planning to go out and buy whatever she'll sell me. I'm thinking I'll breed them to each other, maintaining a purebred line, and also breed one of her boars to my sows, since they're 4th generation here on my farm and have adapted really well to the soil conditions, climate, available forage, and duck/rabbit proximity.

 

[ohiogoatgirl]

Hello birdhands. I haven't been on here regularly so just getting around to looking at new posts. I don't have much info on scalding because the few I butchered I skinned. Don't recommend, there isn't enough to them to be worth it and the hide seems too thin to be worth doing anything with.
Having now done my own chickens I'd probably do GP the same way. Since they don't have feathers to insulate the skin you shouldn't need to swish them around much, just drop it in, stir it around, and pull it out. Fur should just wipe off. If the water was too hot the skin will start to cook and pull away as well. I don't think a chicken plucker would be useful for them.