Meat

[Sean]

Have a few questions hope some of you dont mind answering.

How long can you keep your meat in the freezer before it goes off?
Do you feed the guts of rabbits,crows etc too, or just the flesh?
Do you use guts as pick up pieces?
Is it better to leave meat in a freezer for a month before feeding to prevent bacteria and things?

thanks in advance

[IAmTheWeasel]

I have a deep freezer and I usually clear it out within a year as freezer burn will damage the game eventually. Not sure what the actual time limit is. As for the guts, I will feed it to the bird as much as possible as it contains many needed vitamins and minerals for the bird. Brains, nervous system, internal organs aswell as meat bone and fur are all things that should be fed to a raptor. Now, as for using the guts as pick up pieces.....that's up to you....I would not want the stinky slimy guts on my glove...I prefer Beef heart cubes as they are neat and tidy to use as tid bits. The only game I would be concerned with freezing first would be pigeons and dove as they are well known to carry frounce. The heads, neck and gizzards should be removed and thrown away as this is a major area that the frounce wil be located. This is still no guarentee that the frounce will be all gone.

[ColdZero]

Like weasel said, internal organs are very good for the bird. Using liver as a treat to get your bird off of game is a good idea as its their favourite. Personally i am going to gut the rabbits i shoot until i get my hwk as they are very messy and my hawk didn't seem to like them anyway. If you want to make use of a pigeon just cut out the breast meat, its the only decent meat on a pigeon anyway. Not sure about the freezer thing...i wouldn't keep it for over a year or so. Also yes, freexing rats etc for a few months is a good idea.

[Mary Quite Contrary]

Have a few questions hope some of you don't mind answering.

How long can you keep your meat in the freezer before it goes off?
beef 6-12 months
deer 6-12
poultry whole, quail etc...9 months
rabbit 9months
the smaller the piece of meat or animal the shorter the period of time.

Do you feed the guts of rabbits,crows etc too, or just the flesh?
The guts from rats if bought from a reputable source will be OK to feed. With birds its is better to remove the crop and head and feet. I never have!

Do you use guts as pick up pieces?
Guts, do you mean intestines or everything. I feed the heart, liver,lungs .and kidney.. but not the rest.

Is it better to leave meat in a freezer for a month before feeding to prevent bacteria and things?
This does work in some cases but doesn't kill everything like salmonella.

thanks in advance


Regards rabbit rabbit.

[Sean]

thanks for the responses, greatly appreicated. one more question hehe. can you put the quarry straight into teh freezer and will they keep this long, or is it better to gut before you freeze it?

thanks

[Miguel]

I think that if you gut the quarry, it makes it easier for the ice to start "burning" the inside... I think it's better to leave it, and then after defrosting (or on the half way) you gut it...

[Shaun Byrne]

I've always believed you should gut your quarry on the groung you caught it.
Sean, always remove the digestive system, stomach intestines etc but keep all the major organs. I always reward the last kill with a full liver (still warm) and a good crop from the chest cavity, plenty of warm blood.
If you only have a small freezer it is best to quarter your rabbits before freezing to allow them to stack neater.

[Sean]

thanks for teh replys :)

[Jiff]

sean one point that is worth remembering,if like me you will be eating some of the rabbits you catch,it's important to empty the blader soon after dispatching it and remove the digestive system,if either birst it spoils the meat for us to eat,the blader can be emptied easily by using a milking motion with your thumb between the hind legs.

[Sean]

thanks jiff :)

[Mary Quite Contrary]

sean one point that is worth remembering,if like me you will be eating some of the rabbits you catch,it's important to empty the blader soon after dispatching it and remove the digestive system,if either birst it spoils the meat for us to eat,the blader can be emptied easily by using a milking motion with your thumb between the hind legs.


I agree with Jiff.
What you must also do is locate the two scent glands on top of the back legs and remove them before cooking, as this also taints the meat.

[Sean]

thanks :)

[Gaz]

How long does chicken keep in the freezer :?: ..cos i put one in last night..and it was dead this morning :!:

[BFC 007]

nice 1 gaz :rolleyes: