# Cornish hen giblets pouch?



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Can anyone enlighten me as to the contents of these mini bags of visceral goodies? I stuck them into the freezer for later use when I got Cornish hens for Louis earlier in the summer. Now I think he's ready for organs, but they are just a frozen blob and I can't make out the components. I'm guessing gizzard, liver, kidneys, and heart?


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

I've routinely seen this little bean-like thing that I've always thought of as the kidney in regular-sized chickens. But I'm not sure WHAT it really is.... But if it IS the kidney, a Cornish game hen kidney must be near microscopic!

You almost definitely have the liver and heart. Maybe a gizzard.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Usually its just the heart, gizzard and liver not including the kidneys. My guess is the bean shaped thing you see is actually the heart. Unless its kinda a yellowish color and then it could be a gland of some kind.

Here's a good image to figure out what is what:


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Uh ha, the bean things (hard and a lot bigger than a bean) would most definately be the heart. I know as I packaged up a few hundred chicken hearts yesterday for freezing.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Okay I thawed it out and it looks like I have a liver, a heart, a gizzard still stuck together. I think I also got lucky and got a kidney stuck on the outside of the bag  At least I think it's a kidney judging from that picture, but with a yellow tint, which went away when I rinsed it a little. 

How do you guys portion your organs for storage? These Cornish hen organs are tiny and no problem, but when I buy a beef liver or something of that size...organ is mushy and I see it freezing together into this giant frozen mess after I cut it up. Lots of little baggies or ice cube trays?


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

I feed one organ meal every couple weeks or so. I cut meal-sized portions up and put them in ziplock bags (I know, I know. But organs are the only thing I put in ziplock bags). I put each one in the freezer in a way so that it isn't touching anything else (and NOT on the wire freezer rack. It oozes right down in-between and gets stuck after it freezes and expands). Once it's pretty frozen, I move them together.

Sometimes, if I'm cutting up a bunch of stuff and organs happen to be one of them, I'll just toss a meal sized chunk into the tupperware container with the rest of the week's meals.

But if you have a small dog or feed organs every day, I really like your ice cube tray idea.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

We aren't to organs just yet, (although I have plenty for when the day comes), and am wondering, with the one organ meal, is it the same amount, weight that is, as a regular meal or is it a smaller amount because it's so rich?

My girl hoodlum will be a sort of small dog...no more than 25 pounds, estimated, at adult weight....would I still feed her about a half a pound of organ meat once in awhile or would I make the amount smaller? And would that be all she gets or do I mix it with something else to equal half a pound of food?


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

SerenityFL said:


> We aren't to organs just yet, (although I have plenty for when the day comes), and am wondering, with the one organ meal, is it the same amount, weight that is, as a regular meal or is it a smaller amount because it's so rich?
> 
> My girl hoodlum will be a sort of small dog...no more than 25 pounds, estimated, at adult weight....would I still feed her about a half a pound of organ meat once in awhile or would I make the amount smaller? And would that be all she gets or do I mix it with something else to equal half a pound of food?


When you first start feed organs, you want to do it verrrrryyy slooooowly. Like, a thumbnail size piece added to a bony meal. Gradually working up to a full meal-sized portion, poundage-wise.

But how you feed organs will depend on how well they like them. Ania likes them so I give her a whole meals worth every few weeks. Some dogs don't like organs, and have to have them force fed. This is probably easier to do with a full meal-sized amount. Some people feed tiny portions of organ every day.


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

Ania's Mommy said:


> When you first start feed organs, you want to do it verrrrryyy slooooowly. Like, a thumbnail size piece added to a bony meal. Gradually working up to a full meal-sized portion, poundage-wise.
> 
> But how you feed organs will depend on how well they like them. Ania likes them so I give her a whole meals worth every few weeks. Some dogs don't like organs, and have to have them force fed. This is probably easier to do with a full meal-sized amount. Some people feed tiny portions of organ every day.


Thumbnail size to start....oops. Guess that beef heart is going to be in the freezer for awhile. 

Ok, thanks for the information.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

SerenityFL said:


> Thumbnail size to start....oops. Guess that beef heart is going to be in the freezer for awhile.
> 
> Ok, thanks for the information.


Err, I hate to be the barer of more bad news, but heart isn't considered an organ nutritionally. Rather a very rich muscle meat.

Liver, kidney, pancreas, lungs, spleen. Those are some organs, nutrition-wise.:biggrin:


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## SerenityFL (Sep 28, 2010)

Ania's Mommy said:


> Err, I hate to be the barer of more bad news, but heart isn't considered an organ nutritionally. Rather a very rich muscle meat.
> 
> Liver, kidney, pancreas, lungs, spleen. Those are some organs, nutrition-wise.:biggrin:


Gah! (Where's that "beating head against brick wall" icon?) You are right. I have to get that in my head...(hence the necessity of a brick wall, apparently.)

Well, then, that makes things a whole lot easier....except what the heck to do with all that farookin' beef heart I bought.


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

Send it to me, I will dispose of that nasty heart for you.:biggrin:

It is great stuff, feed it as a rich meat.


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## bumblegoat (May 12, 2010)

The beef heart would be perfect to feed to the cats, since it is high in taurine. Heart is an important part of a cat's raw diet.

Of course it's good to feed to the dogs too!


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