Fly Blown Birds

[OJW]

Is it ok to eat birds that have had eggs laid in/on them? I plucked and breasted some and washed the meat, it looks fine.

 

This is a real problem as the flies are laying eggs on the birds in minutes after they are down. Every single bird had eggs in their beak / wound or under the wing unless they were picked immediately and put in a hessian sack.

 

Picking each bird right away is impractical as it disturbs other birds. I don't have a dog that is old enough to work yet else that might help.

 

Thanks.

[JDog]

Yes of course the birds are still good to eat if they are fly blown provided that they are prepared on the same day. They are maybe not so good to eat if they have been in the sun all day.

 

Do we presume you have shot some recently?

[Cranfield]

I pick mine asap and get them in the carp sack.

It also depends what you are going to do with them, if you are eating them and can prepare them the same day its not so bad.

Mine get checked carefully, then spend the night cooling down, then get delivered, or collected fresh the next day.

Any with fly eggs on them will get rejected by the Game Dealer.

 

Smaller numbers I check carefully and freeze them, the Game Dealer doesn't seem to check these so diligently.

Either because he trusts me, or its not so important.

[OJW]

Yes of course the birds are still good to eat if they are fly blown provided that they are prepared on the same day. They are maybe not so good to eat if they have been in the sun all day.

 

Do we presume you have shot some recently?

 

Yes

 

I went out yesterday and shot 66 birds for about 100 shots over some wheat. I was out from 11am - 6pm. I used a magnet with Pro-flap decoys on that I thought looked a bit dodgy but seemed to work OK. Then just put some decoys up on sticks above the wheat. The birds came in well, I was only shooting at birds that came in close due to the standing crops. I'm going out again on Thursday and will try and take a video and write a half decent report on that day if it is any good.

[wraivi]

I put shot birds in a hessian sack in the shade, allows airflow so the carcasses don't heat up and stop the flies laying eggs on them.

I am not too fussed about eggs, more concerned as in the sun, the heat will accelerate bacterial growth and decomposition.

[kenholland]

midge net from army& navy type stores.

[motty]

I tend not to worry about eggs these days. Most of my pigeons get frozen asap, which stops the eggs hatching. The processing procedure then removes all the eggs.

[stugarford]

If i find many eggs in the beak i just pull there heads off .

[otherwayup]

Anyone got a photo of the eggs when recently fly blown?

 

All pictures I've found through google are after maggots have developed.

[wraivi]

Looks like clumps of small rice grains. You won't overlook them, very easy to spot.

Google images of blow fly eggs.

[ShropshireSam]

As others have said. Fly eggs are not a problem. Only need to make sure they are cooled and frozen or processed before they hatch. If I am freezing for the dealer I try to remove any obvious clumps of eggs.

I collect birds and place single layers in hessian bags with the opening folded over and keep in the shade. If a very hot day I soak bags in water as the evaporation helps cool the bags down. Some days the damp bags can be covered with fly eggs but the birds inside are fine.