Are ferals edible

[HeadShotHoncho]

I only shoot ferals as they are the only ones on my permission. There are some woodies on a permission I need to apply for.

 

I have shot about 50 pigeons in total over a month or two and have left them for the foxes, I have now decided after hearing that pigeons taste very nice, I know that pigeons carry diseases and worms and fleas but will these be killed and sterilised in cooking.

 

Are ferals edible cos i'd rather ask a possibly stupid question than spewing up my guts

 

Many thanks, HSH

Edited March 16, 2008 by HeadShotHoncho

[Vagabond]

Don't do it. They are disgusting, full of rubbish. Go into town at sunup on Sat or Sun morning and all the ferals are eating the "pavement pizzas" left behind by the people how cant handle their booze the night before.

[HeadShotHoncho]

thought so, will this affect the meat or not

[Vagabond]

Yeh it might pickle it or contaminate it. Most of them are full of disease anyway.

[henry d]

Define where you shoot them...... in Trafalgar square .........in a barn in the sticks

[new to the flock]

If they are rurul birds that are living and feeding in the country then they are fine. I shoot rurul flocks of ferels here and they are very tasty. They are not the disease ridden flying death traps that many would have you believe. They are very clean healthy birds not covered in lice or with deformities.

 

However do stay away from town birds as they have a tendancy to grit along the town curds , often picking up heavy metals as they do. Another problem with town birds is that they roost in confined quarters promoting lice, and respritory problems.

 

There are many people that raise them for food around here and there is a federally inspected squab processing plant being built here this year aswell.

 

NTTF

[HeadShotHoncho]

They are roosting in a derelict courtyard about 1kmsq, maybe less. They also roost in a farm near me

[lurcherboy]

Fine to eat just be carefull when prepping them and cook well.

 

 

 

 

LB

[Sundodger]

Head shot where abouts are you? it might help when replying to your question.

 

Sundodger

[HeadShotHoncho]

In Cumbria. There is a large barn they roost in (can tell cos theres mound of **** 5ft high) and then another set of longer barns that are not as high opposite

[markbivvy]

Disease transmission

 

Pigeons carry a number of potentially infectious diseases such as Salmonellosis, Tuberculosis and Ornithosis. Contamination of food by pigeon droppings or by the birds themselves can transmit these diseases to humans.

[scolopax]

Very edible. Like already stated there should be no reason why rural ferals should not be eaten, might have second thoughts about their urban brethren though.

[Beds]

Hi there,

 

lots of people have this picture of ferels being sky rats I recently had a shoot on a farm that was over run with ferel, these were eating the feed and crops as the local woodies and to prove a point i cooked both the woodie and a ferel and the taste is the same, the only difference being the size of the breast meat, the woodie was slightly bigger.

 

As long as it is cooked no worries..

 

enjoy

 

Andy.

 

the pigeon stroganoff was excellent by the way.. look on here its great..

[M ROBSON]

I wouldn't fancy eating them!

 

I once gave them to a friend for his Greyhounds though. Red meat is their favoured diet.

 

Mark.

[Blackpowder]

Many old farmbuildings and mansion houses had dovecotes to house pigeons, which could fly out and feed at will but were culled at night for human consumption. I have seen some with quite elaborate revolving gantries which might have been used to harvest eggs or squabs from the boxes. Many of todays feral pigeon must be descendents of these birds.

 

Blackpowder