Dining on Training Birds?

[AHGSP]

OK. So here is the question: How many of you take your training Quail, Chukars, etc... that you shoot over your dogs in the course of training, home and cook them up for dinner?

I was asked recently if I cooked and ate the Quail I shot while training dogs and why not.

I don't. I take them home and throw them in a bag in the freezer and then proceed to use them for retrieving drills until they are beyond further use. I've been pondering the thought and I imagine there are a boat load of Quail shot in a years time for dog training purposes in the US and I got to wondering if others do in fact use their Quail afterwards for meals. Kind of a silly, pointless question, but one I've not been able to shake....

Waste not, want not sort of thing.....

What do you do with your shot training birds?

[gr_elliott]

shot some sunday afternoon, had them for dinner monday night. I also have some wholes ones in the freezer for retrieving.

[SteveB]

Some people have an issue with the medicated feed that some captive game birds are fed.
Steve

[Chaingang]

If I have a pup, I may keep a Chukar or two for retrieving drills. But I mostly clean them and either freeze them or eat them that night. Most of my preserve stuff is Pheasant or Chukars.

[h20fwlkillr]

Some people have an issue with the medicated feed that some captive game birds are fed.
Steve

Gamebirds shouldn't be fed medicated feed.

I eat most of my training birds. Chukar, pheasant and quail, but I draw the line at the pigeons.

[bwood]

I doubt preserve birds ever eat anything any worse than chickens and probably much less as far as medication/steroids/whatever. Keep a few for the freezer and the rest go into the frying pan. I've always dealt with pheasants and chukars. I'm going to pick up some quail tonight so we'll see how they taste. When I was a kid we used to hunt wild pigeons along the snake river and take them home and eat them. Takes a lot of pigeons to fill up teenage boys.

[ezzy333]

The feed they eat would be the least of my concerns as far as eating. There feed is regulated just like all animal feed plus there is very few additives for birds that are used.

We have raised pigeons for years and ate a lot of them over the yearsl. And yes, we eat some of the training birds also. The rest are in the freezer in plastic bags waiting to be used in training.

Ezzy

[ccavacini]

Please don't say you're having Fava Beans with the game.

[Lab Man]

I will eat the quail and Pheasants. I dont eat the pigeons. I feed all my training birds cracked corn. What does everyone else feed there training birds?


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[AHGSP]

I had really never thought about it, I use them for retrieving so much out of the freezer and work with so many dogs all of the time, that I had never considered cooking any up. I just have a constant supply to do retrieve work. Great for teaching dogs not to chomp by the way.

Me thinks me might have to pull a few out for a Quail dinner next time though! I was asked the question, had never thought about it and didn't have a good answer and it got me to pondering whether others did eat them, or just toss them in the freezer for later use like I do.

Like I said, silly, pointless question, but interesting to hear the answers.

[BOSUN]

I eat the quail, but I would never eat a pigeon. Ever. A cockroach maybe, but not a pigeon.

[sdgord]

I have to wonder at the reluctance to eat a pigeon. I always figured they were just a magnum dove. The only reason I would not utilize a training bird would be that they were just too mangled up. SDGORD

[bwood]

I always get a chuckle when people don't want to eat a bird because of feed or the dog was rough with it. Don't we all shoot them full of toxic heavy metals? i.e. lead? I'm sure I've swallowed my share of shot over the years.

[BOSUN]

sdgord,
You don't have to wonder about MY reluctance to eat pigeons, and I won't explain it to you either. It just ain't right. For ME.

[Ayres]

If we come back with just a quail or two, we'll throw 'em in the fridge or freezer for retrieving purposes. If we come back with more than that, we'll go ahead and clean them and then freeze the meat until we get a good mess going. Then it's eaten.

That goes for quail and the occasional pheasant (don't really use pheasants for training too often). On the off chance we shoot a pigeon, we don't eat it. They're a much dirtier bird... been described as 'flying rats'.

[AceofSpades41]

Ayres,

The same can be said about turkeys (domesticated) and chickens if left to their own devices..... lol But there's no way I'll eat squab, mom did when she was little but then again that's all they had post depression in some cases.

Ace

[ezzy333]

The term Flying Rats has nothing to do with their hygene. Some people call squirrels Tree Rats also. I think that is a term that was coined in areas where they developed into a pest such as cities.

Wild birds have been considered dirty because of their prefered habitat in barns and other buildings. They like all birds do carry lice or fleas occasionally but the "dirty" description has been over done. And the Racing birds are as close to the wild birds as a throughbred is to a mustang.

Ezzy

[sandhill]

You hit it right on Ezzy I will also eat my pigeons as long as they have never been out of the loft flying, But the ones I train for racing are to tough by the time the season is over so they either go on the old bird team or get used for training. It's up to them know what I mean

Steve

[ezzy333]

Steve,

No arguement from me.

Ezzy