Old Speckled Hen Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I was talking to my mother on the phone .... my usual weekly check-up .... when I mentioned that a rather large rabbit had run into the car and having taken it home some five days ago we were eating him for sunday lunch. She was appalled and asked whether we were in the habit of eating any dead thing we found on the road. I said I wouldn't eat just anything, this bun just happened to get run over, but I had to admit to the odd pheasant Does any body else do this? Seems such a waste otherwise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Errr, no................... Seems a bit macabre to me, & I am terribly squeamish anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlo Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I would be hopeless. One time a pheasant committed hara kiri by flying into our patio window and breaking its neck. I am afraid that I buried him! A lady I play golf with regularly takes home road kill though. It's not that I am against it - I am just a big wuss!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I have never (knowingly!) eaten road kill but I wouldnt have any problems in doing so as long as I knew for certain how it died and how long it had been there. My friend hit a deer in her car (by accident!) and had it carved up and in her freezer within a few hours, she very reasonably said that it paid for the damage to the car most of our friends thought that was completely unacceptable but my grandad was a bit of a tyke when he was younger when it comes to eating wild animals so I am pretty immune to outrage on that subject! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruth1 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 No, Although if I liked the taste and knew how it had died I might, I just killed a pheasant this afternoon, It flew right into the windscreen even though I swerved and braked it seemed determined to end it. Drove the rest of the way home in tears( cant help it, it always upsets me) Had just missed a Heron on my way out too, it landed in the middle of the road right in front of me, never had that happen before, I got out and shooed it over to the river. Im thinking it was not a good day for me and birds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I killed a young deer with my Fiat Panda one night and yes we took it home and butchered it and ate it - well it killed my car so I had to have some recompense!. Seriously though I would only do that and eat what I knew had happened to it and not s"Ooops, word censored!"ed anything off the roads. There are people who do only this and survive on it - good luck to them I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Interrresting Please don't run over my daft ginger tom and eat him! I'm a country girl born and bred and living in London. I used to watch gran plucking chickens (sorry) and skinning rabbits but not sure if I could do it myself. If the inards were hanging out thats it I am a major wuss!! I'd be inclined to think if a deer knocked the s--t out my card I'd freeze it, but wouldnt know where to start. will have to think about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 technically you're poaching if it was your car it doesnt make me feel odd though as you know how fresh it was and agree its better than wasting it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 At least it was free range and organic. I'd be a bit concerned about any parasite infestations though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 yeuch!!!!! no-way, each to their own but you dont know what diseases that animal is carrying. I would be more likely to take the dead animal home and give it a decent burial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 At least it was free range and organic. I'd be a bit concerned about any parasite infestations though. In the case of my deer road kill - I had a retired vet deal with the carcass for me and so I knew it was OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 When I used to patrol the lovely rural area of Egham there was a certain Sargeant (who shall remain nameless!) but prior to being a police officer he used to be a butcher, and he kept set of knives tucked away at the police station. Although it's not a reportable accident lots of people used to inform the police if they hit deer as, obviously, it's a fairly BIG carcass to leave at the side of the road. We used to take bets on how long it would take him to get to it, stuff it in the back of the Police car then go back to the nick and carve it up He was pretty darned quick! You didn't see him for the rest of the shift! Mind you, we had some good summer barbecues on the back of it - not sure I should have posted this really as most of the deer came out of Windsor Great Park at Virginia Water so I guess technically they belong to Her Majesty! Don't think she'd missed them though! I wouldn't have a problem with road kill if I'd killed it, but I wouldn't pick up any old thing off the roadside. But I've eaten freshly killed squirrel, we minced it and made it into burgers then barbecused them - very tasty! BeckyBoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I passed a dead pheasant at the side of the road the other day (it looked freshly dead as it was still 'in' the road) - I didn't think until I was past it, but am kicking myself now that I didn't throw it in the boot, I love roast pheasant! I'd have no problem eating it, we often had roadkill or poached ( ) rabbit and pheasant when I was little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I am a vegetarian, wuss and animal lover, but people eating roadkill doesnt bother me in the slightest....as least the animal didnt die in vain. Good on you for having the courage to eat it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chooklady Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I haven't ever eaten road kill but I probably would, if you did it yourself or saw it happen so at least you know it's fresh why not. Apparently Muntjac is very tasty venison I've heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 From 'tinterweb: There are no clear laws governing the consumption of roadkill. The most relevant regulation is the EU Animal By-Products Regulation. Wild animals not suspected of having an infectious disease fall outside of this legislation - and so there are no rules governing their disposal. A wild animal is defined as any animal not "kept" by a human. So squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, hares and badgers are likely to be fine. Animals that are owned, however, must be disposed of according to EU rules - which usually means they have to be processed and incinerated. This includes pets, circus animals, and farm animals. It would, therefore, not be legal to eat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted February 9, 2009 Author Share Posted February 9, 2009 What a wonderful variety of replies, thanks. As some of you have said, "each to his own." I suppose it's what you're used to. Becky Boo, your reply was absolutely hilarious (By the way, I used to work in Egham too ... small world). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saronne Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 According to Terry Wogan...well, he knows everything, doesn't he?! The law states that the person who hits the animal cannot take the carcass. However, the next car in line can! I think it's to prevent people from 'poaching' or deliberately putting food out in the road and waiting for the animal to appear so they can run it over (who's got the time for that?) I've got a friend who eats road kill rabbits, hare and pheasant on a regular basis... Saronne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 We usually have 2 or 3 road kill pheasants each year. OH stops whenever he sees a dead pheasant and if it is still warm and not too mangled from its run-in with the car that hit it, he brings it home. We hang it for about 10 days and make a great pheasant casserole. Have not had any road kill rabbit, but I would not find it a problem. Last year we had a pheasant that a neighbour's dog (JRT) had put up out of the hedge in our field and killed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I was also under the understanding that you can't pick up anything you've run over yourself - not that that has ever stopped me. I did drawn the line at the fox that split the rad on my car though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffyknickers Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I have never (knowingly) eaten road kill purely because I wouldnt have a clue about how to prepare it for the oven and would also be worried it had something nasty and I would be ill. But if someone dished me up some deer/rabbit etc and said it was road kill and safe then I wouldnt have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aunty e Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I think I'd eat it if I hit it. I woldn't have a problem with pheasant (much as I hate plucking, the worst part for me is killing them so I'd be happier if the car did it), although I don't know how to dress rabbit. I could probably look it up. We used to eat the bunnies that the cats brought home in scotland, and I had a pair of lovely bunny mittens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
