crows!!

I had not thought about that. The route I take to my favourite real ale pub goes through a pheasant shooting area. They are bred for shooting and the bloody things refuse to fly out of the way of my car. Perhaps, the fact that if they fly, they are likely to get shot, may put them off flying.

Dave

If they're on the public (adopted) highway, would it be poaching to pick them up and take them home?

Owain

In message , tony sayer writes

I think its more the fact that they are bred to be stupid: Make them easier to hit.

Sort of reverse Darwin.

Only if it was you that hit them. I have eaten road kill before now.

Which is probably related to how quickly it can get away. Small birds are very agile, and can also make their escape through spaces which are too small for you (or preditor). As you go up to larger and larger birds, they take more time to start their escape, and have fewer options in terms of possible escape routes. Therefore, they need to start their escape much earlier.

Supposing you didn't "hit" them but "accidentally" dropped some raisins through which you had "happened" to push some chopped lengths of horsehair?

Slightly too much info there.

Owain

There's nothing wrong with roadkill! We've had hare, pheasant (lots) and badger. I've never fancied touching a hedgehog since the time we had one in the garden and I picked it up to show the children. The fleas were jumping from it and formed a halo. Ugh. Rabbits are usually far too squashed.

Mary

Trouble is, I couldn't stand to draw one :-(

Dave

wuss. Thats the easy bit. Its plucking that is a total PITA.

Why?

It's quick and easy. Plucking is a pain so we always skin birds, like hares.

We killed a cockerel last week, that wasn't easy because he was a pet but it will be easier next time - when we do the deed with his brother. They'll be Christmas dinner..

If we want to eat meat we should be prepared to do all the processes to get the animal from field (or pond or sky) to plate, shouldn't we? This is a DIY ng after all ...

As an aside, I had toe surgery on Friday, I was offered various anaesthetic procedures but I wouldn't have been allowed to watch if I'd had a local so opted for a knock-out. There must have been a dozen people who saw what was going on, yet it was MY toe and I wasn't allowed to see it! Snot fair.

Mary

Next time ask if they can video it for you.

Owain

There won't be a next time, the other foot was done in January :-)

Mary

So I have been told in the same pub, by someone who shoots them. What he does is give a brace to an ex butcher and he plucks and draws then and then gets to keep one and hands the other back to the shooter.

The reason I am loath to draw one, is from an experience I had many years ago with a chicken. I just got (un) fed up with the number of eggs I was pulling out. I may have gone about this the wrong way, but at the time, it was all I knew.

Anyone want to start a new thread on bird drawing? Well, it is DIY after all :-)

I would be very interested in how to draw the smaller birds though.

Dave

Agreed.

I had a hernia opp more than 30 years ago and was due to get an epidural (sp) and the buggers would not let me watch either. I had a cataract opp in 1998. I went in, in my street clothes, was given a drip point at the back of both wrists and then laid out on the operating table with just a green sheet over me. The opp took place and I was very disappointed not to see the improved vision when the lens was implanted.

Next day, though, it looks like I upset the nurse that took off the eye patch. She was sat over to my right and asked how my vision was. I told her that I liked what I saw. At that point she went all cold with me. Mind you she did have a good bum and long legs :-)

Now, you can see all sorts of opps on TV though.

Dave

Only if you have one!

Mary

That's why skinning is better.

It's unlikely to happen again, these days chickens reared for the table aren't old enough to begin laying.

The same as with a bigger bird! Except that with something like a woodcock you don't bother. The 'trail' is eaten.

Mary