The question came up on Facebook.

In Australia are we legally allowed to catch and kill and cook and eat pigeons?

https://pigeonpedia.com/what-pigeons-can-you-eat/

I can’t get the pics in my link to appear (I’m on an iPhone). There is a pic of 2 pigeons ready to be cooked and the pigeons there look like small (size 10) chickens ... which we buy all the time. Can someone post that pic up for me please?

Also has anyone here ever tasted pigeon? If so how was it?

Our neighbour's peacocks and peahens wander around and the next house wants to get rid of them.The birds live dangerously. They can be bought and so eaten like pigeons, quail and so on. Koala tastes terrible, too much eucalyptus.

Lisa Jones wrote on Oct 19^th, 2023 at 8:19pm:

I can’t get the pics in my link to appear (I’m on an iPhone). There is a pic of 2 pigeons ready to be cooked and the pigeons there look like small (size 10) chickens ... which we buy all the time. Can someone post that pic up for me please? Also has anyone here ever tasted pigeon? If so how was it?

Pigeons are half the size of a small chicken. Not worth the effort.

They are also smart enough to home over a 1,000 miles.

sometimes live birds were quickly baked in a piecrust and released when the pie was cut – it was considered quite a novelty!  wasn't that a dainty dish.

Dnarever wrote on Oct 19^th, 2023 at 8:34pm:

Lisa Jones wrote on Oct 19th, 2023 at 8:19pm: I can’t get the pics in my link to appear (I’m on an iPhone). There is a pic of 2 pigeons ready to be cooked and the pigeons there look like small (size 10) chickens ... which we buy all the time. Can someone post that pic up for me please? Also has anyone here ever tasted pigeon? If so how was it? Pigeons are half the size of a small chicken. Not worth the effort. They are also smart enough to home over a 1,000 miles.

Ha! If you click on my earlier link there’s a pic there of what looks like 2 small chooks. They’re pigeons apparently.

So anyway my mind started recalling spatchcocks (VERY EXPENSIVE to buy). Mum used to cook up those. Very tasty but you had to pick at it carefully so as to separate the meat from so many tiny bones.

I’m now thinking pigeons may well be another type of spatchcock type meat. I don’t know.

Well there was that yellow bloke in Sydney who was catching Bin Chickens (Ibis) from the bins and taking them home for eating. He was fined 'twice' I think.

Lisa Jones wrote on Oct 19^th, 2023 at 8:51pm:

Dnarever wrote on Oct 19th, 2023 at 8:34pm: Lisa Jones wrote on Oct 19th, 2023 at 8:19pm: I can’t get the pics in my link to appear (I’m on an iPhone). There is a pic of 2 pigeons ready to be cooked and the pigeons there look like small (size 10) chickens ... which we buy all the time. Can someone post that pic up for me please? Also has anyone here ever tasted pigeon? If so how was it? Pigeons are half the size of a small chicken. Not worth the effort. They are also smart enough to home over a 1,000 miles. Ha! If you click on my earlier link there’s a pic there of what looks like 2 small chooks. They’re pigeons apparently. So anyway my mind started recalling spatchcocks (VERY EXPENSIVE to buy). Mum used to cook up those. Very tasty but you had to pick at it carefully so as to separate the meat from so many tiny bones. I’m now thinking pigeons may well be another type of spatchcock type meat. I don’t know.

spatchcock  is a method of splitting open and cooking a chicken or game bird. It could be a pigeon as well.

I'm pretty sure you are. When I was young a good friend kept pigeons in a large cage. The cage had an opening on top that allowed wild pigeons to get in but not out. Very much like a crab pot entrance. But I never saw them eating them. Maybe they were using them as homing pigeons, or just felt a bit embarrassed about it. Chicken is so cheap and easy these days. Pigeon has gone from a staple of the poor to a novelty for the rich.

I did eat quail once. OK but too fiddly to be worth it.

Many a Chinese Restaurant in Sydney and Melbourne sell newly hatched 'chickens' and sell them as Quail falsely.
I know, I worked a hatchery where these Restaurants ordered the baby chickens from.
It's right up there with the Chinese being caught years ago falsely labelling Fish and other seafoods to sell to the public.

I always saw Monk as a Bin Chicken eater to be honest.

Lisa Jones wrote on Oct 19^th, 2023 at 8:19pm:

I can’t get the pics in my link to appear (I’m on an iPhone). There is a pic of 2 pigeons ready to be cooked and the pigeons there look like small (size 10) chickens ... which we buy all the time. Can someone post that pic up for me please? Also has anyone here ever tasted pigeon? If so how was it?

          https://i.postimg.cc/T33BbQN0/Screenshot-2023-10-20-at-15-59-04-What-Pigeons-Can-You-Eat-Pigeonpedia.png

Dolphin is the healthiest and best tasting meat I've ever had.

pigeon may = squab

freediver wrote on Oct 20^th, 2023 at 8:50am:

I'm pretty sure you are. When I was young a good friend kept pigeons in a large cage. The cage had an opening on top that allowed wild pigeons to get in but not out. Very much like a crab pot entrance. But I never saw them eating them. Maybe they were using them as homing pigeons, or just felt a bit embarrassed about it. Chicken is so cheap and easy these days. Pigeon has gone from a staple of the poor to a novelty for the rich.

Had racing Pigeons as a kid. The routine is you let the birds fly morning and afternoon. You have a landing platform of some type on the cage mostly high with one way doors. You call the birds back with some signal and fill their food containers. They come back to the cage through one way doors have their meal and roost for the night etc.

Once had a pigeon called a spotted Grizzel ( Well he decided to stay with us intermittently) a bit like Hedwig the owl in its pattern but a lot tighter and very pretty bird. The bird flew up from the south and joined our flock. It stayed for 15 months. One day we opened the cage door for the birds morning flight and the Grizzle flew straight south like a dart. 15 months later it came back.

chimera wrote on Oct 19^th, 2023 at 8:29pm:

...Koala tastes terrible, too much eucalyptus.

You need to prepare it like South African biltong.

The vinegar and spices will neutralise the eucalyptus
overtones.

      ;)

Ahh, that's better. Finger lickin' good.

there are aussie pigeons which are native to this country- my dad was pretty nifty with his .22 and used to catch at least 6 for a feed- then there are just pigeons- that roost under the bridge etc- they are very yummy- but bigger than the native pigeons!!!

in red wine--very nice!!!