Peacock Meat

Hi Meredith:

Welcome to our community.  

There is a piece of property down the road from us that has over 40 peafowl who have multiplied over the years and they don't belong to anyone.

Animal control has been ordered to shoot them due to their noise in the spring and they say it is  "public health issue."

Some landowners don't want them to be killed.

I was thinking that if I were to capture them, I could have them butchered and offer them to local families who are out of work because of the Coronavirus.

So I have a few questions:

1. Is this ethical?
2. DO you have any idea how peafowl meat tastes?  I hear it was a delicacy in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Thank you!

Paul

You might find this interesting. https://foragerchef.com/cooking-a-peacock/

As for ethical-- I think if they are "doomed" to be shot by animal control anyway, why not use them for some good instead of just letting them rot where they fall? But unless people in your area are used to eating game birds, it might be hard to convince them to try something new and you may end up eating them all yourself.

Ethics are more personal. The question I see here: is it legal?

Ethics of meat of me is more about the way to raise them, and the global cultural way we have created, because it mostly implies that food production does not have to be ethical but just legal! And ethics vary, as we can see that some people want to force others to eat only plants, even though some people cannot.

I have heard the meat is very tasty but have no first hand experience with it. I would like to try it though.

I think it is unethical to kill them without eating them, especially in this uncertain time.

You bring up some great points.  You're right.  Just shooting them without using the meat seems like a travesty.

I wonder, though if there might be some pushback from members of the community about eating something so beautiful.

I guess no matter what you do, we are going to upset someone!

Paul

According to the original post animal control has been ordered to kill them. Zero waste is one of the permaculture fundamentals.

Starvation seems like a public health issue. Lots of animals are "beautiful" but people eat them all the time. I would tell those who would prefer it just be wasted to get over it. Just because it's not wrapped in plastic doesn't mean it's not good food. I think it's time to think outside the styrofoam box a bit!

If the peafowl can be captured one might consider "selling" them.  Peafowl command quite a price, when you can find them for sale....  $400 to $500 a mated set is not an uncommon price.  Just buying chicks can run you $20 to $25 a chick...

Some day I would like to get into peafowl, but for now the price is too much and with four teens still at home, I have my hands full enough with them at moment.

Hi Roy:

Yes I thought if that because I know how to catch them.  The problem is keeping so many of them - you need a good pen in order to do that.

Maybe I can ask around.

P.

Mike:  Lol!

interesting talk about ethics and waste. A Swiss firm have started working with deer leather, because normally only the meat is used and the hide discarded.