What the heck is in my birds

nuttyBen

nuttyBen

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Hey gang, looking for some info.

Was out hunting in the Timmins (Ontario) area today. Not a bad day, four birds each (buddy and I). During cleaning we found two of the Ruffed Grouse infected with worms. The Worms where in the 'gut sack' behind the breast. little white buggers about 1- 1 1/2 inches long. What the heck are they.
Here's a pic of the one with a few worms, trust me the other was way worse.

IMGP1339.jpg

Anybody know what's up, is the meat still good?? how do they affect the partridge??
Thanks in advance

Ben
 
i never get to see much of the 'guts'. i use the stand on the wings and pull the feet technique. but i would send the pics to SRD. i cought some pike this year with black spots all over them and SRD had an answer back to me in a day.
good luck and keep us updated
 
google

Ascaridia bonasae is a large, whitish nematode normally located in the small intestine of ruffed grouse. Hunters may find this roundworm in the body cavity when it escapes through holes in the small intestine created by pellets of shot.

In Ontario, A. bonasae is one of the most common parasites of ruffed grouse and can be found in birds throughout their range. Clarke (1936) found A. bonasae in 21 % of 124 grouse.

The life cycle of A. bonasae is direct, i.e., no intermediate host is necessary. Eggs are laid by adult female worms in the intestine of the host and are eliminated with the droppings. These eggs are in turn picked up by susceptible birds in feed and water. Development to adult worms then takes place within both the lumen and tissues of the wall of the small intestine.

Adult female worms measure up to about 50 millimetres and males to approximately 35 millimetres in length. There are usually only a few worms present in each grouse although more than 75 worms have been reported from a single bird. Dorney and Kabat (1960) reported that the extent of infection of young grouse with A. bonasae during the summer is directly related to the abundance of grouse during the latter months of the previous winter.

A. bonasae is not considered a serious pathogen of ruffed grouse and does not affect the edibility of the birds.

Selected References:

Bump, G., R.W. Darrow, F.C. Edminster and W.F. Crissey. 1947. The ruffed grouse-life history, propagation, management. The Holling Press, Inc., Buffalo.

Clarke, C.H.D. 1936. Fluctuations in numbers of ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus (Linnè), with special reference to Ontario. University of Toronto Biological Series No. 41. The University of Toronto Press, Toronto.

Dorney, R.S. and C. Kabat. 1960. Relation of weather, parasitic disease and hunting to Wisconsin ruffed grouse populations. Tech. Bull. No. 20, Wisconsin Conservation Department, Madison.
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That is pretty sick looking. I don't know if I could get past the thought off eating something that has worms in it. If I get a fish with that in it I pitch it, but with a bird that is a bit of a different story. I have never seen or heard of that.
 
I shot an infected grouse last year, also in the Timmins area. I was sure those worms were some kind of parasites. Other than that the bird looked perfectly fine. After cleaning and washing all the birds (we shot seven on that day) that grouse simply got mixed up with the others. We put some of the birds in the freezer but ate a few at the camp too. I have no idea when that grouse was consumed but the fact that I'm typing this message proves that I survived. :D
 
It might seem disgusting to find a few worms where they shouldn't be, but since the info on the worms says that they escaped into the body cavity through holes created by the shot, they were obviously not there for long. Seems like a waste to be throwing good meat out, if the info even says the edibility of the bird is not affected. Meh, do as you wish :yingyang:.
 
if i were to eat the bird, id make sure to wash the meat very carefuly first, and make sure it was cooked thuroughly before eating. sometimes parasite eggs can withstand some heavy duty tempatures.

as a side note. if you had worms you likely wouldent know it till they got to a high enough lvl your butt started to itch more than normal. (one of the things dr's ask if you are concerned about it.. not personal experiance. people my gf knows their kids had to be wormed every 6 months to stay in the school they were in... would be ammazed.. said most kids even after 6 months had a couple worms. its from playing in the dirt and not washing their hands)
 
hmmm, both birds were head shots. so I don;t think these guys escaped through holes created by shot. Birds looked normal, just these little white worms inside when I cracked the back and opened them up. As soon as I opened them they were there.

Thanks for all the replies, and help. I'll have to call the MNR just to be on the safe side.
Ben
 
I have seen them before... no big deal. Hell when we catch fesh cod, about 75% of them have worms... but in the meat not the guts, I just pick em out and let the dog eat em.
(you only find them after they are cooked!!!)
 
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