turkey just dropped dead - would you eat it?

[Czech's_chicks]

The boys are raising BB Whites for the fair. I have 2 that were banded for my son to work with. I let the rest free range and his 2 stay in the pen so the feed can be controlled better. They keep knocking the water over so it has to be filled several times a day. I wasn't home much the last 2 days and the kids would not take the initiative if it came with $20.

No clue why, but one dropped dead. It happened almost directly before morning feeding, gullet completely empty. Here is where it gets a little squirmy - would you process and eat it?

My best guess is the lack of water and it was dehydrated, and when I processed it, I could not see anything wrong, organs looked good, no sign of parasites, etc. The internal temp was still high.

I was able to band another one and put it in the pen, so my son wont know, but now we are against the clock to get that one fattened up for the fair.

 

[Whittni]

Not a chance.

 

[AmyPaperlady]

Unless he's a little kid, why isn't your son taking care of his turkeys? I'd enter them myself if I were the one doing everything.

 

[Hanna8]

Plus, him not knowing just puts it in his mind that there are no consequences for his failing to take responsibility... I would make sure he knows. He would probably be more likely to take initiative and get to work in the future if he did. I also know I would have been LIVID if my parents tried to hide the death of an animal from me and I found out about it. Just my two cents. That's all up to you. I know you aren't looking for this sort of advice/thoughts.

I personally wouldn't eat it, but I am definitely a strong believer in erring firmly on the side of caution in such matters. You don't know with absolute certainty that dehydration is the cause of death, though it does appear to be.

 

[Gayleyy]

There is no way I would eat it. You really have no proof why the bird died, therefore it could be any number of things. I know it really stinks to waste it, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

 

[DelcoChix]

I'm afraid I wouldn't know whether to eat or not eat but if the poult died due to dehydration then I can't see why it wouldn't be edible, as long as you found it right away....

As a Mom I am curious as to why you wouldn't want your son to know one of 'his' two birds died? If he's old enough to be participating in the fair with a market project he certainly should be old enough to understand they don't always make it, part of the learning process. Even more of a concern...if the death is most likely a result of not taking care of the animal I'd want to make sure he understood the reason his care was so important. Life lesson...

Please understand I'm not judging you...I'm a 4-H Mom too, my dd has had market broiler entries for the past 5 years, it is a lot of work and she's responsible for the care of 15-20 chicks from day one, even though only three go to the fair--and I do help her out of course She understands the work is her responsibility but the reward comes at the end when she has successfully raised, prepped and shown her pen of three, and then of course, the money she ends up with after the junior fair auction, after expenses for chick costs, feed, shavings etc. are taken out...and I'm afraid I wouldn't hesitate to show her the end result of lack of water. Best of luck with your turkeys...

 

[dikbiscuit]

Plus, him not knowing just puts it in his mind that there are no consequences for his failing to take responsibility... I would make sure he knows. He would probably be more likely to take initiative and get to work in the future if he did. I also know I would have been LIVID if my parents tried to hide the death of an animal from me and I found out about it. Just my two cents. That's all up to you. I know you aren't looking for this sort of advice/thoughts.

I personally wouldn't eat it, but I am definitely a strong believer in erring firmly on the side of caution in such matters. You don't know with absolute certainty that dehydration is the cause of death, though it does appear to be.

Agreed with Hanna8. Can you not get it sent for a necropsy?

 

[Czech's_chicks]

My son is on the spectrum and a loss might cause an irreparable meltdown. He does take care of the birds, however, when he is at school, he can't so I check on them (and my own flock) every 1.5-2 hours. My husband is a little more lax, and doesn't stay on top of the kids, like I do, to make sure all the animals are looked after. My son is well aware of the consequences, we make certain allowances because of the disability. I was at event for the autism society most of the weekend and even with prompting to have the kids check the animals, I know my husband probably forgot. His forgetfulness is not an excuse, but an exacerbation of some of the problems we have, right now.

If I was dealing with a 100% normal boy, or children, the loss would have more consequences than just the bird dying. Unfortunately, I am dealing with 4 unstable children (another long and horrible story of mental abuse by biological mother) that constantly need prompting. 4H was a way to get social interaction they desperately needed and to show them, nothing can thrive without love and care, in hopes they would see for themselves that even animals need a modicum of care. It is a trust building exercise to show them 'parenting' skills so they learn early to associate food, water, love and care as nurturing, not screaming, hitting and mental abuse.

Back to the bird, though, everything is healthy. No sniffles, congestion, blackhead, etc. What can kill a bird just like that that would affect people? I've spoken with the people who do the necropsy for the state and they say most of the issues that could eventually kill a bird would not affect a human. But these are things that happen over time, and the bird is symptomatic.

 

[Hanna8]

Ah. I thought there might be something like that guiding your decision to hide the death. In that case, I think it is a good call. You can find other ways to encourage him to be more responsible for the birds. Also, it's great that you have him in 4-H! It really does wonders for kids who are a bit off, emotionally or otherwise. I've seen it firsthand with fellow 4-H'ers in my group. I know it can be tough on you at times (like now), but it really is a fantastic thing for them. Hang in there!

As far as your questions about the bird, I honestly don't know. I am just a nervous nellie about that sort of thing and wouldn't want to chance anything! That may simply be because I don't know more about it.

 

[DelcoChix]

Wow! You sure have a lot on your plate--kudos to you. Animals sure can benfit kids across the board, special needs or not, no doubt, but it sounds like the brunt of the labor is going to fall to you (you sound like me...no one ever checks on the critturs as often as I think they should...just in case they need something). Is there a way to hang the waterer/s up so they can't be knocked over by clumsy poults? That might help alleviate the immediate concern....make things a little less stressful on you and he'd still be able to have the daily responsibility of checking and refilling the waterer...
As far as consuming the turkey, sounds like you're getting lots of 'better safe than sorry along with the 'go for it...' Good luck on all counts with your decision! I have read quite a few other threads along the same lines, some a little more drastic, like eating roadkill birds (their own) and some folks have no qualms whatsoever about stewing them up--hate to see it go to waste. You will probably get advice going both ways.
Boils down to, as Clint Eastwood used to say...."Feelin' Lucky?"