Broiler neck bitten by fox - still alive and well.. edible or no?

[PlentifulPrairie]

Hi this is a really unknown area for me. I have a pretty good size broiler that has a bite in its neck from a fox (I know because I saw it happen and scared him off —- praise to my trusty pet rooster for the alert!).

This broiler is amazing in size and is functioning well and normal seems unfazed.

The wound is narly. I separated him and have him in my makeshift wound unit, so the other Cornish cross don’t mess with him.

My question is can I still process him? I wouldn’t be eating the area his neck was bitten? Could I catch something from the fox? These are just things I don’t know and I don’t have anyone to ask.

Thank you.

 

[Molpet]

I harvest as soon as they are injured before infection gets started. Or after it's healed.
I cut off everything bitten. Mine are usually raptor injury.

 

[PlentifulPrairie]

I harvest as soon as they are injured before infection gets started. Or after it's healed.
I cut off everything bitten. Mine are usually raptor injury.

Okay. Thank you for the response. It happened on Thursday late afternoon.. I’ll give it a shot and inspect it. Unless you think that’s too long of a gap? It’s not healed yet. It’s just his neck which I always discard.

If something was bad I’d imagine it’d look yellow or orangey?

 

[Molpet]

Okay. Thank you for the response. It happened on Thursday late afternoon.. I’ll give it a shot and inspect it. Unless you think that’s too long of a gap? It’s not healed yet. It’s just his neck which I always discard.

If something was bad I’d imagine it’d look yellow or orangey?

i would wait if its angry red, swollen. infections can get in the bloodstream. since its been a couple days I would be cautious

 

[PlentifulPrairie]

i would wait if its angry red, swollen. infections can get in the bloodstream. since its been a couple days I would be cautious

Hmm yeah I looked at it just now. It’s not red. But it is discolored. It’s yellow and maybe a little greenish blue on one spot. around the wound it is trying to close up on its own and the non injured skin is normal pink skin. I tried taking some photos but it’s hard to do while chicken is moving around.

I hate to just waste the life of a bird. I do my best to raise them the most humane way possible before they are processed.

 

[Molpet]

It’s yellow and maybe a little greenish blue on one spot. around the wound

That's brusing. I have had that on non injured birds.

 

[Isadora]

We've processed and eaten birds that have been hurt by a predator. As other posters have said, I cut off the affected part.
That yellowing you see in the photo looks like bruising to me. Normal for the amount of time it's been since the injury.

 

[PlentifulPrairie]

Thanks everyone he healed completely! Which is insane because it was super bad looking when he got bit!! I’ve been putting hen healer on it. Seems to help.