Can I eat this hen?

[morsekathan]

This is a very painful post for me as I love my hens, but Betty, my black austerlorp, is laying no membraned eggs for the past 6 weeks. She sometimes lays one with a membrane, but mostly it's sunny-side up eggs in the nest box. Big mess to clean-up. She gets lots of oyster shells and egg shells and yogurt and and the same diet as the rest of the hens. She's about a year old and laid almost everyday until this happened. She still goes to the nest box every day and tries to lay. I think she's averaging about 4 membraneless eggs a week now. Other than this, she seems quite healthy and happy. I'm assuming that she isn't going to work this out given how long it's been going on. My reading of all the postings is that she has something wrong with her shell making mechanism and will probably become egg bound. So, I'm wondering if we can eat her or do people think she has some virus that would make it unsafe. How would I know?

 

[chicknmania]

You wouldn't but if she does have something it most likely is not contagious to people, if all of your others are ok I wouldn't worry about it.
If she were mine I'd give her a little more time, but that's just me. I like chicken but we don't eat ours.

 

[morsekathan]

Only my daughter who is in Indiana now is brave enough to prep her for dinner, so I have to wait until she comes to visit. She seems really happy now so maybe she will get better. It would be a sad day for us to have to "cull" her. However, I am concerned that if she does get egg bound, she will die on her own and quite miserably. So, I would like some resolution.

 

[bobbi-j]

I commend you for putting your chicken's well being before your own and wanting to prevent possible suffering. It sounds like there is a glitch in the assembly line somewhere, and that should not make her unsafe for you to eat.

 

[donrae]

x2 on bobbi-j's post. Culling animals just sucks sometimes, especially when you're fond of them. But it's often the responsible thing to do. A great life and one bad day is our motto here.

I'd see nothing at all wrong with eating her if you're so inclined. It's a reproductive glitch, there's no disease that would cause this. Or, if you just can't bring yourself to eat her, look for someone who does a raw diet for their dog. If nothing else, bury her under a favorite plant and let her gift you that way.

 

[FarmerMama7]

x2 on bobbi-j's post. Culling animals just sucks sometimes, especially when you're fond of them. But it's often the responsible thing to do. A great life and one bad day is our motto here.

I'd see nothing at all wrong with eating her if you're so inclined. It's a reproductive glitch, there's no disease that would cause this. Or, if you just can't bring yourself to eat her, look for someone who does a raw diet for their dog. If nothing else, bury her under a favorite plant and let her gift you that way.

I love that motto!

 

[chicknmania]

That's good that you have someone who will do it for you, and that you care for them and make sure that they do not suffer.
I've heard that chickens are not very good to eat after about six months of age though.

 

[bobbi-j]

That's good that you have someone who will do it for you, and that you care for them and make sure that they do not suffer.
I've heard that chickens are not very good to eat after about six months of age though.

They are just fine to eat - they just need to be cooked a little differently. Cook them low and slow and they're nice and tender juicy. They do have a bit more flavor than those things you buy in the grocery store, but that's the thing - they have flavor. I think consumers are so used to the store-bought ones that don't taste, that the flavor of a home-grown, mature chicken is weird to them.

 

[donrae]

Again, I agree with bobbi-j. Older birds have the most remarkable flavor! You just have to treat them differently, you can't fast cook over high heat. Low and slow, that's why our Grandma's made chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, things like that. Those old recipes showcased the flavor of the bird and allowed for low and slow cooking times. No boneless, skinless breasts back then!