Cooking and eating a sick chicken or rabbit

[twitter]

If your chicken or rabbit starts showing signs of sickness or is not eating, can you get sick if you eat them? If so whats the worse that can happen? If The meat is well cooked could you still get sick? I am sure it does matter what they are sick with so what signs would you not want to take the chances? I just can't see raising something and wasting it unless I have to.

 

[saddina]

I can tell you we don't with a single exception, If we see a cornish cross bird that's beginning to have the leg issues or possiable heart issues, we'll dispatch it before if passes on it's own. Generally they're butched before a "mercy kill" becomes necessary. In theory you can cook it to 160 (use a digital thermomoter pls) and eat it, but why risk it?

 

[dlhunicorn]

This manual might help you (chapter 7 and 8 deal with specific diseases of poultry and rabbits with postmortem photos to help you identify
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0756e/T0756E00.HTM

 

[twitter]

Quote:
Excellent info THANKS!

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I can tell you I would NEVER eat a sick animal. If it had been physically injured and we put it down and the meat hadn't been ruined, then yes. But sick as in internal sick/infection/colds/etc...NO way.

Those go on the burn pile!

 

[insiderart]

In general it's not a good idea. This is how many viruses pass from avian/porcine/ape hosts to human hosts. Think HIV from SIV, Bird flu from last year, swine flu from this year.... etc, etc.

It's a better idea to dispose of sick animals rather eating them.

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

I won't eat them unless I know exactly what's wrong with them either.
I also don't let them go to waste, our neighbors have a sled dog kennel and they feed a raw natural diet to their dogs. Their thinking is in the wild the slow old and sick get eaten all the time.

 

[insiderart]

Quote:
I think that's a great outlet for sick animals. So true.