if the other 4 died within 30 minutes i dont think its heat personally. i dont think the heat would kill all of them at the same time. it has to be something they have had from being together i would not eat them
I agree that it absolutely sounds like heatstroke, and even if it wasn't, what are the chances that whatever-it-was won't be burned up in the oven on the way to the dinner table? If it was me, I'd just take extra care getting them cooked thoroughly. If you're still in doubt, however, maybe you should follow your gut!
Just cook them well and you will be just fine. They have not rotted so no worries there. Sometimes, a body going thru stress can produce off taste but it would be up to you to decide once they are well cooked, you can taste the difference and go from there.
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they were perfectly healthy when i picked them up an hour earlier
it is scorching hot where i live --- heat index was around 105
i didn't give them water during that time because i figured they were going to be slaughtered soon so why bother
they were pretty fat for rir's --- their gizzards were completely covered in fat
there wasn't any shade around so they were in full sun
everything points to them being overheated and dying that way
I would say you should have bothered, because whether they were going to be slaughtered or not they were in distress in that kind of heat, full sun, with no water. It's a cruel way to die.