found a mass inside butchered rooster

[Natalijaasbj]

My 3 y.o. roo started behaving like he is about to die. He was looking and living like he is a 90 y.o. grandpa.So I butchered him. But while evicerating I found a huge mass - looks like a very big meatball and feels like it. Is it a cancerous tumor. Is he still safe to eat? I do not want it go to waste. He ate SO much organic food during his long life span. I would use him for a nice soup.Any thoughts? Did anybody have the same experience?

 

[justplainbatty]

My 3 y.o. roo started behaving like he is about to die. He was looking and living like he is a 90 y.o. grandpa.So I butchered him. But while evicerating I found a huge mass - looks like a very big meatball and feels like it. Is it a cancerous tumor. Is he still safe to eat? I do not want it go to waste. He ate SO much organic food during his long life span. I would use him for a nice soup.Any thoughts? Did anybody have the same experience?

As far as I know, it is not recommended to eat birds who show tumors or cancer at butchering. On my list to learn why, I imagine it is a pathogen in some way.

 

[Natalijaasbj]

thank you. do you think I can still cook it and give it to the dog?

 

[justplainbatty]

thank you. do you think I can still cook it and give it to the dog?

Frankly, no. This bird is just not worth the risk. I wouldn't even throw it out to wild animals. Some, in fact many types of chicken tumors, are transmissible to other avians and *possibly* to mammals although research is ongoing (for mammals) and has not reached a definitive conclusion.

 

[Natalijaasbj]

Thanks for helping. I hate it when my birds go to waste. When they have Marek's i know for sure they are ok to eat. But this kind of stuff is new to me.

 

[justplainbatty]

Thanks for helping. I hate it when my birds go to waste. When they have Marek's i know for sure they are ok to eat. But this kind of stuff is new to me.

YW. I know it's a bummer to waste but if you still have the feathers, there are many crafts to use them for and some are even fly tie worthy. I make cats toys out of feathers. Just soak the feathers in mild soap and a bit of bleach and then toss in the dryer on low or air fluff. You can realign each feather by hand. You could also use the bones to construct a chicken skeleton for kids' science or Halloween. Think outside the box!

 

[Natalijaasbj]

Thanks for ideas! hopefully one day we will implement them. I am not very crafty And it is very busy here. It could be very cool homeschool project though.

 

[justplainbatty]

Thanks for ideas! hopefully one day we will implement them. I am not very crafty And it is very busy here. It could be very cool homeschool project though.

It would! And, if your kids are old enough, you could do a science lesson on genetics that influence feather coloring, like barring and lacing ect.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Frankly, no. This bird is just not worth the risk. I wouldn't even throw it out to wild animals. Some, in fact many types of chicken tumors, are transmissible to other avians and *possibly* to mammals although research is ongoing (for mammals) and has not reached a definitive conclusion.

Do you have any references for this? I have never heard of chicken tumors transferring to mammals.

In order to be harmed by this, the cancer would have to be either from a contaminant that is still present in the bird (like radiation, etc), or it would have to be viral, and be a virus that can both survive being cooked, and can cross over into humans. The chances of that are astronomically small IMO.

 

[justplainbatty]

Do you have any references for this? I have never heard of chicken tumors transferring to mammals.

In order to be harmed by this, the cancer would have to be either from a contaminant that is still present in the bird (like radiation, etc), or it would have to be viral, and be a virus that can both survive being cooked, and can cross over into humans. The chances of that are astronomically small IMO.

Yes, I was speaking of viral. And *possibly* to mammals but research is on going and NOT definitive. *experimentally* some viruses were transfered to mammals. I am sure they were heavily and chronically exposed to the virus to achieve this. In the field, transmission to other living mammals as far as is known, is negligible at best. However, between avian species, it is transferable. I'm pretty sure one source was the Merck manual and probably some university or AG articles. I can try to find them again if you wish, I didn't book mark them.