Is it ok to eat a chicken with Bumblefoot?

[jjhuntsalot]

Before I went to college I work in a chicken processing plant. I worked re-hang and eviceration. The things i saw

!!! We only buy whole chicken and cut them up ourselves. That way we know it didn't have any extra parts or cancers or any of the horrible things I saw. Actually it is one reason I like raising my own. You know what the birds eats, drinks, and how healthy he was raised.

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

Very few meat chickens, raised in the industrial type facilities, would ever have a full blown clinicall case of bumblefoot. Their environment and age precludes it. The black areas on the feet and to a lesser degree at the hock joint are known as manure burns. Manure burns on the feet are usually considered a sign of poor litter management. Manure burns on the hocks are also a litter management problem but only in birds that that sit down in a very heavy way and spend a lot of time in that position. I do not know if these conditions cause the paws, as feet and shanks are refered to in the industry, to be disqualified for human consumption by the USDA. There may also be quality stipulations by the purchaser (usualy for an Asian market) about these issues.

Read this about bumblefoot-

http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/poultry-health/bumblefoot.html

A very worthwile article. Yes?

In commercial processing the bird is examined by the USDA inspector after defeathering and body cavity opening. The inspector can see the feet and shanks, the still attached but nearly severed head, the skin and the internal organs as well as the outer surface of the bird. At this point bumblefoot would be observed and the bird would be totally condemed. Bumblefoot would not qualify for partial condemnation. Partial condemnation applys to something like a broken wing which can be removed an the balance of the bird utilized. This is also where a nicked gut would be detected and dealt with. Contrary to what you may have been lead into beliving fecal contamination other than that which inevitibly comes off the surface of the chicken, just like it does in your scald water at home, is not tolerated.

Meat chicken breeders because of their size and the way they are housed and age will have occurances of bumblefoot and they are condemed. They must then be processed at facilities that cook the meat to the point of sterility before it goes into pet feed which would be the highest level of utilization.

 

[wannabfarmgirl]

Glad I found this - I had the same question about one of our ducks. She's not even using her leg now. I isolated her yesterday, cleaned both feet very well, pulled off scabs (two out of three had pus attached to the scabs, but what looked like fresh meat under). Although - her sore foot, the middle toe is swollen up to her ankle, I was hestitant to "operate" since the meat looked pink, and I haven't given antibiotics yet.

I didn't realize this was Staph at the time...I'm 5 months pregnant, so am trying to be extra cautious...I used to work in ICU, and the word Staph always freaks me out.

So - overall, folks would not eat the eggs? Or the meat? (I originally got the ducks for meat purposes, but named them...not the thing to do if you want to eat them, ha!). With Staph, I definitely won't be eating her! I just didn't know about the eggs.

My big question is - our chicken coop is downhill from the ducks - so, when I drain their pool, the chicken coop has a flood running in front of it, that the chickens walk through when free ranging. Is it possible for them to become infected by the water?????

 

[OrpingtonManor]

Quote:
Mahonri, that's not what you told us when my DSO processed a turkey who had bumblefoot. I went back and found the thread... Here is the quote...
Quote:
Has something changed?

 

[UK Chicken rancher]

Glad I found this - I had the same question about one of our ducks. She's not even using her leg now. I isolated her yesterday, cleaned both feet very well, pulled off scabs (two out of three had pus attached to the scabs, but what looked like fresh meat under). Although - her sore foot, the middle toe is swollen up to her ankle, I was hestitant to "operate" since the meat looked pink, and I haven't given antibiotics yet.

I didn't realize this was Staph at the time...I'm 5 months pregnant, so am trying to be extra cautious...I used to work in ICU, and the word Staph always freaks me out.

So - overall, folks would not eat the eggs? Or the meat? (I originally got the ducks for meat purposes, but named them...not the thing to do if you want to eat them, ha!). With Staph, I definitely won't be eating her! I just didn't know about the eggs.

My big question is - our chicken coop is downhill from the ducks - so, when I drain their pool, the chicken coop has a flood running in front of it, that the chickens walk through when free ranging. Is it possible for them to become infected by the water?????

I would definately butcher her and get rid of her ASAP that's what I ended up doing with my hen. Hard to do but felt much better about it afterwards. I did eat the first one that had bumblefoot because i didn't know what it was, I always crockpot so it's well cooked and we are still alive but I won't take the chance now. Especially since you are pregnant. And it sounds like your duck's case is very severe. I watch for it frequently now so hope to catch any future breakouts sooner and hope operating on them works better. The one I operated on before I ended up doing almost what you did, i tried cutting it out at first but it was hard to get the knife to go outside of the rim of the scab. Even though it seemed I had gotten the core out seems I didn't get a big enough whole to get all the kernels out. The link I posted earlier made it sound like you needed to get some of the clean flesh around it cut out to get all of the staph.
I am not an expert but from what i understand the staph can live in the ground so I would think any contact the chickens have with the duck could spread it, the water you are dumping is probably soaking into the ground and infecting it. However I believe the foot has to have a crack or cut etc. to get the staph into in the first place. I blame the puncture vine we have growing around here, it gets stuck in everything, shoes, truck tires, dog's paws and chicken's feet. They can get them right out but then they have a puncture spot for the staph to grow, grrrrrrr. I am going to work very hard to slowly kill the vine off but will take several years I'm sure because it has taken over in our barnyard.​

 

[wannabfarmgirl]

Thanks for the information! I've been dreading it, but I fear that is the next step. Hard lesson to learn! At least I KNOW now to check their feet more often! I'll do a little research too - the ducks LOVE the pond, and that's where they stay when not locked in the pen - and unfortunately that's where they lay their eggs too, when not in the pen! (So fustrating!) My son likes to fish out the eggs, and throw them in our garden, which is downhill from the pond.

I know Staph is everywhere - but willing / knowingly putting it in our vegetable garden / pond / etc is a bit freaky...I plan to do some research in that department, but for now, may have to get brave with Bonnie. Clyde, her drake will be heartbroken

.

 

[DoulaLiz]

I posted the other day looking for answers to, can we eat the chickens, sell/give away the chickens, or eat their eggs if they have bumblefoot. I have read this thread, but can't find anything reliabel beyond this and I don't trust it, so my husband will dispatch the birds.

 

[Yardbird007]

I worked at a large freezer plant. We got alot of chiken feet (TONS) for export to china and russia. I saw ALOT of them with bumble foot. Didnt know what it was at the time. But I am glad its going to them and not me. Kinda gross but They got Massive amounts of feet shipped to them. I would say atleast 30% had the black spot and puffy feet. They had been washed and processed but still..... yuck!

For one, you are lying. American poultry, meat and well as most foods are banned in Russia as well as other countries due to harmful content. It is public info. Google it. For example, GMO in Russia is illegal. And two, it is not nice to be glad to wish others gross & harm.

 

[wrathsfarm]

This thread is super old and then there's this...
View attachment 3664123

 

[Sammster]

Wait. I'd love to see some of our current, experienced chicken keepers weigh in on this. I've not dealt with bumblefoot, yet. Is it true you shouldn't eat eggs from a hen who has (or has ever had) bumblefoot?