Is it safe to eat bird that hawk killed???

[ShrekDawg]

our neighbors duck was killed by a hawk and we took the duck and the hawk. gave the ripped up part to the hawk and ate the clean stuff. the hawk had like a giant tumor or something & ended up dying at the rehab facility.

Aww that’s sad!!

 

[ackie]

Aww that’s sad!!

I know you're not supposed to catch birds of prey but SO just walked up to it and picked it up so it clearly needed help

at least a year ago, yeah. no rabies for me.

 

[Mushroomchef]

OKAY EMERGENCY QUESTION REAL QUICK!!!

A hawk just got one of my 5 month old pullets but it flew off before it could eat her and I watched her do the after death flail and bleed out nothing I could do at that point. I feel awful because I was so focused on Max (one of my cockerels) making a racket under the bushes near her and didn’t even see the hawk or anything else around and wonder if I could have saved her since she was right behind me and it JUST happened

I should have turned around but I did look and didn’t see anything.

ANYWAY.

The emergency question is.... can I process her and eat her or is it not safe because the hawk touched her ???

I would hate for her death to go to waste and I would have let the hawk eat since she was already dead by this point but it flew off. I think only her neck is wounded but idk.

I thought it was my old girl at first but it’s the chick

Sorry for your loss. I had a hawk eat half of my polish one time when I used to free range. Came home from work and the other three hens were hiding in the corner while the polish was left on the ground with her feathers all around her half eaten body. I should have stopped free ranging after she got attacked the first time by a hawk and I was able to chase the hawk away.

 

[LaFleche]

at least a year ago, yeah. no rabies for me.

Your were lucky, as sick animals are the first to be assaulted and killed by weakened birds of prey and they carry a nasty load of germs and viruses on their claws.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I know you're not supposed to catch birds of prey but SO just walked up to it and picked it up so it clearly needed help

at least a year ago, yeah. no rabies for me.

That’s good you didn’t get sick!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Your were lucky, as sick animals are the first to be assaulted and killed by weakened birds of prey and they carry a nasty load of germs and viruses on their claws.

The weird thing was both my bird and the hawk were perfectly healthy and beautiful looking. I think the hawk was just hungry because of the cold and my bird was just young and inexperienced I think. 5 months old and never really seen predators. We’ve had a few attempts but they always made it out. My older birds have seen hawks but the older birds all ran away. I actually thought it was my older hen at first as they look quite similar and she’s not doing that great lately so it would have been a relief but instead it was the baby. sad thing too is I was planning to process the cockerels soon and keep the two girls so I wish it would have gotten a cockerel.

 

[LaFleche]

The weird thing was both my bird and the hawk were perfectly healthy and beautiful looking. I think the hawk was just hungry because of the cold and my bird was just young and inexperienced I think. 5 months old and never really seen predators. We’ve had a few attempts but they always made it out. My older birds have seen hawks but the older birds all ran away. I actually thought it was my older hen at first as they look quite similar and she’s not doing that great lately so it would have been a relief but instead it was the baby. sad thing too is I was planning to process the cockerels soon and keep the two girls so I wish it would have gotten a cockerel.

Yes, and it often seems to be the favourites too.

 

[ackie]

The weird thing was both my bird and the hawk were perfectly healthy and beautiful looking. I think the hawk was just hungry because of the cold and my bird was just young and inexperienced I think. 5 months old and never really seen predators. We’ve had a few attempts but they always made it out. My older birds have seen hawks but the older birds all ran away. I actually thought it was my older hen at first as they look quite similar and she’s not doing that great lately so it would have been a relief but instead it was the baby. sad thing too is I was planning to process the cockerels soon and keep the two girls so I wish it would have gotten a cockerel.

I think their post was directed at me. Since the hawk I encountered WAS sick, for it to successfully kill another animal, that animal was likely weakened as well. Ergo duck may have been sick to start.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yes, and it often seems to be the favourites too.

Yeah it’s terrible! And also I just checked and the hawk only injured her head and the rest is still perfectly intact so would it still have been unsafe? I am assuming it is now because she’s been sitting for almost an hour? But now I kind of wonder if I could have just cut her head off. too late now I guess. Although it is very cold. I was doing chicken chores since I wasn’t sure.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think their post was directed at me. Since the hawk I encountered WAS sick, for it to successfully kill another animal, that animal was likely weakened as well. Ergo duck may have been sick to start.

Ah okay that makes sense.