I've been processing cockerels and some hens and had a question about poop

[SnackMeat]

Often I can cut the tail and abdomen and then scoop and pull, but there's been a couple of times where poop will squeeze out, or where once I knicked the intestine and poop touched the meat.

I immediate washed the meat and no more poop came into contact with the meat, rinsed it several more times during processing and then had it in a salt brine.


Is this okay? Or, if the poop touches the meat at all, that's it for the meat that it touched?

When we've hunted wild boar, if poop got on the meat we would cut off that quarter so I'm not sure what's normal with chickens versus overcautious.

 

[DemeterAD9]

So long as the poo isn’t on the meat for long before rinsing it off and you aren’t sitting on the meat in the fridge for too long before cooking it I see no issues. I’ve noticed too that contaminants don’t really penetrate whole muscle meats that are still intact as compacted to say, the cut area of a breast where the grain/muscle fibers are exposed. If that makes any sense.

We also hunt and sometimes we accidentally gut shoot a deer. Doesn’t mean the meat is bad just means you have to be sure to cut around the obviously contaminated parts and rinse off what you can. The sniff test usually works too, if it smells poopy it’s probably gonna taste like crap

 

[SnackMeat]

Ok. What I am doing is 24 hours salt brine (may do 48 hours on next few just because I have a lot to cull and break down) but then vacuum sealing and freezing. Because I am not cooking it right away, that should be okay?

It's only happened twice in the last few days and only one was a knick, but I think it knocked just the intestine and not the muscle fiber (which everything got washed well.)


Another question I have is the bike duct that's connected to the liver-- I try to cut the gristle and cleaning get it away from the liver but am finding the bike sometimes leaks on to the liver. This also gets washed really really well but wanted to check if there was any concerns with that.

Also salt brined (only because everything else is) and then frozen til I have a lot to make liver paté or similar.

 

[gtaus]

Accidentally cutting the bile duct happens. It does not mean that liver needs to be tossed out. But I wanted to check myself and I found this info online....

Great question, and one that every backyard butcher or homesteader runs into eventually. The short answer is: yes, you can salvage the liver, but only under certain conditions.

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When It's Safe to Eat the Liver​

If bile leaks onto the liver during butchering:

• Act quickly: Rinse the liver immediately under cold running water.
• Inspect carefully: Look for any greenish staining or bitter smell. Bile is intensely bitter and alkaline, so even a small amount can affect taste.
• Trim affected areas: If bile has soaked into the tissue or left visible discoloration, cut away that portion.
• Soak if needed: Some folks soak the liver in milk or a mild acidic solution (like lemon water) for 30–60 minutes to neutralize bitterness and draw out residual bile compounds.

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When to Toss It​

• Heavy contamination: If the bile has pooled or soaked deeply into the liver, especially if it sat for a while before rinsing, it’s best to discard it.
• Persistent bitterness: Even after rinsing and soaking, if the liver smells off or tastes bitter, don’t risk it.

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Pro Tip for Future Butchering​

The bile duct runs from the gallbladder (a small green sac) near the liver. To avoid nicking it:

• Use a sharp knife and make a clean cut around the gallbladder.
• Lift and separate the gallbladder gently before removing the liver.
• If you do puncture it, isolate the liver immediately and rinse before bile spreads.

 

[SnackMeat]

Thank you. I will check for discoloration tomorrow and worst case, soak every liver in milk before freezing. That was very helpful. Thanks for looking that up.