My dad tossed a whole chicken in his freezer after it died – is it safe to eat?

[EatingTucans]

A few days ago a buzzard caught one of my parents' chickens – only for it to fly away after leaving zero damage to the chicken. Well, apart from it dying, that is. My father straight up threw the whole chicken in the freezer, feathers and organs and all, with the idea to serve it on Christmas day.

However, their neighbours expressed concern about potential food safety. Something about the chicken being frozen with the organs still inside. I guess there might be something to it, as freezing might rupture cell walls which could increase a risk of bacterial infection from the entrails. I'm not sure, though.

A internet search doesn't help much, most results are about the health concerns when freezing already cleaned whole chickens. Can anyone enlighten me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sussex19]

I personally would not eat it, but have no idea whether or not one can.

 

[Molpet]

How old of a bird? If it's over a year it would need to be pressure cooked or crockpot. Makes good pulled chicken and soup.

I know someone who put shot pheasants in the freezer and later dress them. No problems. Cooking kills a lot of germs.

It used to be common to hang pheasants at 50f and lower too
https://honest-food.net/on-hanging-pheasants-2/

 

[KelseyBoxer]

Buzzards are not hunters. They are scavengers. Perhaps the chicken died of some unknown cause and the buzzard stopped for dinner. I would not eat it.

 

[tophatter]

There are many reasons.... the most important is you have frozen all the bacteria on the inside and you have also exposed other foods in the freezer. This is a really really bad idea. You can always feed it to the wild animals but that is even a risk.

 

[BDutch]

Buzzards are not hunters. They are scavengers. Perhaps the chicken died of some unknown cause and the buzzard stopped for dinner. I would not eat it.

Some buzzards are hunters who hunt down smaller birds, mice, rats, pigeons and bantam chickens, especially when hungry. Some buzzards only eat cadavers/carcasses.

 

[Geena]

I would not eat anything that a buzzard had touched. They are normally teeming with bacteria from feasting on rotting carcasses and they also have a lovely habit of defecating on their legs and feet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some buzzards are hunters who hunt down smaller birds, mice, rats, pigeons and bantam chickens, especially when hungry. Some buzzards only eat cadavers/carcasses.

Exactly. Again, separated by a common language. A buzzard might be a vulture, a buzzard might be a hawk. Look it up in a dictionary if you don't believe us.

However, their neighbours expressed concern about potential food safety. Something about the chicken being frozen with the organs still inside. I guess there might be something to it, as freezing might rupture cell walls which could increase a risk of bacterial infection from the entrails.

How do you clean it if it is frozen solid? You do not want it warm enough for the bacteria inside it to grow. So when you thaw it out keep it below 50 F (10C). That's the limit for hanging pheasant. Colder would be even better.

You need to age the chicken to get past rigor mortis. So wait until the joints move freely after it thaws before you cook it.

I don't know if they will pluck it or skin it. They need to check the carcass for claw punctures. The claws could have bacteria on them so they may want to cut out any punctures to be safe.

Obviously it would have been better if he had cleaned it before freezing but life doesn't always allow for better. I don't see any big safety issues.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

I always understood the word buzzard as an American version of vultures. Some folks use it for hawks/birds of prey too? Confusing. I'm sorry about your bird.

 

[BDutch]

I didn’t realise that buzzards are not an American type of bird but a synonym for
Scavengers.

From a Dutch wiki page and bird protection organisation:

The buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey in the hawk-like family. The buzzard is found in most of Europe and parts of Asia. Wikipedia
Wingspan: 1.1 – 1.4 m (Adult)
Height: 40 – 58 cm (Adult)
Weight: 0.43 – 1.4 kg (Adult)
Scientific name: Buteo buteo
Conservation Status: Least Concern (Increasing) Encyclopedia of Life
Higher taxon: Buzzards
Rank: Sort

Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo - Sparrowhawks (Accipitridae)
The buzzard is by far the most common and most striking bird of prey in the Netherlands, which you often see in open country, sitting on a pole or screwing on the thermals. Buzzards are very varied in color and markings. From dark brown to almost white.

More information (you can translate with google) and pictures:
https://www.vogelbescherming.nl/ontdek-vogels/kennis-over-vogels/vogelgids/vogel/buizerd