Quick help! Untimely death, still fit to eat?

[RJSchaefer]

My one meat rooster met his demise today! He was having trouble staying upright, kept falling over, I think from his weight. He seemed otherwise healthy. He was actually up for the chopping block TONIGHT.

He was walking around OK ~1PM when I checked on them last. My oldest came home from school, went out to check on her rabbit, and found him floating - dead, obviously - in the water basin we have set up for the ducks.

All I can surmise is he went over for a drink, his leg gave out and he fell in. And...well...now he's sitting in a container on my counter.

Thoughts? Prepare for the crock pot?

 

[RJSchaefer]

Anyone?

 

[redsoxs]

This might sound like a cop out but...I think I could eat it someone prepared it for me but not if I did myself. I don't think there would be anything wrong with the meat if it was a happy healthy bird otherwise. Others might disagree. Good luck to you.

 

[redsoxs]

Arsenic used to be used in pressure treated lumber - no longer. I think you're chickens would be just fine - mine always have been.

 

[RJSchaefer]

This might sound like a cop out but...I think I could eat it someone prepared it for me but not if I did myself. I don't think there would be anything wrong with the meat if it was a happy healthy bird otherwise. Others might disagree. Good luck to you.

Thanks. I've had one friend tell me to discard and another tell me to toss him in the crock pot. We cleaned him just to have done it once, whether he would be eaten or not, and I only found one mark on his body (bruise on the butt, either from falling or from the plucking). I'm not really an expert on chicken guts, but the colors looked appropriate. His main issue was difficulty staying on his feet. He would walk a few feet, then sit or topple over. A cornish rock, and quite plump, so I think he just got too big too fast.

 

[mrshaggie810]

I have this same question...all my birds were fine today when I let them out to eat and such, went out to put them away and one of the girls just lying there dead...she was supposed to be processed yesterday but we went out of town on a whim...I hate to waste the meat....think I can eat her anyways? She fell on a barbed wire fence while out free-ranging last week, but was doing fine after that...I checked her over, didn't fine any blood. I don't want to waste all that meat for my family if I don't have to (they are just over 8 weeks old.) So...what do you think? i think I am going to wake hubby and at least hang her, cut her and let her drain just for the experience since these are our first ever that we're slaughtering.

 

[RJSchaefer]

I have this same question...all my birds were fine today when I let them out to eat and such, went out to put them away and one of the girls just lying there dead...she was supposed to be processed yesterday but we went out of town on a whim...I hate to waste the meat....think I can eat her anyways? She fell on a barbed wire fence while out free-ranging last week, but was doing fine after that...I checked her over, didn't fine any blood. I don't want to waste all that meat for my family if I don't have to (they are just over 8 weeks old.) So...what do you think? i think I am going to wake hubby and at least hang her, cut her and let her drain just for the experience since these are our first ever that we're slaughtering.

I'd definitely get the experience out of her, but sadly I wouldn't eat her. I only ended up eating mine because the cause of death was quite clear. If you're in doubt of what killed her, I don't think she's fit for human consumption. Another consideration: do you know how long she was dead, and were the conditions such that it could affect the meat?

When I was on the fence about consuming mine, that was the criteria a few friends gave me. If you know they didn't die of illness and know they hadn't been dead long enough for rancidity to begin, go ahead and eat. Otherwise, discard or prep for the dogs.

 

[mrshaggie810]

I know she hasn't been dead that long...I think she caught her neck just right on a piece of sharp chicken wire, but I'm going to investigate right now. It is cool out, and I didn't let her out until 7:30 pm, so she can't have been dead that long. She hasn't displayed any signs of illness, so I am fairly certain she was perfectly healthy. I'll know more once I inspect, which I will go do now...if not the dogs will have good eatin. :/

 

[mrshaggie810]

Ok, so here's the skinny...there are no marks on her, she was on the bottom of the chicken pile where they piled up for the night, her head was lodged up between the tarp and the edge of the coop, and she was biting down on the chicken wire that was wrapped around the edge...I'm thinking she may have just suffocated...she's been perfectly healthy the whole time I've had her, and was fine when I let her out of the coop a little while ago, and there was no sign of a struggle and no wounds on her, so I'm going to drain her, and skin her and see if I can see anything once I get to that point...I can honestly say I was not quite mentally ready for this, and thought hubby would be doing it with me, but he has to work tomorrow so I can't get him up...I thought I would be able to prepare for a couple days...I think I can do it, but I feel like I need to study the "process" more to know what I'm doing as far as gutting and cleaning it and everything....but I guess all I can do is do my best.

 

[RJSchaefer]

Ok, so here's the skinny...there are no marks on her, she was on the bottom of the chicken pile where they piled up for the night, her head was lodged up between the tarp and the edge of the coop, and she was biting down on the chicken wire that was wrapped around the edge...I'm thinking she may have just suffocated...she's been perfectly healthy the whole time I've had her, and was fine when I let her out of the coop a little while ago, and there was no sign of a struggle and no wounds on her, so I'm going to drain her, and skin her and see if I can see anything once I get to that point...I can honestly say I was not quite mentally ready for this, and thought hubby would be doing it with me, but he has to work tomorrow so I can't get him up...I thought I would be able to prepare for a couple days...I think I can do it, but I feel like I need to study the "process" more to know what I'm doing as far as gutting and cleaning it and everything....but I guess all I can do is do my best.

How'd it turn out for you? It was hard when we had to our drowned guy, but it was a blessing in disguise. First time ever I'd dressed a bird, and there was no guilt over "killing" him. I was able to just get down to business.