Safe to eat?

[Tolyn Ironhand]

We are new to the chicken thing. This is our first year/ first flock. Everything is going pretty good but we have one Barred Rock that seams blind, has some twisted feet and a bit of a tough time walking. (stumbles a lot) It finds food and water just fine and is roughly the same size of the other chickens. My question is: Is there any issues with eating this bird? Anything I should look out for?

 

[cassie]

Can't think of any.

 

[rancher hicks]

First of all where did you get this bird? Second of all why is it blind? Have you had any other birds get sick recently? Have you been treating your birds with anything new? Do you have pesticides or other poisons around? If you have no idea how or why this bird is blind you might not want to eat it. That is unless you don't care if you poison yourself.

 

[Tolyn Ironhand]

I got the bird as a chick from the same place as the all the other birds from a local "breeder". (They incubated some this spring) The rest of them are not sick other than a few others have twisted toes which, from reading, sounds like a fairly common deformity. Since they were local I fed them medicated starter for the first 50 lbs and then non-medicated starter for the next 50lbs. They are now on regular feed. As far as I know there have been no exposure of poisons or pesticides. I even removed some bedding that had some Walnut shavings in it because I was not willing to take the chance. (I know walnut is toxic to horses.)

I should say that I'm am not 100% sure that it is blind other than its eyes are cloudy and it does not really react to fast movements around it's head.

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

no

i feel sorry for your bird.

 

[Tolyn Ironhand]

Quote:
I do too. That is why I was thinking I should end it. Bummer is it is my only Barred Rock.