Safe to eat??

[BmoreChickens]

We originally had three dual-purpose hens in our backyard flock. One hen died 5 months ago and another died 1 month ago. We are not sure of the cause of death. Our hypothesis is that we noticed a leak in the roof of the coop and saw that there was mold forming near the leak and thought that might have caused some sort of problem for the hens. The remaining chicken hasn't shown any sign of illness, although it did stop laying immediately after the last hen died. I assumed that was due to loneliness. I was wondering whether it would be safe to process our remaining hen and eat it or whether we should simply dispose of it and start a new? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[spartacus_63]

If it were death due to mold, the fungus would not transfer to the meat. Processing the bird for dinner should not be a concern as long as it is currently healthy. Properly Processed and prepared flesh is rarely toxic. If you are planning to consume the organs, you will want to inspect them carefully if there is any doubt of disease or infection.