Should I eat this bird??

[eggscetera]

Lost half my flock this morning to a fox (I actually saw him running across my backyard- no doubt whatsoever this guy got my chickens). Nothing but feathers remained. However- there was one bird still on the ground- nothing but the head was gone. I suspect the headless chicken was killed by a goshawk that we've seen hanging around and not the fox. Foxes take the whole bird away- bird predators leave the carcass. So, making the best of a bad situation, I boiled up water and plucked my remaining chicken (since it was still warm i figured it had only just happened and should still be OK to eat). Once the feathers were off I saw claw or bite marks on the back. The skin has been punctured. What do you veteran chicken folks think? Should I boil it up for soup?Or just bury it in the garden? Or toss it into the woods for the fox to haul away?

 

[L3Home]

Because it has claw marks or punctures, I wouldn't chance it. Either the fox or the goshawk caused that damage, and both are known carriers of many diseases, some of which might not be able to be killed by heat... the final decision is yours, of course, but why risk it?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16094831

http://www.thefoxwebsite.org/disease/

 

[eggscetera]

Guess you're right. We have plenty of meat birds in the freezer. Just hate to waste a good chicken. But it was the puncture wounds that gave me pause. Now- do I bury it or toss it into the woods? Should I feed the food chain? (that fox surely is feeding kits- it's May).

 

[eggscetera]

I buried it and planted an apple tree along with it. It will feed the tree now instead of the fox kits.

 

[L3Home]

Probably a good idea... rewarding the fox for hunting your chickens may not matter but you never know... I'm sorry you lost some of your birds.