Smell after butchering..UPDATED. We ate them! (Most of them.)

[IdasChickens]

Hi everyone.

We had 9 of our roosters processed yesterday, and I had them in a cooler on ice. I got home, put them in the fridge and then opened it this morning to a fishy odor. I opened one of the bags and the smell was definitely coming from the chicken. I haven't checked them ALL yet but am going too.

The first birds we did (ourselves), didn't have the same odor, although a slight smell, it was more akin to the bland chicken smell as the chickens at the store have.

Did I leave these ones in the cooler too long? It was very hot yesterday, but the cooler was shaded (outside) and the birds were only in there for a few hours, with three bags of ice (and I had taken 3 chickens OUT to give to my mom, so it was really 6 chickens on three bags of ice.) Anyway....was it just too hot?

Thank you all for the help.

 

[DaveOmak]

Maybe the cooler had the fishy smell.... and it transferred to the birds....

Another thought..... was the processor also doing fish..... maybe they didn't clean up well..... and are they certified with the FDA....

 

[IdasChickens]

Ha! Love your avatar!

Thank you for responding so fast, too!

I didn't think about the cooler, although, I washed it out before we used it and I don't recall it smelling bad. Not to say there wasn't an odor build up after the lid was closed...

The processor does a lot of other meats; rabbit, guineas, they don't slaughter pigs there, but they do process them there. They also have pigeon, tripe, and other things like that. It is a poultry market, so pretty sure no fish. BUT, since you bring it up, I am wondering if the cleanliness is an issue now. I mean, the back looked like a typical processing plant and clean from what I could tell ( a few flies in the front and I'm sure in the back, BUT we were shooing flies too, when we did ours ourselves. So, I kind of expect this.) I figured, these guys have been in business for years, they are licensed, people go there, support local business...you know, "I'm sure this is the place to go!"

Fudge. I am really starting to think that our birds may have been cross contaminated/spoiled at this place.

I know they are not supposed to smell like this and the ones we did in the backyard three days ago, smell "normal".

I am also going to go whiff the cooler now though, too. If it smells fishy, it could have been the cooler since the cooler smell can transfer to meat but I don't think a meat smell could permeate plastic in that short amount of time. (Maybe?) Thank you for that idea.

Either way, it seem like we won't be eating them. What a waste!

Thanks again for your help, DaveOmak!

IdasChickens

 

[Arielle]

DOesn't mean you cant eat them-- make them into chili or use other strong flavored seasonings.

ANd call the processor and explain the problem-- they might have an answer.

 

[IdasChickens]

Ha! Love your avatar!

Thank you for responding so fast, too!

I didn't think about the cooler, although, I washed it out before we used it and I don't recall it smelling bad. Not to say there wasn't an odor build up after the lid was closed...

The processor does a lot of other meats; rabbit, guineas, they don't slaughter pigs there, but they do process them there. They also have pigeon, tripe, and other things like that. It is a poultry market, so pretty sure no fish. BUT, since you bring it up, I am wondering if the cleanliness is an issue now. I mean, the back looked like a typical processing plant and clean from what I could tell ( a few flies in the front and I'm sure in the back, BUT we were shooing flies too, when we did ours ourselves. So, I kind of expect this.) I figured, these guys have been in business for years, they are licensed, people go there, support local business...you know, "I'm sure this is the place to go!"

Fudge. I am really starting to think that our birds may have been cross contaminated/spoiled at this place.

I know they are not supposed to smell like this and the ones we did in the backyard three days ago, smell "normal".

I am also going to go whiff the cooler now though, too. If it smells fishy, it could have been the cooler since the cooler smell can transfer to meat but I don't think a meat smell could permeate plastic in that short amount of time. (Maybe?) Thank you for that idea.

Either way, it seem like we won't be eating them. What a waste!

Thanks again for your help, DaveOmak!

IdasChickens

Just went out to smell the cooler. No odor.

My conclusion is that the chickens some how heated up in a cooler of ice for a few hours and remained in "the danger zone" for that time, OR, the processing plant ruined our poultry.

I have a sinking feeling it is the latter. How could that have happened? They do many birds and seem to be reputable.

Could it have been the birds themselves?

 

[IdasChickens]

DOesn't mean you cant eat them-- make them into chili or use other strong flavored seasonings.

ANd call the processor and explain the problem-- they might have an answer.

Thank you Arielle!

If I can still eat them, that makes me feel LOTS better. I have a couple of dogs too, so, if I could at least make them into some dog-food, should my family be off-put by the odor, that would be awesome....I just hate being food wasteful and didn't want to give anybody food poisoning.

I was afraid to call the plant because I felt like it was something that I did wrong. But after talking to you all, I think I will do just that and explain the situation.

Thank you again for you help!

Idaschickens

 

[IdasChickens]

Just talked to my Mom whom I left three chickens with (had only been in the cooler for about an hour before being refrigerated.) They don't smell bad.

DARN IT! My chickens got too hot, I think.

 

[One Chick Two]

Perhaps you can try cooking them (boiling) in the crock pot. Usually any slight odor is completely gone afterward.

 

[IdasChickens]

Perhaps you can try cooking them (boiling) in the crock pot. Usually any slight odor is completely gone afterward.

I think I'm going to try that. The odor itself, although stinky, is okay with me. It is that my brain is telling me that when chicken smells "off", not to eat it. Maybe I'm just not used to really fresh chicken yet?

My logic is telling me, "No way these chickens went bad, less than four hours in a cooler of ice!"
My nose is telling me something different....

I am currently in the process of sniffing ALL the chickens in the fridge, to see if they all smell like this. Maybe just a couple didn't get chilled adequately enough.

Thank you, One Chick Two!

Idaschickens

 

[Arielle]

IF the chickens went right into the ice bath, there shouldn't be a problem. THe fact that our nose says there is a problem, PLEASE call the processor. I guarentee they are likely to have an answer.

We have been taught not to eat stinky meat. Not saying you should do it, but saying cooking kills a lot of pathogens; a few pathogens put out a toxin and that is bad. Talk to the processor and be honest and frank , and ask for help about what to do about the meat.

OTherwise cook it and feed a small quantity to the dog . . . or to the chickens!