To eat or Not to eat?

[mcd311]

My dog killed one of our chickens last night and with putting the kids to bed and my husband away on a trip, I didn't have time to clean the bird (I really don't want to waste the meat) so I put it in a cooler with ice last night.

I want to ask the experts is it still safe to process it today? Or is it not a good idea? (The dog broke the neck and had chewed a good deal on the neck before I came upon them. But very little blood was showing, so it has been in the cooler "intact", blood and all.)
Thanks.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

I predict that you'll get variety of responses from "never in 1,000 years" to "sure, go ahead" which may not leave you any better off than you were before. Here's my opinion, having eaten one bird that was killed by a bobcat (saw the bobcat pounce on the bird, chased it away and the chicken died moments later) and one bird that was dying of a prolapse, I posted the same question and got the full range of responses.

Here's what led me to make the decision to eat those birds anyway.

1) I knew why they died...it wasn't like I found them staggaring around sick or recently dead.
2) Our ancestors regularly ate birds that had been shot with arrows or taken by a hunting falcon, caught in a snare and/or carried around in a hunting dog's mouth.
3) A generation ago, when you bought a chicken at the butcher, it was hanging headless, maybe plucked, but you had to do the rest of the butchering yourself...this applies to game birds too, they were often hung with innards intact for several days before being butchered.
4) You aren't planning on eating it raw, so if it was exposed to any additional bacteria from the bobcat (or in your case, dog), a thorough cooking should take care of that.
5) I did every step of the butchering myself, while the one killed by a bob cat was the first chicken I'd ever butchered, the other one was not, so I had a very good idea of what the finished product should look like, smell like etc.

Now, here's one thing different about my situation than yours that does concern me...the cooler. IF she's been soaking in dirty ice water all this time, I can imagine nastiness from her feet and feathers perhaps contaminating the meat. I'd be less worried if she were in a refridgerator or freezer, or even hanging in a cold garage. So, take that into consideration as you move forward with the rest of my reply.

So, my advice to you would be to butcher this bird as soon as possible and look for any damage to the innards that might suggest internal contamination from the dog's attack. If it looked like there was internal damage, I'd be reluctant to proceed because I'd be concerned that the meat had been contaminated by fecal matter or the contents of the gall bladder. If the innards looked intact and no other alarming signs were found, I'd probably brine the chicken, soaking it in salt water for several days. Because you didn't control the amount of trauma in the experience (I don't know if she was just pounced on or had been chased around the yard) her meat is likely to be tougher than it would otherwise. She probably wasn't thoroughly bled out either, so that will lead to tougher meat. I don't know how old she was either, but an older bird will have tougher meat so brining will help with all of those issues.

Once she has brined for at two to three days, I'd examine her again for discoloration or wierd smell and then proceed with cooking. Be sure she is cooked thoroughly, probably a long moist process like a crock pot, make sure it get's hot enough to fully kill any bacteria. (my husband will tell the story of being sent to intensive care about 30 years ago by an ex-girlfriend who slow-cooked a grocery store chicken all day in a crock pot but at such a low temperature that it was more of an incubator than a crock pot, resulting in a terrible case of food poisioning).

So, I'll probably be told I'm crazy for making this suggestion by at least one person who replies, but that's what I did because like you, I hate waste. Again, think about the condition of the cooler as well.

Good luck

 

[Oregon Blues]

You know how the bird died and it has been kept cool

So yes, you can eat it. It will probably be gamier because the guts were left in. Gamebirds in Britain are left to age with the guts in to develop the flavor.

It's not the ideal way to butcher birds, but it won't make you sick to eat it.

 

[mcd311]

Thanks you for this detailed response!!!
I put her in a clean garbage bag and packed ice under and on top her, so for that matter she should be good.
Thank you thank you thank you!
I'll definitely let her soak in brine for a few days. That was my biggest concern, not having the blood drained out. But we have don't our own deer and I figure it might be similar and okay.

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

The clean garbage bag and ice makes a big difference to me. I was imagining the carcass floating in water and ice and that was a concern. I'd do it. We cooked the one that had been killed by the bobcat in the smoker after two days of brining and she was delicious. The one with the prolapse was an older bird and I cooked her using the "chicken fricassee" recipie from Joy of Cooking...although I did cook the meat longer than the recipie called for, due to to the age of the hen. She was beyond delicious.

 

[mcd311]

The clean garbage bag and ice makes a big difference to me.  I was imagining the carcass floating in water and ice and that was a concern.  I'd do it.  We cooked the one that had been killed by the bobcat in the smoker after two days of brining and she was delicious.  The one with the prolapse was an older bird and I cooked her using the "chicken fricassee" recipie from Joy of Cooking...although I did cook the meat longer than the recipie called for, due to to the age of the hen.  She was beyond delicious.

I can't thank you enough for the knowledge!
Everything is completed. Your post put my mind at ease.
Had it been found in the pasture and I not known who killed it or at what time it had been killed I wouldn't have had any question as to bury it. But wasn't sure what to do in this situation. I knew to keep it as clean and cold as possible though till I found the answer!

So know that I appreciate your virtual assistance!!!
And my husband is going to be very proud of me, this was my first butchering.