What makes chickens such a Biohazard?

[Cyberous]

You never see anyone eat rare chicken. (Once on Iron Chef they did chicken sashimi)

I hear this every day. You must cook your chicken thoroughly. You must keep it refrigerated at all times. Wash and sanitize everything in your cooking area after handling chicken.

Some people are the same way about eggs. Need to wash them before use, cook thoroughly.

I know chickens can carry Salmonella what about
e coli?
botchulism?

What else?

What causes them to get these diseases? I know when I processed my Cornish X (first time) all I could think about was how quickly I needed to get it done and to get them in the freezer. But why?

I'm just curious if this is a USA paranoia or genuine issue? In other countries I see chickens hanging in markets un or under refrigerated.

What makes chickens so hazardous?

Thanks in advance.

Don

 

[Burbs]

I really like this question.

My two cents. When poultry is cared for properly I really doubt there is an issue. If your birds aren't sick when you process them, you handle them correctly and use some prudence with temperature, there will never be an issue. Hence the birds hanging in the open market in other countries. On the other hand, there is no way I would eat under done chicken from the grocer. Too many birds raised too close together in what sometimes are questionable conditions.

A lot of the ways we handle meat these days stem from outdated issues. For example trichinosis used to be prevalent in the pork industry. Mostly this stemmed from the use of animal by-products in thier feed. Today it is almost unheard of. But the standing rule of thumb is to cook pork to 145.

 

[rhodiegal]

I was just reading about this the other day in The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow as I was eating breakfast. I don't want to sound like a geek or something, but according to the book, it is possible that 75% of chickens carry some species of Salmonella in their lives. It also said you would be hard pressed to find any meat (not just chicken) or eggs that did not have some strain of Salmonella in it, but apparently not all Salmonella species are harmful to humans. Anyway, she talks about other zoonotic diseases in the book (there are several) that are passable from chicken to human - but as long as people are careful in processing and cooking meat/eggs chances are low.

She also pointed out that home processed chickens are usually more safe because they are processed individually and promptly refrigerated. If you don't already have the book - it is a good one.

 

[cassie]

It is not the disease the chicken has. It is the bacterial contaminents that may be on it. Salmonella and e coli are the two most common. Botulism is caused by a soil organism. It grows in the absence of oxygen. It can be found in improperly canned meats and vegetables. Nitrates are added to processed meats such as sausages to prevent botulism.

 

[Mahonri]

As stated above. It's all Uncle Sal's fault. Salmonella.

 

[Chickenmaven]

Reminds me of a comedy skit I heard on the radio: Sam & Ella's Sushi Bar and Bait Shop.

Laughs aside. I would bet that far more people become ill from hamburger meat, since anything nasty on the surface of the meat is ground throughout the finished product.

 

[cluck-addict]

I don't think any of this really has to do with the "animal" in question but the process and environment in which the meat is butchered and stored. My husband,(the sick sick man), will eat raw hamburger when he can sneak it. We are dairy farmers and have fresh hamburger in the freezer year round.

That said meat packing and process places aren't exactly the most sanitary. Combine that with the time it takes to get the animal killed, butchered and in the freezer could be extensive. The previous post hit the nail on the head. We raise our chickens, probably buthcer them on site and have the in the freezer in very very short order. The fast process in which we butcher our own meat eliminates much of the possibility for the diseases to get out of control.

I can't imagine ever eating meat again that we didn't raise ourselves. We know exactly what the animal ate, what medicines, if any, it got. and exactly how it was processed.

 

[Cyberous]

All really good replies.

So whats wrong with going to a restaurant and asking for a med rare chicken? I know I wouldn't do it (cause I like the burnt taste) but don't exactly know why?

Don't know if it makes sense? Is beef that much safer to eat than chicken?

Don