Would you eat a chicken that died through sickness, or injury?

[Shadrach]

Some of the chickens I look after are growing old. I recently had a hen die at about 11 years old and I have a few in the 7 to 10 years old range. My policy here has been to provide a home for the elderly whether they still lay eggs, or not, until they either die of old age, or contract medical problems that mean their quality of life becomes so poor that death to me at least, seems preferable. It's not a judgment I find easy to make.
I have in the past eaten chickens that have been killed by other predators. My emotional reaction is to want to bury them, but my rational view is I'm burying perfectly edible meat.
I can understand there being a reluctance to eat a deceased chicken that has recently undergone say a course of antibiotics, but what about those that have no harmful drug residue when they die?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Interesting questions and very much a personal decision. I've eaten an injured chicken before. It had a bad leg and the thigh and drumstick on that side were discolored so I discarded those but ate the rest.

I've never eaten a chicken killed by a predator, but I've had very few of those. But predators can have some pretty nasty bacteria on their teeth or claws from the meat they otherwise eat. That's what can make certain animal bites or scratches dangerous. I might consider it if the only damage was to the head but probably not. Another possible issue is that it's never a convenient time to butcher anyway when I find them so I've ever really been faced with that decision.

I've never eaten a chicken that died from disease or medical reasons. Again, very few opportunities but I don't keep mine around for old age. Theoretically very few if any chicken diseases are not going to transfer to humans. If you cook them well you're going to disinfect them anyway, the only time of risk might be before you cook them and I think that risk is really small.

It's probably a bad analogy but predators pick off a lot of diseased prey because they can be easier to catch, or they scavenge recently dead animals. Their immune system is probably a lot stronger than ours since they do it often, that's why i think it is a bad analogy.

I grew up in the ridges of Appalachia many decades ago. I had relatives that lived much as people in the mountains lived in the 1800's, subsistence. They lived off of what they could get from the land. I have absolutely no doubt if one of their chickens had died from disease they would have eaten it. But I don't have to live like that and maybe I'm not that tough. So while in theory there is probably nothing wrong with eating a chicken that died from a disease I wouldn't do it because of what I call my personal YUK! factor.

 

[chickens really]

At that age chewing your leather shoes would be easier.....Seriously though I don't think eating sick birds is a safe practice..

 

[Kiki]

Right now...I would not eat one that died from illness or old age.
Ask me in a few years and I may think differently.

 

[mamablair]

From an injury I would. We have had cattle and pigs butchered due to broken limbs, but from an illness or predator attack, not worth the risk to me.

 

[Chickassan]

I guess it would depend on how hungry a person was or poor they were.
Myself, no.
I don't eat any chickens though.
If I did it would depend highly on my situation at the time, but honestly i'd prefer not to if it could be avoided.

 

[WVduckchick]

I’m also in the camp of accidental death or injury would be ok for me to eat. Predator kill would depend on the manner of death, how long it was dead, etc.
I wouldn’t take a chance with illness or any unknown cause of death.

During turkey season one year, I harvested a mature wild turkey. When we began to process it, one whole breast was green, apparently from a previous non-fatal shot. I could not bring myself to eat any of it, even though the rest of the bird looked fine.

 

[Folly's place]

BAD IDEA!!! I'd have to be starving to consider eating anything from a animal who died of an illness, any illness.
Food poisoning isn't worth it!
Mary

 

[shaila]

I might consider eating a bird that was injured, if it was something like an accident snapping the neck and the body retrieved immediately. When it comes to illness or an injury where infection had opportunity to set in, I'd pass and offer the whole bird directly back to nature. Humans don't have guts like hyenas or vultures that can handle a bit more buffet of life in the flesh.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Think those of us growing up on farms learned not too see them as pets per se but no not ill ones use to stew ones that quit laying so we butchered and processed