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

[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.

 

[CJLR]

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.

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.

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

i agree

 

[townchicks]

Personally, I couldn't eat my birds, because they're pets and I'm a wuss. I don't think there's anything wrong with eating a bird that's been killed by a predator if you find it right away. Cooking destroys any bacteria that might still be there, after you cut off the chewed on parts. Really, watch a video of commercial chicken processing sometime. Hardly aseptic! Sickness, now, that would depend on a lot of things. If you don't know what the bird died from, sounds risky. Something like egg binding or old age, probably not too risky. Watched an episode of Alaska the Last Frontier once, where a dog got into the broilers and killed them all. Eve jumped right into butchering. "Not going to waste all this meat". Doesn't seem to have hurt anyone.

 

[SueT]

I am guessing that commercial meat producers routinely put injured and maybe even sick birds/animals into the food supply.

 

[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

 

[chickens really]

I am guessing that commercial meat producers routinely put injured and maybe even sick birds/animals into the food supply.

Dog or cat food ...

 

[pennyJo1960]

One could only hope that I had a pet food company we never used ill or worse animals in food the fish even where killed first

 

[casportpony]

but what about those that have no harmful drug residue when they die?

How about maybe? I might eat one if I knew for sure that the cause of death was from something like internal bleeding or a foreign body obstruction of the trachea.

 

[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.

 

[Cyprus]

It is worth bearing in mind that the probability is we eat meat from various animals that are carriers of a number of diseases and certainly in the not so distant past, treated with various drugs to promote growth and combat disease.
Given the prevalence of Mareks for example the probability is eventually if you eat chicken you will eat one that is a carrier.
I'm inclined to believe that adequate cooking will kill bacteria introduced by say a predators claws or beak.

Bacteria, but not a virus. Again, zoonotic diseases.