Would you eat these chickens..?

[Mosti]

Last saturday we got 41'C by midday and 2 out of my 10 broiler chickens died due to the heat

. They were still quite young, only 1kg alive(dead!?).

Soon after I plucked and cleaned them and put them in the fridge thinking that they would have been ok for eating, but when I did mention my idea to my mum she did say that grandpa

used to throw them away if they died like that. Any way...I got paranoid soon and now the birds will go for the dogs.....
What would you have done??

 

[Eggs4Sale]

I would have stuck them in the freezer, thawed them out just before Thanksgiving, and arrived on my mother's doorstep with a lovely chicken salad and a very large smile.

(Edited to say: If you saw my earlier post of my ugly cooked goose, you would know that I get really squeamish about any odd critter meat.)

 

[Mosti]

Quote:
Will take your suggestion seriously..(though we do not have thanksgiving..!) Maybe for ...HOPE NOT

..next time

 

[Mrs. Glassman]

I don't know....If they fell over dead, probably not.

If I knew they were killed by injury, yes.

 

[cw]

how long had they been dead since you found them?
i deer hunt and anyone who also deer hunts in early season that has killed one and not found it till the next will probably tell you they had went a head a skinned it.
if rigor mortus hasnt set in then yes they will be ok, i would get them plucked and dressed asap, and the body cavity cooled

we just took 25 to the freezer and have another to go, and had a hen that got down to the heat we didnt let her die, but just went a head and took her.
we have since ate her and we are fine

 

[Mosti]

Quote:
Maybe 2 hrs at the maximum..

 

[HidingInTheHenHouse]

You could eat them, but they won't taste good. The important part in the seconds after death is to bleed them out. I'm sure by 2 hours post death, the blood would have pooled in the part of the body closest to the ground, and coagulated. Blood in meat is not a flavor that most people like. I've tried it before. It is a little disguised in casseroles or something like that, but you can still tell it isn't quite right.

When you find one dead, immediately hang upside down and cut off the head. If the blood flows out quickly and there is a normal quantity, then the bird will be okay to eat. If the blood just drips out sluggishly, or not at all, then the bird has been dead too long to save the meat.

That said, dogs that are fed raw would probably not be adverse to the meat.

 

[Mosti]

Quote:
Ahh so thats why they had blotching over some body parts...I boil them before feeding them to the dogs though.

Thanks Guys.

 

[jaku]

Yeah, toss them. I never eat anything that I didn't kill. A couple hours is quite awhile to be sitting in the hot sun. The blotching you saw was probably livor mortis, or lividity. It occurs after something dies and the blood pools as tissues begin to decompose. It helps police determine how long a body has been dead, or if it has been moved after death. Personally, I wouldn't even have given them to the dogs, but considering the things I've seen my dog eat, I'm sure they'll be fine.

 

[Dbl T in CO]

I have to agree with tossing them. Hot sun & chickens are not a good mix. May want to plan butchering your Cornish’s a little sooner next time.

Sorry for your loss!