A few month's ago my Daughter came home with a very small chick, it was thrown off a truck near her school along with many dead and dying chicks arriving from Japan. My daughter fell in love with her so we kept her as a pet, in fact she thought she was a dog, running around the yard with the Rottweilers and greeting people at the gate and would come running wings flapping when called. Anyway a few days ago she started having trouble walking and had the runs that continued getting worse till she couldn't stand up, so I decided to put her out of her misery. My son's girlfriend lit up, grabbed a knife and starting a pot full of boiling water, within just a few minutes she was on the stove... Everyone except my daughter and I had a feast!!! I was told that when a chicken gets sick they are always eaten right away. So have we all eaten a sick chicken without knowing? Would you? I sure hope Bird flu never becomes epidemic here.
Being American my first thought is no thanks. I asked my wife, she said was it still alive? I said yes, it was sick and they killed it, would you eat the sick chicken? She said "If me, of course!" I guess the theory is if it dies no, if you put it out of its misery, it's fiesta time.
When it is cooked or fried completely for a longer time over 70°C then it would be fine to eat because the heat kills the bacteria or virusses.
There are lots of diseases that won't pass between species, I still would be a bit leery. If I were starving I would probably get over my qualms and cook it well as Dr. Shiva says.
I guess, that it could be better to eat a well cooked sick chicken than one that is pumped full with antibiotics.
Would I eat it.... no. I'd rather spend 180p or whatever the going price is for a fresh whole chicken. Would it be technically safe to eat cooked properly though.... more then likely safe. Its the idea that puts me off of eating a sick animal even if its a chicken.
Considering all the animal meat and game I have ingested over 55 years, and none of it came directly from a Veterinary with proof of recent examination.... I'd gobbler it down, no probs.
Apparently it's the same with sick pig's and the reason meat is so commonly over cooked. As for the chicken that started this thread, she grew up on rice and loved beer without any antibiotics. I was told she was very meaty and delicious.
The one butchering and preparing the sick chicken would probably be at greater risk than those eating pre road kill chicken.
