# When shouldn't you eat the dead animals on your farm?



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

I read 21601mom's account of her dead chicken and a derivative question came to me. What are the signs you should look for in a dead animal which lead you to bury it instead of eating it?

To start things off - if your cow is afflicted with Mad Cow Syndrome, then it's best to just pass on the butchering.

In broad strokes, what does it take to make the meat unfit for human consumption?


----------



## camo2460 (Feb 10, 2013)

As far as i'm concerned unknown cause of death is enough for me


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

If I don't put it down or see it die from accidental or birthing difficulty (all of this is rare) I don't eat it. Not saying that I wouldn't I just don't. 

I have salvaged on occasion somewhat questionable meat for dogs and cats, and I have had them find and eat some pretty disgusting things with no ill effects, except me almost losing my lunch.


----------



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

So it's better to bury those 7 cows that MMM noted died from fright of lightening? How about a cow killed by wolves? People butcher deer struck by cars. That's got to do a lot of damage to the muscle tissue, right?


----------



## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Always check the liver and other organs for normal appearance.

A friend of mine shot a large game animal only to find it had a serious systemic infection from a previous injury. It stayed where it fell.


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

No, if I found animals dead from lightning or physical means I would try to salvage the meat it just depends on a lot of things. 
Temperature is a big factor, up in our area a moose or deer (or cow) shot in November (hunting season) may be fine 12-24 hours after death but in Texas it would be a different matter. If the animal has died from an injury and their stomach is not swollen up or anything yet, the meat will most likely be fine. It may sound very unscientific but the human nose can be a very good indicator that spoilage has taken place.

Chicken die quite often (especially if raising meat birds) and we never ate one :dunno: but then again chickens and birds spoil very quickly.

There are other alternatives for questionable meat such as raising worms to feed to livestock http://www.blacksoldierflyfarming.com/

But if I found a cow that had died recently from an obviously non disease related issue it would not bother me to eat it, even if the butchering would be unpleasant. If I was concerned about anything I would fully cook it to kill any bacteria that found their way into the meat (boiling temperature internally).


----------



## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

Bobbb said:


> So it's better to bury those 7 cows that MMM noted died from fright of lightening? How about a cow killed by wolves? People butcher deer struck by cars. That's got to do a lot of damage to the muscle tissue, right?


No I wouldn't bury them, I'd feed them to my dogs, chickens etc. and then burn what was left to stop it stinking. But I wouldn't put the time and effort into butchering and preserving meat that was less than the best. That's as things are now, if I had no other source of meat I'd harvest the best bits and feed the rest to the dogs etc. If I lived where I could get the knacker to pick them up and give me a few $$ I'd do that.

In 20 years of working in the dairy industry I've only ever seen one cow die of anything other than calving problems or disease. We shot her as she broke a hip in a fall in the dairy. We cut her up for the dogs, didn't bother eating her ourselves as we had plenty of young steers available to butcher. We didn't bother with cows that died in the paddock just towed them to the farm gate where the knacker picked them up for fertiliser, got a few $$ back then. 
Same goes for any food we produce here, I don't eat split carrots either, we feed them to the pigs. If I had no other carrots I would, but why bother when there's 50 kgs of perfect ones in the bed.


----------



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

If it takes my family 2 years to eat the meat from one cow, how many dogs can be fed from one carcass?


----------



## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Bobbb, if you were getting the majority of your calories from that beef it wouldn't last that long. Dogs and cats should get most of their calories from meat/organs/etc.
Apparently a "typical" 50lb dog will require almost 1200 calories per day, while a 25lb dog will require 700. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/That is quite a bit of meat (1/2 or a pound a day) for one dog. Luckily though, as can be witnesses by human history, dogs and cats are often worth it and they can also deal with the scraps and bits that are not that easy for us. When we shoot a deer for instance we butcher it out pretty well but still are left with enough to feed the dogs and cats for quite some time and they are so much happier and healthier than when they are eating bought food.


----------



## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

Animals dead from trama, O.K. Animals dead from disease or unknown causes, no, unless I'm desperate. Thorough cooking will make just about any meat edible. Road kill as long as it ain't stiff.


----------



## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Depends on cause of death and how long its dead and conditions.
Predators/accident, over night in the fall, cut m up!
Unknown, summer, unknown.dig a hole.


----------



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Sorry Bobbb ... to many things comes into play to give you a straight answer ...


----------



## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

If the meat is questionable feed it to the dogs...........then eat the dogs.


----------



## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Road kill us usually mush. Lightning may be okay if you get it quick but it may be cooked from the inside out too. of course if it got hot enough to cook some parts then it may have got hot enough to rupture intestines, stomach, etc.

Death by unknown causes? Hang a chunk of meat over a hole in a lake, river, pond, etc. or over your chicken pen. The flies lay eggs which hatch into maggots which fall off the meat into the water or chicken pen. Chickens and fish love them. It might also be used as bait for predators (trap or hunt) including bears which are good to eat. You can skin the critters and safely use the hide.

You're always taking a chance on animals that die other than by your hand. Cutting, tearing, etc. through intestines, stomach, bladder, kidneys and lots of other internal organs can release bacteria and parasites that won't aid your health. I'd have to be very hungry before I'd eat anything that wasn't freshly killed by the hand of man.


----------



## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

Diseased, obvious tumors, otherwise sick with infection. I'd leave those alone. Accidental deaths would be ok as long as the intestines weren't ruptured same with stealing a predator kill.


----------



## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

I've eaten animals I watched lose fights, but around here (North Georgia) a lot of small game can have rabies. And I don't wanna risk that kind of stuff. If it just drops dead, don't touch it. If you want to try and feed it to dogs, go ahead. But I know that my German Shepard won't touch something if he smells something off about it. So if dogs won't touch it, it's a definite no no. I've used that as a test before too. Feeding it to my dog to see if he thought it was okay before I tried.


----------



## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

You can eat really putrid stuff if well cooked even rabid animals.


----------



## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

Bobbb said:


> So it's better to bury those 7 cows that MMM noted died from fright of lightening? How about a cow killed by wolves? People butcher deer struck by cars. That's got to do a lot of damage to the muscle tissue, right?


Each example you gave has a known cause of death, which is vastly different than animals that died from no obvious, known or observed cause of death. Knowing the cause of death allows us to make an informed decision. As in your car accident example. If the deer is put down because its hips legs spine have been shattered (tenderized) there is no reason not to eat it. If its internal organs have been ruptured contaminating the meat there would be good cause not to eat it. Though as has been said dogs or cats may have no problems ingesting it.


----------



## cedarguy (Nov 19, 2012)

Bobbb said:


> So it's better to bury those 7 cows that MMM noted died from fright of lightening? How about a cow killed by wolves? People butcher deer struck by cars. That's got to do a lot of damage to the muscle tissue, right?


I have butchard a few deer for friends that had been hit by vehicals and there has always been some usable meat. On every occasion once I removed the hide it was obvious where the damage was and I would just feed that to the dogs. I also have a freind who works for the railroad and he kept a deer that had been hit by a train and asked me to help him. That was one jacked up deer but there was still good meat. I salvaged the straps and a front quarter, that alone would be enough to feed a couple of folks for a couple days.


----------



## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

It all depends on how hungry you are. Right now I don't bother with roadkill but....... if times get awful tough your standards have a tendency to drop.


----------

