If you tuned into the news at all last Wednesday (10/19), you heard the tragic tale of Mr. Thompson and his exotic animals. Sad to say we had our own tragic loss on the farm that day. The heavy rainfall, soggy conditions and our naivety lead to the deaths of around a dozen of our meat chickens that lived in the outdoor pen. We believe it just got too wet for them and they died of hypothermia. It was a tough and sad learning experience for us, one we are sure to not forget. We have since learned that putting down straw in the pen is a way to keep them warm and dry. Now that we have done this, during the more recent rains we have had no more loss. Amazingly, there are still 8 meat chickens living and we have yet to lose a turkey (they are supposedly hard to raise). I have heard that you should not eat the meat from animals that died of natural causes, but I have yet to find a scientific reason why. Anyone have an answer for me?
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Wrightway Farm 
Oh Melissa, I’m so sorry.
So sorry to hear that. Tough lesson. I’ll have to make sure my girls stay cozy!
So sad. I’m sorry you had to learn the hard way:(
As for eating the chickens: my guess would be, what if they didn’t die of natural causes and they was some kind of illness involved and you didn’t know.
yikes, learning curves are always hard. I guess in the end they were gonna die either way right?? weird on the not eating, I wonder if it is a protect all rule just in case you are wrong on the cause of death.
According to my sister, to properly butcher an animal, you need to bleed it as soon as it’s dead. Basically, decay starts right away. Animals have bacteria in their digestive tracts and airways that will start to grow once they are dead. Also, meat not bled right away will have an “off” taste. If you can get to it when it’s still warm, it should be OK.
Thanks John that is very helpful info!