Processing meat late (any info about risks and spoilage welcome)

[RickyBorn]

Dear Everybody,

due to an ending land lease, I had to get rid of 8 roosters, I chose to process them because I'm in favor of locally raised / home-raised meats. And it is very difficult to re-home them.

unfortunately, I did not have the time to de-gut the chickens immediately after killing them. I properly bled them, then put them in a refrigerator for about 18 hours. (I know that's a long time)

When I gutted them there was a fairly disgusting smell. Now I'm wondering if the meat is spoiled and if it's safe to eat.

The meat looked fine, although the odor stayed slightly after the washing. They're in the freezer, waiting for the riga mortis to die off.

I've already done some research and found for example a hunting topic where they shot a deer and were not able to track the animal overnight (night temperature of 50f), it took them 18 hours to find the deer, and even punctured his gut. In the end, the meat was not spoiled.

Any info, or biological background info is most welcome. (fridge temperature is 41F)

 

[DemeterAD9]

18hrs isn't terrible, especially if refrigerated. Chickens stick when being cleaned regardless of how fresh it is.

Check this thread out.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/undressed-chicken.1630060/

Also yes on the gut shot deer thing. Letting it sit overnight or even 24hrs isn’t going to spoil the meat unless it’s hot out. I know too many people who toss an entire deer because it “sat too long”.

 

[Molpet]

I have done this, waited until rigor mortis has passed and sent her through the plucker. No issues. People used to do this all the time.
https://honest-food.net/on-hanging-pheasants-2/
Dressed Heritage birds, in my opinion, are better when rested in the refrigerator for longer than it takes for rigor to pass. If you freeze you can let it come out of rigor mortis after it thaws.
Cooking methods depending on age

I have pressure cooked 2 and half years old rooster for a couple hours and he was the best pulled chicken and broth