Common Issues with Chickens

Ordering Chickens from a Shop

Kashrus organizations

1. In cities that have sizeable Jewish populations, one will normally be able to obtain kosher meat lemehadrin, both fresh and frozen, under various hechsherim—kashrus organizations. People ask which hechsher may be relied on [which we are understandably not going to specify here]. This should be discussed with one’s own Rov, as to the guidelines of which hechsherim are appropriate to bring into one’s house.

2. G-d fearing people should always try to obtain the best available hechsher and not to compromise on kashrus standards just because it is cheaper, as one would not compromise regarding medical care, but obtain the best help possible.

3. Any kashrus body needs to have a lot of siyatta dishmaya to be able to supply meat, that is kosher lemehadrin, suitable for those particular on halochoh, and we should daven for their success, as it says in the Yerushalmi: Before you pray that words of Torah enter your mouth, pray that forbidden food not enter your stomach (תוס' כתובות קד: ד"ה לא, לפי גירסת כמה מפרשים).

Shops that sell different Hechsherim

4. Some shops in Eretz Yisroel sell fresh meat from a variety of hechsherim, and generally have no hechsher themselves, and may sell hechsherim that some may not want to use. In such cases, one should make sure to stand and watch them preparing the order, to ensure that one gets the desired hechsher, as generally these shops don’t have supervision to check that one gets the hechsher that one ordered.

5. Therefore, one should not order meat or chicken over the phone from such shops, unless ordering whole chickens, that come with a metal seal or hologram on each one. However, if the chicken is already cut up, there will not be a seal on each piece, validating its kashrus. One should be careful about all this, especially in shops where non-Jewish employees cut the meat, who do not understand the difference.

6. Knives. If all the hechsherim sold in this shop are on a level that one may eat them bdi’eved, one need not be concerned about the knives being used for all the meat, although lechatchilo they should use dedicated knives.

Meat delivered from a shop by a non-Jew

7. A Jew who sends meat to another Jew via a non-Jew or a dishonest person, must double-seal the meat, in case it is switched for non-kosher meat (שו"ע יו"ד קי"ח א'), even where most butchers in the town are Jewish (ש"ך סק"א).

8. The reason why we are stringent with meat [as well as cut up fish and wine] is because they are expensive and we are concerned that they may be switched with a cheaper non-kosher equivalent (טור בשם רש"י). Additionally, because these food items, when non-kosher, are prohibited from the Torah (טור בשם הרשב"א).

9. Bdi’eved. Some differentiate between the delivery by a non-Jew and by a dishonest person, that when a non-Jew delivers it, bdi’eved, one may rely on one seal, but, for a dishonest per son it is forbidden to use unless it has two seals (רמ"א שם). The Mechaber however, says that both require two seals, even bdi’eved, and this is the Sephardic custom (כף החיים סק"א).

10. Utensils used for this meat. Food sent via a non-Jew, without sufficient markings, and therefore forbidden to eat, which was then cooked in a pot, the pot is now forbidden for use until it is kashered (חלקת בנימין ביאורים ד"ה צורך עמ' ר"ג).

11. No benefit in exchange. If the meat sent with a non-Jew is such that he would not gain anything by switching it, the meat is permitted, even if the seal was ruined (רמ"א שם ס"ב). However, most Poskim agree that one should not use this heter lechatchiloh—in the first instance ( שו"ת לבושי מרדכי יו"ד תנינא ס' נ"ד, דרכי תשובה סקע"ה ).

12. A public thoroughfare. If meat was sent with a non-Jew, who took it through a busy thoroughfare, with many passers-by (כף החיים), the meat is permitted b’dieved, as the non-Jew will be scared to be suspected of theft, even by non-Jews (ט"ז סק"י). Lechatchiloh, though, one should not rely on this to send the meat without a seal (שו"ע ס"ז),even through a Jewish area ( שו"ת הרשב"א ס' תשס"א, כף החיים ).סקע"ט, דרכי תשובה סקנ"ט

13. Public thoroughfare in a truck or car. This heter of going through a public thoroughfare only applies to one going by foot or by bike, however, by car or truck, inside which the non-Jew could do what he likes, without having to worry about being seen, is not included in this heter (חלקת בנימין ס' קי"ח ס"ז ביאורים ד"ה מותר).

14. Some allow it if he went by car, as one could see inside it ( מו"ר ).בשו"ת שבט הקהתי ח"ג ס' רכ"ח נשאר בצ"ע, ובח"ו ס' רפ"ו אות ז' נקט להיתר

15. Even though we do not rely on the heter of public thoroughfares lechatchiloh, nevertheless, one may rely on it when there is one seal or it is locked with a key, which is equivalent to a seal ( שו"ת ).תשב"ץ ס' של"א, שו"ת מהרש"ג יו"ד ס' נ"ח

16. Ordering from a shop. According to what we have said, Lechatchiloh one should be careful when ordering meat from a shop, that will be delivered by a non-Jew or a dishonest person, to request that the shop close the meat in a bag with two signs.

However, b’dieved, one may rely on the heterim of “no benefit of exchange” (no. 11), “going via a thoroughfare” (no. 12), or, if he is permanent employee of the shop, as he would be scared to lose his job if caught switching (שו"ת מנחת חן ח"א יו"ד ס' ז' אות ג').

17. Meat left by the door. Sometimes a meat order is delivered and left outside the door because no one answered, occasionally remaining there for a while. If it was delivered following an order, with a receipt inside, and the bag is tied with a knot, and it was not there a long time, one may allow it bdi’eved, as the non-Jew would be scared to switch it by a private door, in case he is caught.

18. If a shop received a large delivery of chickens on a pallet, which remained outside the shop, and all had proper seals, they are kosher without any doubt, even in a big city like London.

Questions of Treifos on a chicken

19. When buying chickens with a reliable hechsher, the mashgichim generally check them for all types of treifos , while still in the slaughterhouse, for example, the tendons—tzomes hagidin, lungs, intestines, etc. Nevertheless, sometimes one may find a query on a chicken once we have brought it home. These are some of the most frequently asked questions and their halochos:

Missing parts of a chicken

The leg [pulke] bone is broken

20. If the leg bone is broken, and the break is next to the tendons, i.e. 34. Sometimes, when buying a whole chicken, one finds it to be on the lower half of the leg, it is treif, as some of the tendons may have been cut (סתימת השו"ע יו"ד ס' נ"ה ס"א). Some forbid a break anywhere on the leg, even not near the tendons (י"א בשו"ע), and that is the minhag (רמ"א שם).

21. Happened after shechitah. Most times, however, when we find a broken bone, we say that it happened after shechitah in the plucking machine, where the chicken was tossed about forcibly, which often breaks bones.

22. One can generally tell if the plucking machine caused the break, if it is a clean break, and the surrounding flesh appears normal, without excessive redness. But, if the surrounding flesh appears abnormal and there is purplish redness or black around the bone, this indicates that the break occurred while the chicken was still alive, in which case it is treif (שו''ע שם סי''ג).

23. If it is impossible to ascertain when the break occurred, since one may assume that it happened in the plucking machine, we are lenient (שו''ע שם). Whenever one has a query on a chicken, one should take it to a Rov who has expertise in hilchos treifos.

The wing [fliegel] bone broke

24. If the wing bone is broken, the chicken is kosher, even if it broke close to its connection to the body, as long as the broken bone does not have a sharp point, as then the lungs would need to be checked ( שו''ע יו''ד סי' נ''ג ס''ב). Some say that if the break is near the main part of the body, it is treif (י''א בשו''ע). The minhag is to estimate if the break is a finger’s breadth away from the main part of the body, then it is kosher, but less than that it is treif, and checking the lungs will not help, as we are not knowledgeable enough about how to do it (רמ''א שם).

25. A finger’s breadth is 2.4 cm acc. to the Chazon Ish, or 2 cm acc. to Rav Chaim No’eh, and in a small chicken we estimate until half the bone (שפ''ד סק''ז). If the bone is broken diagonally, we estimate the finger’s breadth from the end of the break nearest the body ( ט''ז ).סק''ד, ש''ך סק''ט

26. Aver min Hachai. If the wing bone is broken, even in a way that does not render the chicken itself treif, nevertheless, the wing itself is forbidden because of aver min hachai , midrabonon, and one needs to cut off a little more than the place of the break and throw it out (שו''ע סי' נ''ה ס''ה).

27. If in the wing, the bone [called the zeroah] closest to the body is not broken, but rather, the adjoining bone, which comprises of two bones, the wider one is broken, while the thinner one is still joined, everything is kosher, and there isn’t even a prohibition of aver min hachai ((היכל הוראה ח''ד הוראה ע''ו.

missing certain parts, such as a wing or a leg. This does not present a query on the whole chicken, as these parts may have been removed due to a problem of aver min hachai (no. 26) or due to bruising on most of it (no.35). If one finds three legs in the packet, we do not need to suspect that it had three legs and may be treif (no.31), as sometimes parts of another chicken are mistakenly packaged together.

Bruising

35. Bruising in a chicken, where it received a blow and blood has gathered together under the skin, giving it a deep red colour, as will be explained. Today, almost all chickens under any supervisory body, have their blood removed already in the slaughterhouse, and the better hechsherim make sure also to check for bruising and cut out the area where it is found before the salting process. Nevertheless, it is sometimes hard to deal with all of them, for instance, if it is only under the skin and not externally visible, therefore, one may find bruising under the chicken’s skin at home, which looks like a wound and is very red, and many ask about its status.

36. If the flesh is bruised due to a blow that it received, one may not cook it before slashing the area and salting it well ( שו''ע יו''ד סי' ס''ז ס''ד), i.e. make deep cuts in the area of the bruising so that the blood will have a way to come out during the salting process (טור). After having done that, one may eat it even if the area is still reddish.

37. Salting without cutting. If the chicken was salted without cutting the area of the bruising, this does not make the rest of the chicken forbidden, as whatever is absorbed during the salting process will be expelled as well. The place of the bruising, however, will remain forbidden and one must remove all the reddish area, and to be sure, a bit more of the surrounding meat as well, and the rest is permitted.

38. Therefore, if one finds bruising in a chicken after it has been salted, one must remove the whole area and a bit extra, but if one finds an area that is a slightly pink, one does not need to do anything.

39. If it was cooked without cutting the area of bruising. If a chicken had bruising, and it was salted and cooked without any cut being made, then in order for the meat to be permitted, there must be sixty times as much normal flesh in that piece of chicken as in the area of the bruising, and even then, the actual area of bruising is forbidden ( בית הילל הובא בהג' בית לחם יהודה סי' ס''ז סק''ב, יד יהודה סי' ס''ט ).פיה''א סקמ''ט, שו''ת שבט הלוי ח''ג סי' ק''א

40. If there was not sixty times as much normal flesh in that piece of chicken, then the entire piece is forbidden, and there must be sixty times as much as the entire piece of chicken in the pot in order for the contents to be permitted, and that piece remains forbidden (.בית הילל שם, שו''ת שבט הלוי שם)

Blood related issues

28. Happened after shechitah. Fractures or dislocations of a wing can Purple vein in the thigh triangle also be said to have happened after shechitah, acc. to the previously 41. One often finds on the inside of the thigh a purplish blood vessel, mentioned rules (no.21), unless the surrounding flesh is extremely red, in which case it happened when the chicken was still alive.

29. If a wing was found to have its bone completely smashed, in a place where it would be a sign of treifus, but the butcher had cut the wing away from the body with his knife, we may say that the wing had been smashed by the butcher, and it is kosher (כ''ק מרן גאב''ד ירושלים).

which when removed, what appears to be blood comes out. Many ask if one needs to remove it because of the prohibition of blood.

42. According to halochoh, there is no need to remove it, as it has been salted properly, it is only like fat and may be eaten (רמ''א סי' ס''ה ס''ג).

However, the minhag is to salt a chicken only after the leg has been removed from the thigh, so that the blood will have place to drain off, and then it is permitted lechatchiloh, and that is the custom (דרכ''ת שם סקכ''ה). Nevertheless, bdi’eved it is permissible ,even if the leg was not removed from the thigh (רמ''א שם).

43. There are those who are stringent on themselves not to eat the purple vein of a chicken, which is full of blood after cooking, and they would discard the vein and eat the rest, but they did not forbid it to others (שו''ת רדב''ז החדשות סי' ש''ג הובא בפתח''ת סי' ס''ה סק''א).

A four-legged chicken

30. A rare query, that has been observed several times, is a chicken with four legs, and in two cases, they weren’t normal legs that a chicken could walk on, but rather, fleshy protrusions in the form of legs, hanging off the chicken, but much shorter than normal legs.

31. There is a rule in hilchos treifos that “all that has extra is as if it is nonexistent”,i.e. any limb that has more than the normal amount, such as two hearts, is as if it is nonexistent, i.e. no heart, and is therefore treif. The Poskim argue as to its exact definition and its ramifications (ט''ז נ''ה סק''ד).

32. Therefore, the Shulchan Aruch (יו''ד סי' נ''ה ס''ד) rules that a chicken with three legs is treif, as “all that has extra is as if nonexistent”, but only if the extra one has the form of a leg, and is attached to the body in the appropriate place (רמ''א שם). However, the Poskim argue in the case where it does not walk with the extra leg, because it was shorter than normal, if that is considered extra, and hence, treif (דרכ''ת שם), or if it is only a fleshy protrusion, and it is kosher ( פר''ח שם), nevertheless, out of doubt we must declare it treif.

33. The brochoh of “meshaneh habriyos”. When one sees a live chicken with four legs, one says “boruch meshaneh habriyos ” ( ע''פ המקור חיים לחוות יאיר או''ח סי' רכ''ה ס''ח), even with shem umalchus ( הגר''ח קנייבסקי במעשה שהיה, היכל הוראה ח''ד הוראה כ''ו ), however, if one already said the brochoh without shem umalchus, then one may not repeat it with shem umalchus (הגר''ח קנייבסקי, שם).

Meat Juice

44. Sometimes, when one takes meat or chicken out of its packaging, one finds a reddish liquid on the surface, or when cleaning the meat one comes across liquid that looks like blood.

45. Since a proper salting and rinsing was done to it, we assume that all the blood has come out of the meat, and what remains, even though it may look like blood, is none other than meat juice or moisture, (שו''ע סי' ס''ט סי''ט וס''כ), and even if one finds there are holes in the meat which are full of this red liquid, one need not be concerned, as it is only juice (בית לחם יהודה סקכ''ט בשם רוקח).

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