‘Are we still eating Broiler Chicken?
Well We Should not!
A chicken being raised at home or at a farm occasionally eats insects and earth worms while in the open, see for example[1] , hence it is considered as a means of natural pest control for the owner. Amir-ul-Momineen–asws says:
عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عُثْمَانَ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع الْإِوَزُّ جَامُوسُ الطَّيْرِ وَ الدَّجَاجُ خِنْزِيرُ الطَّيْرِ وَ الدُّرَّاجُ حَبَشُ الطَّيْرِ وَ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ عَنْ فَرْخَيْنِ نَاهِضَيْنِ رَبَّتْهُمَا امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ رَبِيعَةَ بِفَضْلِ قُوتِهَا
A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Khalid from’ Arm ibn’ Uthman in a marfu’ manner has said:
‘Amir-ul-Momineen-asws has said, ‘Duck is the buffalo of birds, ‘الدَّجَاجُ خِنْزِيرُ الطَّيْرِ’ hen is like the pig in birds and black partridge is the turkey in birds. You should not miss the two fledgling[2] that were brought up by the woman who (had fed them) with the leftover of her sustenance.’[3]
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْبَرْقِيِّ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَكْلِ لُحُومِ الدَّجَاجِ فِي الدَّسَاكِرِ وَ هُمْ لَا يَمْنَعُونَهَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ تَمُرُّ عَلَى الْعَذِرَةِ مُخَلًّى عَنْهَا وَ عَنْ أَكْلِ بَيْضِهِنَّ فَقَالَ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ .
Muhammad Bin Yahya, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad, from Al Barqy, from Sa’ad Al Ashary,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Al-Hassan Al-Reza–asws, said, ‘I asked him–asws about eating the meat from chickens in the villages, and they (the chickens) are not prevented from anything. So they pass upon the human excrement and are left alone upon it; and about their eggs. So he–asws said: ‘There is no problem with it’.[4]
Umer (2nd Caliph) liked the Chicken!
عَنْهُ عَنِ السَّيَّارِيِّ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ إِنَّهُ ذُكِرَتِ اللُّحْمَانُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عُمَرَ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ إِنَّ أَطْيَبَ اللُّحْمَانِ لَحْمُ الدَّجَاجِ فَقَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع كَلَّا إِنَّ ذَلِكَ خَنَازِيرُ الطَّيْرِ وَ إِنَّ أَطْيَبَ اللُّحْمَانِ لَحْمُ فَرْخٍ قَدْ نَهَضَ أَوْ كَادَ أَنْ يَنْهَضَ
It is narrated from the narrator of the previous Hadith from al-Sayyariy in a marfu’ manner who has said:
‘Two kinds of meat were mentioned before ‘Umar and ‘Umar said, ‘The better of the two kinds of meat is the meat of hen. ‘Amir-ul-Momineen-asws said, ‘No, it is like ‘خَنَازِيرُ الطَّيْرِ’ pigs in birds and the better of the two kinds of meat is the meat of the chick that has just risen or is about to rise.’[5]
Broiler (Chicken) is Fed on Dirty (Harram) Feed:
The most abundant chicken meat consumed these days comes from broiler which is fed by the poultry farms on commercial feed containing mixture of wastes including the slaughter house waste – chicken feed ingredients contain traces of blood, filth/dung, meat, organs from all types of animals, see for example[6]:
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّوْفَلِيِّ عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( عليه السلام ) الدَّجَاجَةُ الْجَلَّالَةُ لَا يُؤْكَلُ لَحْمُهَا حَتَّى تُقَيَّدَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَ الْبَطَّةُ الْجَلَّالَةُ خَمْسَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَ الشَّاةُ الْجَلَّالَةُ عَشَرَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَ الْبَقَرَةُ الْجَلَّالَةُ عِشْرِينَ يَوْماً وَ النَّاقَةُ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً .
Ali Bin Ibrahim, from him father, form Al Nowfaly, from Al Sakuny,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah–asws having said: ‘Amir Al-Momineen–asws said: ‘The filth-eating chicken, do not eat its meat until you contain it for three days; and the dung-eating duck (contain it) for five days; and the dung-eating sheep (contain it) for ten days; and the dung-eating cow (contain it) for twenty days; and the (dung-eating) she-camel, (contain it) for forty days’.[7]
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَسَّانَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ أُكَيْلٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ( عليه السلام ) فِي شَاةٍ شَرِبَتْ بَوْلًا ثُمَّ ذُبِحَتْ قَالَ فَقَالَ يُغْسَلُ مَا فِي جَوْفِهَا ثُمَّ لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ وَ كَذَلِكَ إِذَا اعْتَلَفَتِ الْعَذِرَةَ وَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ جَلَّالَةً وَ الْجَلَّالَةُ الَّتِي يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ غِذَاءَهَا .
Muhammad Bin Yahya, from Muhammad Bin Ahmad, from one of our companions, from Ali Bin Hassan, from Ali Bin Uqba, from Musa Bin Akeyl, from one of our companions,
(It has been narrated) from Abu Ja’far–asws ……….and the filth-eater is an animal for which (filth/dung) happens to be its (regular) feed’.[8]
Fish fed with Feed containing Harram:
الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ السَّيَّارِيِّ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْفَضْلِ عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنِ الرِّضَا ( عليه السلام ) فِي السَّمَكِ الْجَلَّالِ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ يُنْتَظَرُ بِهِ يَوْماً وَ لَيْلَةً وَ قَالَ السَّيَّارِيُّ إِنَّ هَذَا لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا بِالْبَصْرَةِ
Al Husayn Bin Muhammad, from Al Sayyari, from Ahmad Bin Al Fazl, from Yunus,
(It has been narrated) from Al-Reza–asws regarding the dung-eating fish, him–asws having been asked about it. So he–asws said: ‘It would be awaited with for one day and one night’. And Al-Sayyar (the narrator) said, ‘This does not happen except at Al-Basra’.
وَ قَالَ فِي الدَّجَاجِ يُحْبَسُ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَ الْبَطَّةِ سَبْعَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَ الشَّاةِ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشْرَةَ يَوْماً وَ الْبَقَرَةِ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْماً وَ الْإِبِلِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْماً ثُمَّ تُذْبَحُ.
And he–asws said regarding the chicken: ‘They would be contained for three days, and the duck for seven days, and the sheep for fourteen days, and the cow for thirty days, and the camel for forty days, then slaughtered’.[9]
[1] http://animals.mom.me/types-insects-can-chickens-eat-11427.html
[2] Young birds, A young bird that has recently acquired its flight feathers.
[3] الكافي ج : 6 ص : 312, H.1.
[4] Al Kafi – V 6 – The Book of Foodstuffs Ch 6 H 8
[5] Ibid, H. 2.
[6] http://www.poultryhub.org/nutrition/feed-ingredients/
[7] Al Kafi – V 6 – The Book of Foodstuffs Ch 6 H 3
[8] Al Kafi – V 6 – The Book of Foodstuffs Ch 6 H 5
[9] Al Kafi – V 6 – The Book of Foodstuffs Ch 6 H 9