# 1470
When my father (who is now 83) was a boy, he remembers his grandfather telling him on Sunday mornings to go out to the barn and grab the sickest looking chicken for their Sunday meal.
That's how things were done. The hen that quit laying, or that looked a bit puny, ended up in the pot. It made economic sense.
Of course, 70 years ago, bird flu wasn't a concern.
Today - when bird flu can kill or sicken thousands of chickens on a farm overnight - the economic losses can be staggering for a farmer.
Apparently some are finding creative outlets for their diseased flocks.
The following story details the police investigation into a firm that manufactures suture material from chicken intestines in Cairo. They are accused of using possibly infected chickens as a source of raw materials.
And you thought you'd heard everything, right?
This report courtesy of Theresa42 on Flutrackers, translated from the Arabic, from masrawy.com.
1/13/2008TOM - particular - Has been able Investigation Supply Cairo control area orchards factory for the manufacture of yarn surgical operations and distributed to hospitals in Cairo and other governorates, and found it made of the intestines of dead birds infected with avian influenza illnesses.
The chief of police orchards had received information on those responsible for the factory area orchards threads manufactures surgical operations of the intestines of poultry and birds dead.
Information had been received for public administration officers to DETECTIVES Cairo confirmed that the investigation confidential named Ibrahim S.. Owner of a factory for the manufacture of surgical threads Balbsaten compiled chicken intestines and used in the manufacture of sutures.
They found that the defendants manufacture of the intestines corrupt and dead birds, which are suspected of being infected with bird flu disease.
Following the legalization of legal proceedings and the prosecution has authorization from the Department accompanied by a campaign committee of doctors of veterinary medicine raided the factory and seized mentioned a named Mohammed. M. "34 years" the director in charge of the plant when it is processed bowel bottled-bags inscribed no data for inclusion in the manufacturing process , and the total weight of seizures about 7 tons intestines frozen and salted.
7 tons were seized on the reservation was found to be seizures and placed in plastic bags and prepared to manufacture.
The disclosure by veterinarians reported Bachtbaham in the intestines of birds being loaded with bird flu disease, and decided impounded pending the receipt of laboratory results of the analysis.
Been reservation to 7 tons of bowel destined for the manufacture and notified the Department of Public Prosecutions to initiate the investigation.
Since surgical sutures are sterilized during manufacture, it is unlikely that this practice endangers a patient that receives them. The same cannot be said, however, for the people employed to transport, dissect, and dispose of the chickens at this facility.
As far as I know, chicken intestines are not used in the United States for suture material. Intestines from specially raised bovine (cow) and sheep sources are normally used for `gut' sutures, although these have been banned in Japan and parts of Europe due to fears over prion diseases (BSE).
