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408 Broken Chicken Bones or a Discoloration

If one finds a broken bone or tzrirus dam (area of pooled blood) on a chicken purchased after shechitah (kosher slaughter), it could raise the sheilah (question) of whether the chicken might be a treifah (a chicken with a defect that would render it non-kosher), and whether eating it would be considered consuming blood. This is because melichah (salting) does not extract blood from a tzrirus dam unless the area has been cut to allow the blood to flow out. It is advisable to consult a rav in all such cases.

Below are general guidelines: 

• If one or more bones are broken or cracked, we can assume that it occurred after shechitah, and therefore would not be a problem.
• If, however, in addition to the broken bone, the surrounding area is black, blue, or purple, the chicken might be a treifah, and a rav should be consulted.
• If there is only a reddish spot it should be cut off with a bit of the surrounding meat before cooking. In the event one forgot to do so and cooked the chicken, if the ratio of the piece of chicken to the bloody area is 60:1 or greater, it might be kosher, and a rav should be consulted.
• If the area of the tzrirus dam has a cut, nothing needs to be done, as we can assume it was cut at the slaughterhouse before salting.
• If the color of the bloody area is light red or pinkish, it's not a problem.