Cohn, Jacob. The Royal Table - VWC: Faculty/Staff Web

68 THE ROYAL TABLE
the scratches inflicted by the claws of the attacker. Technically
there is an examination by which it can be determined
whether or not the fowl is poisoned, but in our
times there are no people expert in such examinations, and
we do not rely upon them. 38 A bird which has suffered
a fall or has been stepped upon and cannot walk, should
be allowed to rest for twenty-four hours. If it recovers its
normal facility in walking it is kosher; otherwise it re-
In case a wing of a fowl is discovered to
be broken, the distance of the break from the point where
mains trefah. 93
the wing is attached to the body should be noted: when
this distance is less than the width of a thumb, the bird
is trejah; if greater than this, it is kosher. 40
In the latter
case a blood clot may sometimes be noted inside the body
cavity, opposite the point of juncture of the wing and the
body. Such a clot, if found, renders the fowl trejah, but
one is not obliged to look for it unless one wishes to be
exceedingly pious. 41 A dislocated wing is a trejah defect
in all cases.* 2 A fowl that has fallen into a fire and been
rescued may not be used without a thorough examination
of its internal organs. If those organs which should be
red, the heart, the liver, or the gizzard, have turned green-
ish, or if the craw or intestines have turned red,
the fowl
is trejah. However, if the proper color should return upon
cooking all is well. Hence, the proper procedure in case
the bird has fallen into fire is to cook those organs which
have become affected and to note whether they regain
their normal color in the process. Occasionally it happens
that nothing untoward is noticed when examining the raw
* Yoreh Deah 57, 1.
* Hullm 56; Yoreh Deah 58, and Ramah ad loc.
40 Ramah to Y. D. 53, 2, (following opinion of Maharik).
41 Ibid. 1, 2.
* Ibid. 3.