Are Chickens That Feed on Impurities Like Ants, Worms, Fish and Insects Considered Impermissible?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is it halal to eat or sell chicken, ducks, etc., which eat worms, fish, etc?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Chickens who mostly feed on impurities like ants, worms
Suppose the chickens feed themselves mainly on foul and impure feed like ants, worms, and insects. In that case, it will be disliked (makruh) to slaughter and eat the chicken if there is a noticeable change in the smell, taste, or color of the meat and eat from it unless you quarantine the birds for three days or more and feed them with uncontaminated feed in this period so that they recover from the contamination.
One should confine and quarantine the chickens for a few days so they do not feed on impure things while they can empty their stomach and their flesh is clean from filth.
[Kasani, Bada’i al-Sana’i Fi Tartib al-Shara’i]
Chickens that have been fed worms and fish
It is permissible to eat chickens fed worms as long as most of the feed is pure, like seeds and grains. The fish feed would be permissible anyway. Most of the chicken feed is usually made up of seeds and grain. However, if chickens are fed anything impure, like meat, they will be considered halal if the food does not affect the chicken’s flesh and does not develop a foul smell, in which case it will be disliked (makruh) to consume.
However, one should confine the chickens for a few days so they do not feed on impure things, while they can empty their stomach and their flesh is clean from filth.
[Ibn ’Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
If there are negative health implications, then eating such meat would be better to avoid, mainly if other alternatives are readily available.
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I pray this helps answer your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
