Have listened to the Whiting interview on askaboutflyfishing in the past [actually have it downloaded onto my Ipod]. Tom said that he always wanted to find a good use for the birds but couldn't find anything locally. At the time of the interview, he composted them and put it on his fields for crops. Given his options, sounds like the best way to go.
Remember that an eating chicken is grown in about 40 days and a chicken grown for feathers is about 9 to 10 months old iirc. Too tough for you and I to eat.