Washington, D.C. ? Chickens that ate bird feed made with a small amount of contaminated pet food are safe for human consumption and can be released for slaughter and sale, federal health officials said Monday.

That decision emerged from a government risk analysis completed over the weekend involving 20 million chickens that officials said Friday had inadvertently been fed the tainted feed in several states.

“There is very low risk to human health” from consuming the chickens, according to a synopsis of the findings released by the Agriculture Department and the Food and Drug Administration.

Even if a person were to eat the chickens for breakfast, lunch and dinner, scientists concluded, the amount of melamine consumed in one day would be 1/2,500 of the minimum dose thought capable of posing a health risk.

“In other words, it was well below any level of public health concern,” the Agriculture Department said in a statement.

As a result, all 20 million chickens held since Friday are eligible for standard USDA inspection and sale. An additional 100,000 breeder chickens, which have been held in Indiana for more than a week, remain on hold pending further analysis because they are thought to have eaten higher doses of melamine.