Thanks!

I've dehdrated countless batches of duck and goose jerky, so I think I have a pretty good sense of how it works.  I use an Excalibur dehdrator which I swear by, and as you suggest if I leave it on too long my bird meat turns into rocks.  I have my process dialed in to about 20 hours and I use a timer to shut it off a automatically.

One solution may be to bake it to elimate any microbiogical contimination, and then marinate it for moisture/flavor prior to dehydration.

I'm sure that by baking it I can make sure the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F for the minimum of 10 minutes.  Then, after marination, start the drying process.  Any bacteria within that was there from the processing would be dead, and then allow the heat of the dehdrator to do its magic on the external portions.