Pastured Meatbird Processing

Funding for this presentation was provided by USDA's Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (OASDFR) program (Project number 2009-00705), part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Risk Management Agency (Award # 11-IE-53102-037)

Broiler Processing

• Two options– Federal or State Inspected plants– On-farm under Federal Exemption• Legal in about half the states,

including California

• Plan BEFORE Starting– Few processors in the US left– Booking far in advance

• Can be an expensive on-farm investment• Ask local growers for solutions

Regulations

On-Farm Processing• States can (and do) modify

– Some states no exemption!

• Can only sell inside state• 1,000 & 20,000 Bird Limits• Can sell direct to consumer

– On farm– Off farm

• Farmers’ Markets• At consumer’s home

State or Federal Processing• USDA inspected = Federal• USDA can cross state lines• No bird limits• Can sell anywhere• Very few operating• Scheduling difficulties• Can be cost prohibitive• No quality control• It is illegal to sell birds

processed by custom processors!

On Farm Processing at a Glance

Blue – allowed on farm w/ PPIARed – on farm w/ additional state regsGrey – not allowed unless inspected

Preparing for Harvest

• Typically 7-12 wks– Depends on variety

• Feed is withheld – 8-12 hours

• On farm vs. Off farm– Poultry Crates Needed?

• Gentle Handling– Bruising = less $$$– Crating density

Processing Steps & Equipment

• Killing

• Loosening Feathers

• Feather Removal

• Evisceration

• Chilling

• Bagging

• Killing Cones

• Scalder

• Plucker

• Tables and Sinks

• Cooling Tank/Cooler

• Special shrink-wrap bags

Processing

Killing

• First step in processing• Birds restrained in killing cones– Relaxed by• Restraint• Upside down

• Throat is cut, severing arteries– Windpipe is left intact– Bird’s heart pumps most of the blood out– Peaceful death (as possible) from blood loss

Scalding

• Scalding – dunking birds in hot water• Scalding loosens the bird’s feathers– Typically gas fired

• Scald temp. & time for broilers:• ~ 145 ˚F for around 1 ¼ minutes • Immediately after bleed out!

• Temperature is important – Too hot = partly cooking the bird– Too cold = poor feather removal

Plucking

• Hand plucking is VERY (!) labor intensive• Automatic pluckers are the standard– Can cleanly pluck 4-5 birds in 20 seconds!

Evisceration

• Head & Feet Removal• Oil Sack Removal• Organ Removal– Cut below breast– Remove innards– Cut around vent– Save liver, heart, & gizzard

• Crop & Esophagus Removal

Carcass Cool-Off

• Regulated by Law for Safety • Under 40 ˚F with in 4 hours• Inhibits bacteria growth– Slows spoilage– Lengthens shelf-life

• Usually done in a chill tank – 1 ½ - 2 lbs ice per bird– Filled with cool water

Packaging & Storage

• Bag birds after chilling• Remove air from bags– Avoid freezer burn– Shrink Wrap bags attractive & effective

• Clean fresh birds can stay good a week• Frozen birds stay good for around a year– Chicken freezes around 28 ˚F

• Make sure you have freezer/fridge space!

Shop to Processing Shed

Farm processes 10,000 chickens/yr

Mobile Processing Units (MPU)

Resources

• Organizations– ATTRA – the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service –

http://www.attra.org– American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA)

http://www.apppa.org/• Magazines

– GRIT! – APPPA Magazine• ATTRA Publications

– Pastured Poultry Nutrition– Meat Chicken Breeds for Pastured Production– Small Scale Poultry Processing

• Books– APPPA. 2006. Raising Poultry on Pasture – Ten Years of Success. 246 p.

Resources

• Poultry Products Inspection Act Exemption - http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/fsisnotices/poultry_slaughter_exemption_0406.pdf

• Processing Equipment – Featherman Equipment Company - http://www.featherman.net/

– Poultry Man LLC - http://www.pasafarming.org/resource/PoultryMan.pdf

• Poultry Shrink Bags– Cornerstone Farm Ventures - http://www.cornerstone-farm.com/

• Poultry Labels and Design– Grower’s Discount Labels - http://www.growersdiscountlabels.com/