Specialty and Small-Scale Poultry Processing

1. Specialty and Small-Scale Poultry Processing

2. Types of processing On-farm processing Mobile Processing Units (MPUs) Small plants (I.e. pilot plant) Large plants

4. Activities required for ready-to-cook poultry: Pre-slaughter: catching and transport Immobilization, kill, and bleed Feather removal: scalding and picking Evisceration Chilling Packaging

5. Feed withdrawal Catching Loading Transport

8. Immobilize/stun Kill Bleed

10. Types of scalding equipment: Homemade scalders and dunkers Stockpot Used electric or propane water heaters Very labor intensive Scalder bath Multi-stage scalders Overflow Temperature control Pathogen control

13. Scalding 101

14. Types of pickers Homemade pickers Used washing machines Plastic 55-gallon drums Small pickers Drum Tub In-line pickers

15. Tub picker Tubpicker Drum picker

17. Remove head, oil glands, and feet

18. Eviscerate

20. Evisceration Guts remain attached to bird for inspection Avoid tearing gut and causing microbial Harvest giblets Wash carcass Specialty evisceration New York dressed

22. Chilling Lower temperature of carcass Broilers (4-lb) 40F within 4 hours (4-8 lbs) 40F within 6 hours Turkeys (greater than 8 lbs) 40F within 8 hours

23. Rule of thumb: One pound of ice per pound of meat Used dairy equipment

24. Chilling: Ice bath Static

25. Pre-chilling Prevents cold shortening Gradual temperature reduction Water uptake 8-12% water in carcass

26. Large chillers Counter current Overflow Air Bubbles Paddles or rakes 32F 45 minutes Pre-chiller 55-60F 15 minutes

27. Air chill Soft scald Temperature 20-35F Takes longer: 2 hours No water uptake/less microbial contamination More expensive equipment, space, utilities Less water Homemade air chill?

29. Yield 67% for broilers without giblets Whole birds Further processed Cut-up Parts Deboned Sizing and portioning Formed Whole (deli loaves) Comminuted (nuggets) Emulsified (hot dogs) Curing and smoking Brining

30. Hand deboning

31. Aging Tenderness: Poultry meat must age at least 4 hours before eating or freezing Rigor mortis Stress before slaughter can lead to dark, dry meat

32. Packaging: On-farm: bags, shrink bags Shelf life: 6 days Small plants: shrink bags, vacuum packing, totes Shelf life: up to 12 days (vacuum) Large plants: tray packs, bulk ice packs Shelf life: 21 days (crust-frozen tray pack) 7-28 days (bulk, depending on modified atmosphere)

37. Storage: Home refrigerators or freezers Freezing extends shelf life to 6-12 months Rate of freezing: Slow freezing (3-72 hours): large ice crystals that damage cells Fast freezing (30 minutes): small ice crystals

38. Methods of freezing: Still air (slow) used by home freezers Blast freezing (fast) Bone darkening seen in young chickens after freezing

40. Clean up On-farm: hoses Plants: pressure washers.

41. Waste: Offal, feathers, blood Wastewater Treatment: Screen out big chunks Remove small particles in water Fat trap Dissolved air flotation Break down organic matter Aerobic lagoons Anaerobic lagoons Trickling filters Land application Composting

42. Processing diverse species Broilers, Cornish game hens, stewing hens, ducks, geese, squab, turkeys Multispecies processing: Rabbits Red meat and poultry in the same plant

43. Putting It All Together: Batch vs continous processing Processing rate: Working alone with minimal equipment: 6 birds per person per hour Experienced processor with equipment handling at least 4 birds at a time: 15 birds per person per hour

44. On-farm processing set-ups: Less than $1000

45. Less than $15,000

46. Mobile Processing Units (MPU): A shared resource $7,000-$12,000

48. Kentucky MPU - $70,000 1

50. Small Plant Establishment $100,000- $400,000