When tiny , fuzzy broiler chicks make their appearance on your farm — freshly hatched or newly received in their postal - shipping boxful — it ’s intemperate to believe they ’ll be fully produce centre bird in just eight to 16 week . specially if you ’re novel to volaille - raising , you might be surprised at the preparation for processing you ask to make ahead of time . If you ’re not butchering the birds yourself — and even if you are!—ensure you have all of your ducks … er , chicks … in a dustup with these preparation tips .
1. Set Up Transportation
While your intercrossed SUV is comfortable and saucy for your sept , it ’s no place for 500 hammering of springy chickens . They do n’t like wearing bum belts , and their hygiene leaves something to be desired . Crates are the solvent here , which you could technically heap in your SUV if you were to put down tarps to get their aforementioned lack of hygiene . A covered pickup truck or livestock trailer is a better option to send your crates .
proficient crateful are an expensive investment . Better deals can be institute when buy in majority , so try make a purchase with other chicken keepers . Use precaution when borrowing crate and transport fomite , as some disease are easy portion out . Power - washing and sanitise borrowed equipment before fetch it to your farm .
2. Make An Appointment
Finding a C.P.U. who is able to work with belittled batches of crybaby is difficult . The National Center for Appropriate Technology assert alist of humble - weighing machine processorsby commonwealth , and when you receive one you like , treat them well .
Call the C.P.U. in your area . You want them to be as penny-pinching to you as possible for your own and your chickens ’ emphasis stratum . Ask question about the price to process each bird , any administrative or other fee , the scheduling process , the amount of time you’re able to expect to be at the deftness , processing options they offer up , et cetera .
When you ’ve discover a mainframe you ’d care to work with , discuss the engagement you expect the wench to be ready for harvest time and the number of birds you ’ll institute . It ’s never too early to discuss possible schedules with your processor , says Lauren Gwin , Colorado - laminitis of the Niche Meat Processors Assistance web and associate theatre director at the Oregon State University Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems . If you hump you ’re get day - old chicks on a certain particular date , you’re able to somewhat closely approximate the date they ’ll be ready for processing .
Make a processing naming as far in advance as possible , and be up a week or so ahead of sentence , when you could be more confident in your birds ’ readiness and your availability . It ’s very important that you keep this fitting and go far on time once it ’s affirm . One major roadblock to the success of small - scale mainframe is being able to keep quality labor , and that ’s partially because it ’s hard to keep a steadfast throughput of processing work . If you cancel your appointment the day before or only bring half the number of birds as you said you would , the processor ca n’t pay its labour for that sidereal day .
“ Treat your CPU like a business partner , ” Gwin says . Your processor require you , and you necessitate them .
3. Properly Prep Your Chickens For Processing
NCAT recommends withholding provender from your chicken for eight to 12 hours before treat to boil down the amount of feed and stool in the digestive piece of land .
“ The more soil and poop that comes to a processing plant , the more chance for contamination , ” Gwin point out . It ’s not like you have to bathe your chickens , but be aware of where they ’re kept before processing , preferably out of manure and mud .
chicken are easiest to catch and shipment at Nox or just before first light — an infrared headlamp is your friend . Handle them quickly and mildly , causing the least stress necessary for everyone .
4. Know Your Limits
Often , small - graduated table C.P.U. permit the granger to be involved in processing .
“ It ’s a very common exercise to be there on the stinger floor and working side - by - side with the proletarian , ” Gwin says . “ It ’s a great way for processors to get stuff done , for processors and Fannie Merritt Farmer to build resonance , and for farmers to see what goes into this . ”
You might be capable to pull remaining feather after the Gallus gallus comes out of the plucking automobile , crop hearts and livers before promotional material , or serve with other jobs .
5. Know What You Want To Take Home
Most processors will proffer whole - bird publicity , as well as cut - up poulet part , like wings , legs and breasts . Know ahead of time how much of each you ’d like to have base on the routine of birds you ’re bringing in . Sometimes a hiss will have been wound — you might not have even point out it — and the state or USDA food - safety examiner can deem part of it not suitable for sale but part of it as tolerable , so that chicken will go to parts anyway .
Do you need your cuts bone - in or boneless and cutis - on or skinless ? The more processing each slice requires , the more expensive your tab will be .
Additionally , ask about organ meats and odd part . You could potentially take house volaille liver , hearts , gastric mill , neck and feet depending on the processor ’s capabilities .
6. Have Storage Facilities Ready
You ’ll require a lot of coolers with scads of ice to transport your chicken from the central processing unit back to the farm . Once you get home , the chickens can stay on on ice for a few days and then will take to be cooked or frozen . Be indisputable you have the freezer space to keep all of this heart and soul until you are capable to employ it or deal it .
sacrifice all of this , if you come down within theUSDA 1,000 - hiss or 20,000 - raspberry poultry exemption , debate litigate the birds yourself .
NCAT ’s “ low - Scale Poultry Processing ” issue is an first-class overview of everything you could expect on processing day , whether you do it yourself or bring in your volaille to a small - scale C.P.U. . NMPAN also offersarchived webinarsabout humane treatment of poultry at a processing facility and how to work with your processor .
Processing animals that you ’ve call forth can be a nerve-wracking result , disregarding of whether you have any emotions about it . Be as prepared as possible to make it a positive experience .
