Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The first incarnation of the Markham Farm chicken plucker.
For a small operation, the easiest way to get the right
temperature is to fill a five-gallon bucket half full of water
and insert a thermometer. Slowly add boiling water from a
large pot on the stove until the temperature of the water in the
bucket is on the high side of the recommended range. Then,
once the bird has been killed, grab it by the feet and hold it
under the water for 60 to 90 seconds, sloshing it up and down
slightly. The timing on this has some room for flexibility, so
you can just count. If more than one bird is being processed,
keep an eye on the temperature and add boiling water
whenever the thermometer drops close to the low side of the
recommended temperature range. The water should be
replaced every dozen chickens, any time it has been allowed
to sit unused for a half hour or more, or any time the water
has obviously been contaminated with feces. In the case of
broilers, this is usually for every chicken.
The bird's entrails should now be removed in a process called
evisceration.
1 Loosen the bird's crop, which is between the breast meat
and the skin, by following the esophagus down to the crop
and loosening it. As you'll note, I wear disposable gloves for
processing.
2 A sharp knife is used to carefully (so as not to puncture
any intestines and contaminate the meat) make an incision
from the vent in the skin of the abdomen up to the breast
bone. There will likely be a layer of fat there, which you can
carefully pull apart by hand.
