Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
birds. The modules are stacked two high on the lorry and
the outside can have a curtain, which makes them suita-
ble for all climatic conditions.
Dump modules have been used with limited success.
In these, the birds are offloaded at the poultry plant by
tilting the module and 'dumping' the birds on to a
conveyor belt. These were developed with the intention
of improving welfare, with expected lessening of frac-
tures and bruising, but present-day thinking is to try to
develop methods of stunning the birds in their crates
prior to shackling.
correct number has been placed in the crate, the hinged
flap is fastened. For loading the upper crates, a loading
platform is attached to the side of the lorry, from which
two men can operate. The remainder of the catching
team pass the birds to these men. Once again, great
care has to be taken to prevent injuries to the birds. The
system has the advantage of better protection from
inclement weather than provided by loose crates while in
transit, but the capital cost is greater, although the labour
requirements are marginally lower.
Modular system
The modular system, probably the most common in
broiler processing in the United Kingdom, has been of
great benefit in lowering the amount of bruising and
other injuries to birds and has obvious improved welfare
considerations. Basically, a module is a metal frame
containing 4-16 crates or compartments. The empty
modules are taken into the house by a forklift truck. The
birds are caught by hand and put directly into the com-
partments, thus avoiding the need for multiple handling
or carrying the birds for long distances before crating.
Modules tend to be bulky and heavy, weighing about
0.75 tonne when fully loaded. The floor of the poultry
house needs to be firm, and 15 m of concrete is needed at
the front of the shed for the lorry.
Modules allow for rapid catching and loading and a
three-man team can load 6000 birds/hour. They can be
loaded from either side and the large open top of each
drawer ensures that minimal damage is inflicted on the
Novel mechanical methods
These include herding systems where the birds are
herded on to a conveyor and a fully automatic harvesting
system which consists of a catching unit, a truck unit and
a crate-loading unit. The birds are directed by long
rubber fingers, on vertical rotating reels, on to a belt con-
veyor up to a crating area. The crating system consists of
a trailer with a special rotating platform and a loading
conveyor which has a hydraulic lifting device so that all
drawers of the module can be filled automatically. For
other mechanical methods see figures 10.2 and 10.3.
Reception and unloading
The reception area or lairage is the area where birds are
held before unloading. It should be under cover and of
sufficient size to hold all the transport vehicles awaiting
unloading. In warm weather, additional ventilation pro-
vided by fans is necessary. In addition to good ventilation,
Figure 10.3
Automatic poultry harvester (Reproduced with permission from Tom Pearson, CM Agriculture Ltd).
