Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
That said, processing is often the biggest hurdle small producers face when contem-
plating pastured poultry. The brooding seems manageable; the pasturing seems with-
in reason; even the marketing might be a snap, but doing the actual killing of poten-
tially hundreds of birds can be daunting. Of all the steps, however, the processing is
the one we want complete control of so that the birds are handled gently, killed re-
spectfully, and cleaned with the utmost cleanliness and care. It's the only way I can
stand behind my product 100 percent.
Our processing techniques and skills have been refined over the years. We began by
tackling 50 birds in a day with the most rudimentary equipment. Most of our know-
ledge came from doing a few home-processed roosters for our own consumption. We
quickly realized we needed an efficient, smooth-running operation with skilled help.
We designed better equipment, refined our skills, and increased our production
without sacrificing quality control. We still limit ourselves to 100 birds a day, catch-
ing birds in the dark, having breakfast at 7:00 a.m., and expecting to be finished with
everything by lunchtime.
The Law
Under the laws of my state (New York), the licensing of slaughterhouses “shall not
apply to any person who slaughters not more than two hundred fifty turkeys or an
equivalent number of birds of all other species raised by him on his own farm during
the calendar year for which an exemption is sought (four birds of other species shall
be deemed the equivalent of one turkey), provided that such person does not engage
in buying or selling poultry products other than those produced from poultry raised
on his own farm.” This exemption allows us to raise and process for retail sale 800
broiler chickens and 50 turkeys each year. It does not, however, allow us to do im-
proper or unclean processing just because it is on-farm. All small poultry producers
owe it to themselves, other producers, and especially their customers to process in a
clean, safe, respectful manner. This does not require a lot of fancy equipment, ex-
pensive structures, or sanitizing chemicals. It does require common sense, simple
cleanliness, and honesty.
Facility
We began, and have continued, with a very simple processing facility. We have seen
many other small facilities over the years—garages, sheds, old milk houses, trailers
and even a refitted school bus. We began with an open-sided 8 × 16 ft. shed with a
gravel floor and have stayed there. The fresh air and sunshine make it a pleasure to
work in (in most seasons) and offer the natural cleaning agent of weather. During
