Author Topic: Anyone sell hens (dead) at the farm gate (not for the squeemish) (Read 10756 times)

HesterF · « **Reply #15 on:** April 22, 2014, 11:27:29 pm »

I think there are new regulations on how you slaughter too. The place we got our Xmas turkey from only does a few hundred birds a year but they were saying it was becoming increasingly difficult to meet the dispatch regulations - something about the stunning first and then the dispatch.

Stereo · « **Reply #16 on:** April 23, 2014, 12:03:00 am »

I think you have to have a slaughterman's license to stun? The other way is neck dislocation. decapitation is no longer permitted I don't think. It's all a bit complicated and probably best to get onto DEFRA or whatever and tell them exactly what you want to do.

AndynJ · « **Reply #17 on:** April 23, 2014, 04:59:22 am »

I went to a cutting room a short while ago, they electric cute the hen then decap then pluck, gut & cut, I actually came away and made myself an electric shock line, I'm currently try to build/workout the next bit.

As I understand it the electric shock stops the heart (stuns) they then decap, death (in all about 3 seconds) then they pluck it another 3 seconds, they reckon the electric shock helps the plucking.

According to Defra & environmental health less than 10,000 birds is not slaughtering and therefore you do not need to be a registered house

This thread is good, I didn't expect to get into the ins & outs of it all but it's certainly making me think, hopefully it's helping others look at an additional market.

Stereo · « **Reply #18 on:** April 23, 2014, 08:32:45 am »

As I understood it, the electric shock is supposed to render the bird unconscious but the heart still works so when the throat is cut there is no pain but the heart pumps all the blood out, leaving a cleaner carcass. The bird dies from blood loss before regaining consciousness.

How do they pluck in 3 seconds?

AndynJ · « **Reply #19 on:** April 23, 2014, 08:49:40 am »

Quote from: Stereo on April 23, 2014, 08:32:45 am

As I understood it, the electric shock is supposed to render the bird unconscious but the heart still works so when the throat is cut there is no pain but the heart pumps all the blood out, leaving a cleaner carcass. The bird dies from blood loss before regaining consciousness.

How do they pluck in 3 seconds?

Hi I understood stops the heart temporarily, cut throat that stops the heart from restarting = so very similar understanding, would be nice to know for sure.
I cant pluck in 3 seconds in this cutting room they did, birds are held by there legs by the machine, the guys just seem to pull feathers and away they came they did say the electric shock helps as it opens something up, they also said that the electric shock opens the muscle fibres and makes the meat more tender

I like to have several opinions then make my mind up about things.

benkt · « **Reply #20 on:** April 23, 2014, 11:34:48 am »

Do you already have the facilities in place to do on-farm slaughter? If not, I'd be interested in the rough ballpark of quotes you might get for doing this as its something I still aspire to getting sorted when we next have time and money for a building project. The requirement for three separate areas for killing, hanging and dressing and all the stainless steel kit we'd need to buy scared me off last time I looked at it seriously.

HesterF · « **Reply #21 on:** April 23, 2014, 10:55:14 pm »

I've not looked into it for meat handling (juicing and jams are more my sort of thing) but I have just done my hygiene certificate and will be setting up a separate food processing area so I can meet environmental health regulations (that wouldn't approve of my current set up with cats wandering along the work tops and ducklings housed on the floor!). I'm looking at stainless steel units but hoping to pick up second hand from eBay or just locally. If you put the word around, you might hear of commercial places revamping their current kitchens - our plumber just told me today he knew of a couple of sink units that have been taken out of a pub kitchen he's been working on. You must have a good information network set up already so send the word out & keep your fingers crossed. Not sure what other kit you need for meat processing though - then you need bankrupt butcher shops!

AndynJ · « **Reply #22 on:** April 24, 2014, 06:32:19 pm »

Makro sell cheap stainless benches & stainless sheet for backwall.

I looked at a small insulated fridge unit off the back of a wagon it was 1/2 fridge 1/2 freezer the freezer side was knackered so I thought convert that into slaughter/cutting room straight to fridge £400 it was, £80 for stainless for wall & £120 for a bench £30 for sink & tap

benkt · « **Reply #23 on:** April 24, 2014, 08:34:32 pm »

Wow, much cheaper than I had feared. Might put it back on the job list to sort out when time and money permit. Thanks!

shygirl · « **Reply #24 on:** April 26, 2014, 07:32:00 pm »

did anyone see the "kill it, cook it, eat it" programmes a few years ago? they did pluck in about 3 secs as they had a revolving plucker, and i think they waxed the feathers so every one came off instantly.
takes me about an hour to pluck a bird