The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Pundyburn Lynn on February 12, 2015, 11:23:04 am
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Hello folks,
I'm needing some more facts and figures for my master plan!
We wondered if anyone knew anyone who was licensed/registered (and willing!) to undertake small scale Turkey and Hubbard chicken kills and dress them so they're oven ready? Small scale would be probably around 20 at a time, and location would be somewhere in Central Scotland, unless they were mobile.
Does anyone know if the Coupar Angus plant does private kills for chickens? I know they won't do Turkeys...
Lynn
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There is a place in Torrance that used to prepare poultry. Don't know if it is still operational. It traded as either Barraston Poultry or Gilchrist Poultry.
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Are you selling them Lynn?
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^ Yes, Andrew's right. Gilchrist Poultry in Torrance did some for us last year. However, they're not the easiest folks to get hold of I'm afraid.
Also, if it's Hubbards, watch they don't get too big - ours were right on the limit of how big they were prepared to take them. They also needed CPH details etc for the vet, so go prepared.
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Are you selling them Lynn?
Potentially... Depending on whether the figures stack up. Always open to good advice!
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^ Yes, Andrew's right. Gilchrist Poultry in Torrance did some for us last year. However, they're not the easiest folks to get hold of I'm afraid.
Also, if it's Hubbards, watch they don't get too big - ours were right on the limit of how big they were prepared to take them. They also needed CPH details etc for the vet, so go prepared.
Hello Womble,
Do you know if they do turkeys??
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I don't think so - you'd have to ask.
They definitely weren't interested in geese.
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Hey folks - how do other people process large numbers of Turkeys? It's tricky to find somewhere who will do it our behalf...
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No joy with the contact above?
Did you try Cupar Angus? I would seriously doubt the supermarkets would allow them to do it but you never know.
Most of the small producers I know that do turkeys or chicken a few hundred at a time for selling do it themselves and have gone through the licensing and certification processes so they meet all the Food Hygiene regulations etc
I've tried a few at various times to see if they'd process some birds for me but no one is interested, it's too much potential aggravation for very little return so I can understand their point.
Much smaller producers (me for example) normally just kill for personal consumption, a couple of dozen turkeys or chickens at a time so I don't need certified.
You may find you're in a bit of a no man's land only looking to have 20 or so prepared at a time, I'll ask around and see what I can find.
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Ok, a couple of phone calls later...
I spoke to a guy who has a small business plucking and gutting, all properly licensed for food hygiene etc
mostly game/waterfowl but he has done chickens and turkeys before so has a fair bit of experience with it.
They need to be supplied to him already culled so you'd still be looking at getting trained and licensed to cull your birds, refrigerated transport etc etc
He's not really interested in doing turkeys at all, he's done them before but they usually need doing bang in the middle of the pheasant season which is his busy time.
Also, people want them hung for a week and they take a while to do etc so he has to charge £20-25 per bird whereas most people go to him expecting to pay a couple of quid per bird :innocent:
He charges £2 to pluck and gut a pheasant, chickens depending on size/age etc would probably be £3-4 each so unless you are charging a very healthy premium thats your profit already gone.
His advice is to contact Environmental Health and look into getting set up for processing your own birds, its not as difficult as it sounds apparently.
I suspect thats not what you wanted to hear but short of increasing your bird numbers significantly it may be your best option.
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Thanks Clansman for all your efforts! Bah...