8 checks to minimize poultry processing rejects

Learn how to minimize poultry processing rejects, to lower the number of condemned birds and rejected carcasses and maximize the volume of chicken produced.

mariakraynova, Fotolia.com
mariakraynova, Fotolia.com

Rejected birds in the poultry processing plant represent a waste of time and resources, an increase in cost per processed bird, and a decrease in the efficiency and competitiveness of the processing operations.

To minimize the volume of condemned birds and rejected carcasses, there are several key points along the processing operation where time spent in monitoring and remedial action can quickly result a reduction.

1. Use good cages well

When broilers are harvested, only plastic crates that are free from splits and breaks and with intact lids should be used.

Split and damaged crates can wound the chickens. Missing lids can cause a variety of problems from having to recapture and crate the bird through to cranial fractures, resulting from birds poking their heads out of the crate when crates are stacked one upon another. These birds will be rejected at the hanging line.

Harvesting Broilers 1701 P Ioultryprocessing1Allowing birds to flap during capture can lead to broken bones, resulting in bleeding and downgrades, while crates without lids can allow birds to escape.

2. Follow best harvesting practice

Catching broilers by the legs can result in bleeding and bruising. The birds' natural response when handled is to flap its wings in an effort to escape, and this intense flapping can break the thorax bones, which then sever capillaries.

Capture by the legs may be the quickest way to harvest broilers, but it leads to damaged birds. Broilers should be caught by holding the wings close to the body, as preventing wing flapping can reduce the number of birds rejected due to traumas by up to 50 percent.

Cranial Injury 1701 P Ipoultryprocessing2

Cranial injuries can occur when harvesters use crates without lids, leading to birds being rejected as soon as they arrive at the processing plant.

3. Air-conditioned transport

Birds should arrive at the processing plant alive and having suffered the minimum of harm. Trailers used to transport broilers to the processing plant must be properly air conditioned to protect birds not only from the weather but also from any potential buildup of heat within the trailer that can become critical during hot periods.

4. Ensure suitable lairage

While trucks are waiting to unload, temperature and relative humidity need to monitored, but a good management program will also consider the microclimate in the middle of the truck and ensure that there is sufficient ventilation for birds to remain within their comfort zone.

In too many processing plants, the lairage is the weak point in the journey to processing, and birds will die if they are not well looked after between unloading and slaughter. Birds must be kept as calm as possible, which means minimizing stressors.

5. Practice good hanging

Birds may only spend a short period in the hanging area, but they still need to be as comfortable as possible. The area should be as dark as is practicable, and illuminated with only blue, red or green light. The hanging area needs to be as quiet as possible.

Ensuring a peaceful atmosphere will, among other things, improve the quality of stunning, and achieving a good stun will lead to fewer birds being rejected.

Keeping the number of rejected birds to a minimum can also be aided by ensuring good ergonomic design for the task.

Hanging on the overhead conveyor is a tiring job, and workers that have to reach too far to hang will quickly tire and fail to handle birds properly. This may result in too much pressure being applied to the birds’ legs which, in turn, will lead to red rings appearing on leg muscles. In some plants, such marks are deemed unacceptable and poorly handled birds will be rejected.

Additionally, it is worth remembering that the rough handling of birds and poor hanging on the shackles can lead to welfare issues.

6. Quality breast comforter

The benefits of the breast comforter are well known, but it is worth keeping in mind that it should be made from a soft material so as not to cause bruising and lead to downgrades. It is also worth remembering that it needs to be firmly fixed to the wall to prevent vibration, as unnecessary movements can agitate the birds.

7. Pay attention at stun

How birds are hung on the overhead conveyor can affect stunning, but so can problems with pre-shock, resulting in damage to the wings and neck. This is a far too common occurrence in numerous plants, raising the number of rejected carcasses.

8. Take care with scalding

The quality of hanging also plays a part where scalding is concerned. Birds must be hung properly on the shackles and all the shackles should be full. If birds are not properly hung, they may become dislodged and fall into the scalder. Over-scladed birds found in the bottom of the scalder at the end of the working day will be a complete loss.

Monitoring the shackles as they exit the scalder will help to identify whether birds have been hung properly. But empty shackles may highlight another problem. Even if birds have been properly placed on the shackles, if the water in the scalder is too agitated, it may dislodge birds, again leading to losses.

 

Heat stress and dead on arrival: How to cut condemned poultry at processing

www.WATTAgNet.com/articles/15188

 

 

Page 1 of 32
Next Page