Sustainable
Farming Connection |
Where
farmers find and share information. | MPU Photo Gallery Here's the unit in
action on Gary Pettit's farm, Lodi, N.Y.
 |
The
basic components of the Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPU) include:
- Equipment
storage box (front).
- Chilling
tank (behind box).
- Stainless
steel processing table.
- Barrel-type
plucker (behind table).
- Scalder
(rear, right).
- Kill
cones (rear).
Propane
cylinders are mounted on the trailer's tongue. |
The
MPU's layout easily accommodates work teams of a half dozen or more. A tarp can
be raised for shade or protection in inclement weather. |
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Birds
are transferred from crates to the killing cones where their necks
are cut and they are allowed to bleed. After bleeding, the birds are
transferred to the propane-fired scalder. |
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Rubber
fingers in the walls of the barrel plucker quickly remove feathers. |
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The
birds are eviscerated on the processing table and placed in the chill tank. |
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The
metal-grate floor speeds clean up. With the right tools and a little
practice, a couple can process about 20 birds an hour with the unit. |
©1997 Committee for
Sustainable Farm Publishing
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http://sunsite.unc.edu/farming-connection/grazing/pastpoul/mpupix.htm |