Processing

From start to finish we control every aspect of processing by handling everything in-house. We do this for many reasons. First and foremost is to ensure that our birds are not put under any stress. Stress causes the release of the hormone corticosterone, which can be harmful to a chicken's health and can degrade meat quality. Secondly, we are able to ensure complete sanitation. To ensure the highest degree of sanitation we use only commercial grade, NSF Certified, stainless steel equipment. Finally, it allow us to keep our overhead low which means you end up paying far below market value. By doing everything ourselves we ensure you receive the absolute best quality product available anywhere.

Processing starts by going into the field and loading the birds into poultry crates. We use crates sold by Rite Farm Products. We chose these crates to reduce stress to our birds by providing proper ventilation, adequate space, and a supportive base. They are sturdy, durable and have a sliding hatch that allows for easy use. They also stack together nicely for transport and storage. Each crate holds 6 birds and we fill 8 crates at a time. Once the crates are full they are loaded onto a trailer pulled by a four wheeler. They are then taken to our butcher shop, located less than 1000 ft. from the field.

We use, what is known as, the Coning Method for the actual slaughter of the birds. We use this method because it is the most humane and efficient method. We use cones sold by Rite Farm Products. We have mounted our cones on a rack, as that is what works best for us, but they can also be mounted in a spinning carousel style. 

Once the coning process is complete it is time to scald the birds. Scalding is necessary to loosen the feathers so that they can easily be removed in the next step of processing. We use a Rite Farm Product 32 gallon Pro Scalder. This scalder is equipped with an electronic thermostat that keeps the water at a constant 148 F. Each bird is scalded for approximately 1 minute. 

For plucking we use a Rite Farm Products drum plucker. Once the birds have been scalded they are placed into the drum plucker to remove all of their feathers. The plucker is lined with rubber "fingers" that gently remove the feathers, with out damaging the skin or meat, in about 15 - 20 seconds.

When plucking is complete the birds head inside the shop to a series of of stainless steel chill tanks. It is important to keep the birds chilled to ensure the highest level of sanitation. Once the chill tank series is complete the birds are placed in our walk-in cooler to finish the cool down process. 

After full cool down has been achieved the birds are broken down into the orders that have been placed. All of our products are packaged on of two ways. Whole birds are packaged using shrink seal bags and all other preparations are packaged using a chamber vacuum sealer made by Vevor. We chose this chamber sealer because, unlike traditional vacuum sealers that suck air our of the product bag, it creates a total vacuum around the product and bag forcing all of the air out of the packaging. This increases the freezer life of our products to three years. When marinade is added, this vacuum pushes the marinade deep into the meat creating a more flavorful end product. 

Once the products have been packaged they go back into the walk-in cooler and are placed on stainless steel racks to await customer pick-up. Any product that is left over after pick-up day is labeled for sale directly from us or at the Richfield Springs Farmers Market or ends up on our own dinner table. These products are stored in a 17 cubic foot, deep freeze, chest freezer. 

If you have any questions regarding our processing please feel free to contact us via the form at the bottom of our home page or give us a call.