Essential Equipment for a PROFITABLE Chicken Process Farm Business
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
- In this video we process our first batch of chickens we sell on our farm. During the processing, I discuss the necessary equipment needed to make an on-farm chicken business profitable. You don't have to purchase all of this equipment at once, but it is something to consider in order to avoid bottlenecks and higher labor costs.
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On the last farm I worked on in New Hampshire we did birds every other Wednesday. The box trailer with the equipment lived at our farm. If we had to clean it up after a rental it was well-paid work.
The trailer would go out most weekends. That was why we did birds on Wednesday.
We found 150 meat birds to be our sweet spot for three people, we could be done before lunch.
Troy, you are by far the most under rated Homestead channel on UA-cam. We have been following your channel for years and I'm still baffled how this channel doesn't get a Million views regularly. When your videos pop up I break out the note book knowing I'm going to learn something today. Thank you for all the knowledge and experience you share.
I agree, nuts and bolts info here. No sugar coating or beating around the bush. It’s refreshing!
Wow. That is high praise! Thank you. I am humbled by your comments.
@@RedToolHouse there is no gift in my statement you have earned it. You are an inspiration to many more than just me.
@@grandpaslakehouse-homestea6113 I agree - no disrespect to the other homesteader families I follow, but he's the best farmer of the lot. He definitely deserves more subs!
Cost analysis is so important! It’s great that you talk about it. These are things that no everyone thinks about. I really appreciate your attention to detail.
Thanks
The walk-in freezer room located next to our cheese cave gave us the deep freeze storage we needed. We did our last batch in late October and had to keep chicken, pork, and some frozen produce to keep the farm stand going until spring.
The walk-in was the same size as the cheese cave, 12' x16'.
Look in the local sales pages. We bought a used complete Featherman set ip for $2000.00 last year. I was only looking for a plucker. 😁 I researched how much it would cost new and decided that it would pay for itself over the years. This year, without factoring in the cost of equipment, our bird and feed cost was just under 4 dollars a bird. We as a family we bought 170 birds at $1.15 each. We bought a pallet of feed, 40 bags, ahead of time. I was afraid there would be a shortage this year. Came out almost perfectly. We shared cost and birds between 5 families that help hands-on with the processing. We part out most birds, takes longer at first, but so convenient later. I don’t think California has those rentable set ups. Very cool at a great price!
The quilter in me picked up on the well used quilt over the chair in your garage. God bless the maker of that quilt. Love your channel !!
That was my grandmother’s. My mom is a big time quilter. She has a quilting machine that takes up most of her dining room.
@@RedToolHouse oh how I envy your mom. I would have a long-arm machine if I had the room. Thanks for the reply.
Measuring Time used versus Time saved by using equipment is the KEY POINT that you made. GOOD and Proper Accounting Again is what you showed the viewer. Excellent.
If I got into it for myself and selling some I'd process at 4 6 and 8 weeks then I could over stuff the tractor and thin the heard as they grow.
I like some at the size of cornish game hens plus I like my fryers smaller and my roasters and stewers big.
But that's me.
That knife looks similar to an old hickory,. My favorite kitchen knives.
Simple question, or advice. How ever you wanna look at it. Not judging or anything. I think what your doing is great and appreciate the videos. But, why don't you freeze the ice you need for the coolers and cooling off the birds your self a few days or week before processing? While you pull the ice out it leaves room for the birds.
Great job breaking down the process and costs. I always enjoy your content.
thank you for posting, you have a great channel!
Years ago. 45 to be exact. I spent the summer with cousins in Florida. Uncle Paul had a small farm and had Rhode Island Reds. Enough to slaughter about 20 a week and never run out. At 12 years old I didn’t have the arm nor the wrist action to pop the heads off like he wanted so I used an axe. Then we’d pluck feathers and cut off legs. Those went to a hog I swear back then was as big as a car. And cars back then were bigger than today. So certainly as big as one of today’s cars.
Anyway. We’d slice, gut, rinse and put in a cooler. Killing and chopping didn’t bother me. Sticking my hand inside to pullout guts was a lesson. I do remember he’d drive around delivering several that same day though. I think I remember aunt Dolly using tweezers to get small feathers out. Her hand moving a million miles an hour. He was an electrician by trade. Farmer for fun or supplemental income.
More I think I remember small things. Like snakes being a problem in the coop which was a big red barn. Seemed big then. Uncle Paul saying don’t be slow in grabbing eggs or you might git bit. Remember traffic slowing down for gators crossing the road.
Wish I lived on a farm today.
Thanks for all the details.
I love your old butcher knife! I got one just like it!!! It is essential!!!
Love your content
Thank you for the video
what do you do with the chicken entrails, heads and legs? Do you feed them to your pigs to supplement their feed?
Plucking yeah! Definitely need a plucker, paid about $900 for mine, BEST investment I made second was the scalder and it is nice not having to chase the water temp. I can do turkeys in mine, it might be over kill right now but I can do my 4 turkeys and 100 chickens every year. My growth is limited by my property size right now but!
Where did you get your equipment? If you don't mind me asking
We upgraded to a vacuum that would do I think four bags at a time.
We parted out more than half our birds. This was done the day after killing day after morning milking. The big vacuum was a big plus. That was the farm's and didn't go with the trailer.
Chopping block, hatchet, and skin them like a catfish. Slice down the brest and peal the skin feathers and all with your fingers. Though I wouldn't want to do more that 200 at any given time.
TROY, great information, really like everything you do on RTH. Good stuff!
( still think yinz ought to raise rabbits ! LOL)
Here in B.C. Canada we can't sell meat that isn't government inspected. I just take it to a processing facility.
I do have a cone I made from a E collar, some times you need to cull a bird for various reasons. It just on a tree. I find it strange that vets, at least our vets don't want to deal with chickens, so its perfectly acceptable to cull a chicken but if you do it for and old (in pain) dog or cat every one looses there minds.
that trailer set up would be a nice side business to run. buy it all for your personal use then rent it out to everyone else. 2 days for 50 renting it out 50 times 100 days. 50 bucks a rental. 2500 a year plus your own usage. even top end everything, 5 yrs total return on investment, thanks for this video never thought or knew about rental setup like that.
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to break it all down. I’m located in WV also (Hampshire Co.) and I wanted to ask; how could I find more info on the exemption you mentioned for the whole birds?
First! Your videos are always packed with a ton of useful information, and you have a unique way to explain everything. Much respect to you, brother.
An ice making machine was an item we had that was real handy.
There are used restaurant equipment companies where you can pick up nice size ice makers relatively cheap that are serviceable and long lasting. ...of course if you know of a restaurant going out of business or being demo-ed you might get one for free. It is surprising how much we use ours daily.
Ours stored more than enough ice for our 150 bird butchering days.
It is a real pain for someone to have to drop everything and go to town for ice.
@@jbbrown7907 indeed.
Other thing we have done recently was to make a walk in cooler by using a Cool-bot on a window a/c in a super insulated structure we cobbled together. Powering it on a recycled solar setup.
Why not use your awaiting cooler space to freeze jugs of water the few days before? Save yourself $80 cause the freezers are on and getting cool anyway.
@@bestillfarm1645 our ice machine runs on a small solar system so no electric bill associated. The walk in cooler is not a freezer unfortunately.
That's a nifty rental set up you have available. I know you've had it on the channel a few other times... I wonder just how many locales have a similar rental set up.... ?
Adding in the cost of set up rental one would really need to be processing a ton of birds, like 100/day or more, or share costs with friends & neighbors so everyone process the same day. Joel Salatin has at least a few videos of him processing birds, takes him like 1 min a bird... and he can cut it to pieces in like 1 more min. Very efficient. I wonder how many birds it took for him to get that good at it, and how many birds he's done lifetime. LOL
Far as processing going getting them bagged I'd go with one of those hyperbaric sealers then your not fussing with hot water and the bags are cheap.. far as a ice maker you can sell ice to hunters etc to offset that if it's big or just turn it on a couple days beforehand..
Why don't any farmers use the coat hanger trick of catching chickens? A unbent hanger with a 180 degree bend at the end witha slight indent in the hook to help hold and catch the chicken leg works great even for a child.
When you hone a knife on those steels you want to do it on the flat side not the edge.
Thanks for the video
I got an Old Hickory, cheap 1095 steel butcher's knife. I can put a wicked sharp edge on it, and it holds that edge right through bones all day long. Since I put a decent, very steep edge on it, I touch it to ceramic once a year or so. I can cut through bones with moderate one-finger-on-the-spine pressure. It's silly how sharp it is, and how well it holds that edge... Of course, you're not supposed to cut through bones. But, nobody is perfect, and every now and then you miss the joint. It just happens. It's a great benefit that you don't have to get two hands involve d and start putting a lot of pressure on it. that's a dangerous way to use a knife... With this one, whenever I goof and hit a bone, I just stick my index finger on the spine and push slightly harder. Doesn't become dangerous, doesn't slow me down.
Dang that is very nice being able to rent this equipment.
question troy what do you do with all the feathers and the eviscerations and the blood buckets after butchering?
Good night, where do you get the labels? Thanks
Now I’m hungry, BBQ Chicken anyone?
do you have to get anything inspected to he able to sell the meat?
Can u tell me how much it will cost to get all set up w the equipment
How much week chicken is those you are plucking?
So what was your final cost breakdown per pound?
As a vegetarian, this was hard to watch but I appreciate the insights into the process. I learned a lot from this video.
How much for the equipment?
Our trailer had 6 plastic poultry crates on it
If there was rental unit available in my area I would raise meat birds. But I can't justify buying all of that equipment and I am not plucking by hand.
I got a decent plucker (big enough for turkeys as well) and a one bird scalder for $1000 delivered from Strombergs
So I'm very new to farming. I was told that chickens need to be processed at a usda facility to be sold. Is this not true or is there ways around that? Any insight would be Greatly appreciated
Check with your state ag department. Many states have a 1000 and 10,000 bird exemption that will allow processing on farm for resale. Minimal inspections needed
@@RedToolHouse I talked with my county agg department and he said they have to be done in a usda facility. I'm in Kentucky
I have a question, please. When I used to help my in-laws slaughter chickens, we used a chopping block and a hatchet (specially sharpened.) How do you behead the chickens with the cones? I can't see you swinging a hatchet under there...?
I think they don’t chop the head off. They cut the veins and arteries in the neck and let the chicken drain of blood over a bucket. Not sure why they don’t cut the head clean off, but I think that a lot of homesteads seem to use this process, nowadays. Maybe it is just up to personal preference?
I believe you just answered my question, talking about knives. Never mind. :)
@@juliemcgugan1244 Now I'm back to wanting to know again. I would personally think that beheading would be more humane, because that's going to be 30 seconds max before they fade to black. Leave the head on and bleed it, I think it's going to take longer and be more painful.
Joel Salatin has a complete chicken processing video he did at a conference that you can find pretty easily here on UA-cam. He talks about the reasoning behind the killing cones and just cutting the veins versus the old-typical-style of chopping the heads off on a chopping block.
I've done both and find the cones and simple bleed out to be less stressful and safer.
@@llantup an upside down chicken is a calm chicken. People see it as more humane.
Hey Troy, You ever have someone wanting chicken feet? They are popular down here in the south. lol
And people feed them to their dogs too. People will pay premium for good dog treats. Have you seen those prices? Oooh-ie...
What size trailer is that?
I believe it is a 6x12
You got freezers so you can make your own ice.
That trailer is awesome, I don’t think the AG office here has anything like that but we bought a plucker last summer.. If you happen to see any land for sale out there can you let me know please? We’re looking to move to Weat Va and coming from NC..
Good luck the land is being sold the day of listing... it’s incredible.
Land is at premium right now and it is still selling. May be a couple years before raw land prices settle
80 bucks for ice, mhm well if you start with a empty freezer maybe there is a way
We're we wrong?
I always was taught that scalding water wanted to be 59 degrees.
Celsius?
@@twestgard2
Studs are on 16 inch centers. Boiling of water at sea level occurs at 212 degrees. Freezing has always been 32 degrees.
I'd be a lot more comfortable if the people parting up the meat were wearing food handling gloves. This wouldn't pass inspection in Australia.
So if you only do 100 birds and you sell them for $10-$12 bucks each( that is about max price where I live at farmers market ). You would be lucky to break even.
Yeah, at that price it would be tough. We sell at $4/lb on the whole bird so that comes in around $16-$24 per bird.
Cluckonomics