Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

San Jose, Pili, Camarines Sur 4418
Website: www.cbsua.edu.ph
Email Address: op@cbsua.edu.ph
Trunkline: (054) 871-5531-33 local 101
ISO CERTIFIED

Animal Science 1
Introduction to Animal Science

Laboratory Exercise No. 9

Slaughtering Poultry

INTRODUCTION

Slaughtering, processing, and storing of poultry products need storage facilities to

balance its supply and demand. The basic dressing and processing principles must be well
understood to prevent undue losses caused by bacterial contamination or product quality
because of improper dressing and processing.

In slaughtering fowls, essential preliminary precautions must be observed. The birds

must be fasted prior to slaughter to allow the intestines to be emptied, so that its accidental
rupture at the time of evisceration only causes limited contamination of the carcass. The
birds must be picked up as calmly as possible, transported in well-ventilated open-work
crates free of internal roughness, and be sheltered from the sun.

A rest of about two to three hours before slaughter is important. This delay put to
good use for detection of birds which may be sick.

OBJECTIVES

1. To be familiar with the methods of slaughtering poultry;

2. To be able to fabricate chicken into desired cut-up parts; and
3. To determine dressing percentage of different classes of poultry.

PROCEDURE

A. Dressing and Processing Poultry

1. Killing - withhold feed for 8 - 12 hours before slaughtering to reduce the content of the
crop and intestine. This will save feeds and evisceration will be easy. After the bird is placed
in shackles or held in a secure position, make a cut with a sharp knife at the base of the
head along the throat to severe the jugular vein.

2. Defeathering or plucking - there are several ways of plucking feathers, namely: dry-
picking, semi-scalding, hard scalding, and wax plucking. The most common treatment used
before plucking the feathers is semi-scalding. The bird is submerged into a vat of hot water
with a temperature of 50.5 - 54.4 C (123 - 130 F) for about 30 -40 seconds. A correct
combination of time and temperature will find it easy to pull the feathers.After all the feathers
are plucked, the remaining hair-like feathers can be removed by passing them over a flame.

3. Evisceration and removal of inedible parts:

a. Cut the head. Some people prefer the skull with the brain left with the neck.
b. Strip the skin at the base of the neck to remove the crop. Pull out the esophagus and
the windpipe along the neck region. Avoid tearing the skin.
c. Cut the neck from the body at a point between the first joint next to the body.
d. Remove the shank from the carcass by severing it at the hock joint.
 e. Remove the oil sac, which is located at the base of the tail.
f. Make a vertical cut into the abdominal cavity starting about an inch from the tip of the
breastbone. Continue to cut until you have gone down to and around the vent in
making this cut, be careful not to cut the intestine so as not to contaminate the meat
with manure.
g. Pull out all the internal organs (intestine, lungs, gizzard, liver, and heart) from the
body cavity. Be sure to remove everything and clean all possible spoilage of
digestive tract contents.
h. Separate the liver, gizzard, and hearty from the intestinal tract. Avoid breaking the
gall bladder or bile sac. (Wash carefully, if there is contamination).
i. Make a cut through the gizzard lengthwise through one of the large muscle, empty
the contents, and peel off the inner brown lining. Wash the Gizzard thoroughly
j. Wash carefully the giblets (gizzards, liver and heart) and pack them in ice for quick
chilling.
k. Wash thoroughly the carcass in cold water and then place it in a vat of crushed ice
and water for thorough chilling.

4. Fabrication

Ready to cook poultry may be packed individually or in cut-up parts in plastic bags or
ice-packed in boxes for shipment. For cut-up parts, divide the chicken into various styles:
a. Halves - cut the chicken into two along the middle of the backbone
b. Quarters - cut the halves further into two between the breast and thighs.

c. Breast - separate the breast from the wings, thigh and leg regions

d. Thighs - separate the upper part of the leg.

e. Drumstick - take the lower part of the leg.
f. Wing - cut at the joint of the breast.
g. Back - include the ribs and occipital regions.
h. Neck - cut at the base.
Name: ______________________ Rating: ___________
Year and Section: _____________ Date : ___________

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY

1. Differentiate drawing out entrails from complete evisceration.

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2. What is the result if the bird is poorly bled?

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3. What are the bad effects if the temperature of the scalding water is too high?
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4. Why is there a need to immediately chill the carcass after slaughter?

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5. Using at least 10 dressed chickens from the group fill up the table below:
Table 1. Dressing Percentage
Bird Sex Age Condition Liveweight Dress Dressing
No. (kg.) weight Percentage
(kg.)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

REFERENCES:

Manual of Poultry Production in the Tropics. CAB International. The Technical

Center for Agriculture and Rural cooperation.

Poultry production in the Philippines by G. A. Tabinga and A .O. Gagni

Poultry, Swine, and Goat production by Jesse D. Dagoon