Comments on: Time to talk turkey http://www.smallfarmlife.com/2010/02/21/time-to-talk-turkey/ Lessons learned from 80 acres and a 6 burner stove Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:07:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Fritz Nordengren http://www.smallfarmlife.com/2010/02/21/time-to-talk-turkey/comment-page-1/#comment-6931 Fritz Nordengren Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:28:31 +0000 http://www.smallfarmlife.com/?p=1126#comment-6931 Duane, you ask a great question and I take the easy way out. I have a family that processes mine for me -- which is great for friends and family. If I expanded to commercial sales, even with some on-farm exemption, I think I would opt for a state or USDA inspected facility -- but there are few of them in Iowa any more. a 1 - 2 hour drive is the best I can find. I do plan my bird's trips to "freezer camp" in cooler fall weather to make it easier to chill the meat after cleaning and also to reduce the amount of flies and other insects. I have seen a "mobile" poultry processing trailer that sells new for around $100,000. It takes a lot of chickens at $1.50 - $2.00 each to make that venture and investment pay off. I do have USDA lockers near by - but they don't process poultry: only beef, deer, and other larger scale meats. Duane, you ask a great question and I take the easy way out. I have a family that processes mine for me — which is great for friends and family. If I expanded to commercial sales, even with some on-farm exemption, I think I would opt for a state or USDA inspected facility — but there are few of them in Iowa any more. a 1 – 2 hour drive is the best I can find.

I do plan my bird’s trips to “freezer camp” in cooler fall weather to make it easier to chill the meat after cleaning and also to reduce the amount of flies and other insects.

I have seen a “mobile” poultry processing trailer that sells new for around $100,000. It takes a lot of chickens at $1.50 – $2.00 each to make that venture and investment pay off.

I do have USDA lockers near by – but they don’t process poultry: only beef, deer, and other larger scale meats.

]]> By: Duane Keys http://www.smallfarmlife.com/2010/02/21/time-to-talk-turkey/comment-page-1/#comment-6929 Duane Keys Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:29:57 +0000 http://www.smallfarmlife.com/?p=1126#comment-6929 I would love to learn more about how you process them, procedures, fixtures, etc... I would love to learn more about how you process them, procedures, fixtures, etc…

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