How do you sell chickens for meat?

[cutechick2010]

It's called Central Illinois Poultry Processing Inc. and the phone number is 217-543-2937. Glad to help you out, I always love to see more people raising their meat humanely rather than buying from the big companies.

 

[jmorriso]

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BAD FOOD??? You want bad food go buy a chicken that was raised on 2 feet of manure pack, hauled with thousands and thousands of other birds in over crowded trucks, processed in a mega plant with many employees whose cultural upbringing doesn't push the washing of hands after using the restroom, and then inspected by a USDA official on a line that's moving so fast he doesn't have time to really look at them, then shipped thousands of miles to sit on your grocery shelf. USDA inspection is all flash and mirrors, red tape and paper work to make the public feel safe. Real food safety comes down to the producers integrity and transparency in the process, and I believe that a neighbor processing birds for his local community has a lot more integrity than a mega industrial food company. Not sure about your neighbor, then go over and watch the activities on butchering day Then try to get into a Tyson plant to self inspect and see what happens. There are solid methods for testing food safety, such as swabbing random birds and checking for ecoli and salmanela but the USDA doesn't do that.

I realize that you probably already know this and that's why you sell your own birds, and I appologize for my little rant. However, I think we need to all realize that the USDA is not about keeping food safe. It's about keeping the public at ease and keeping the big producers going. It's my opinion that they are as corrupt as the rest of our government and shouldn't be trusted as far as you can throw them. Laws are laws and we have to follow them, but please don't equate A USDA stamp to "good food". I'm a little fired up about all this because I just finished reading "everything I want to do is illegal" by Joel Salatin. Everyone should read this book, it totally changes your outlook on this kind of stuff.

 

[cattleman999]

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and the first time usda and or the state finds out your gonna get shut down. Do Not listen to bad advice that can get you into trouble stay within the laws of your state and community. You cannot sell a dead carcass unless you are a usda or state inspected processing plant. Laws were made for a reason and the last thing you want is the state or federal Meat inspectors at your house harrassing you. Its not as simple as oh I only killed 1000 this year I am in the clear. there are rules and laws wrapped around the 1000 bird exemption.

MM Poultry is there any places here in OKlahoma where you can get chickens processed? If so how much? I am in the Tulsa area. Thanks!

 

[schmism]

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each state varies a bit, but in general you are exempt from govt inspections IF

- you sell off your own property (this means not at the local farmers market etc)
- are under 1000 birds per year.

i developed a market for my pasture raised poultry when i started talking about raising meet birds among my friends. a few said they would take 2-5 and before i new it i had enough for my first batch of 25 or so.

by the time harvest came around i had one friend who talked it up among her friends and had orders for like 30 chickens just from her.....

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

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and the first time usda and or the state finds out your gonna get shut down. Do Not listen to bad advice that can get you into trouble stay within the laws of your state and community. You cannot sell a dead carcass unless you are a usda or state inspected processing plant. Laws were made for a reason and the last thing you want is the state or federal Meat inspectors at your house harrassing you. Its not as simple as oh I only killed 1000 this year I am in the clear. there are rules and laws wrapped around the 1000 bird exemption.

MM Poultry is there any places here in OKlahoma where you can get chickens processed? If so how much? I am in the Tulsa area. Thanks!

you can use Darps processing in talaquah Oklahoma.

 

[jaj121159]

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By selling from your own property, do you mean the actual exchange of bird and money? I'm asking this because I'm taking orders and sometimes payment in a different location, but the bird will be transferred to its new owner on my property, so the transaction is finalized on my ground.

 

[schmism]

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Its my understanding that the processed bird has to move to the customers cooler on your ground.

exchange of funds is irrelevant, as "free" give a way would still count toward your 1000 processed units and therefore "given" to the public. that transfer of the actual processed bird needs to occur on your property.

 

[Popsy]

What about liability insurance? Do you have a farm policy. If there were to be a problem, I doubt a regular home owner's policy would offer coverage. Just curious, as I had been thinking of doing this also, but on a very small scale.

 

[scubaforlife]

Sell the bird while it is still alive, and it is a pet transaction. Butcher the bird for the new pet owner for free. Profit.

 

[jaku]

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That's what I do too. Using that method, you have to stick to it though- that means no selling by the pound, and all your birds have to be presold before they're butchered. You'll get friends who ask if you have any "extras" and you have to tell them no.