Keep chickens cold from butcher to home

[farmyardchic]

I heard that commercially processed chickens are transported from processing plant to store in Propylene Glychol (Food grade antifreeze). Does anyone have any thoughts on using that to keep carcasses cold from the butcher to home?

 

[3KillerBs]

How far are you going?

If the birds are already chilled and you're not making a trip of many hours a simple cooler/cooler bag should be fine -- just like coming home from the grocery store.

If you ARE making a trip of many hours a good-sized camping cooler well-supplied with ice should work fine. No need for anything exotic.

 

[farmyardchic]

That makes sense. -- Thanks for your reply. I've got 23 birds and (if the butcher I will be calling today can do it) it's an hour and 10 minutes.

 

[3KillerBs]

That makes sense. -- Thanks for your reply. I've got 23 birds and (if the butcher I will be calling today can do it) it's an hour and 10 minutes.

You're welcome.

When I was a kid we used to go camping at the beach and successfully kept milk fresh all week by keeping the ice in the cooler topped up daily.

 

[poultryprofessor]

A cooler with ice will definitely keep them cool on the trip home. One thing to also consider is that 23 birds is a lot of mass (I imagine at least 100 lbs of meat). Assuming you are picking them up chilled, but not frozen - don't be surprised if it takes your freezer some time to get them frozen.

 

[Panhandler80]

Not sure what Propylene Glychol is, but there's no way it's necessary.

If they are frozen and you want to keep them frozen, dry ice is also an option. As has been mentioned, a cooler and some ice will be fine. Speaking of which, if they're frozen and you put in a pre-cooled cooler with no ice... they'll likely stay frozen for 12 hours or so. I've transported many pounds of lobster this way. Again, there's a lot of mass involved, and unlike water, a chicken coming out of 0 degree freezer will be well below 32 degrees. That temperature, plus the mass, plus the precooled cooler... you'll be fine.

Speaking of frozen chickens. I flew from Kansas one day with two venison loins that had been harvested that morning. I thought I'd be able to buy some dry ice in Wichita. NOPE! Tried several walmarts, a party supply store, a regional grocery store chain, nothing. Well, I know ice isn't allowed on carry on (even though dry ice is). I wound up buying two large frozen chickens. Checked my rifle and clothing bag, and my carry on was two big frozen chickens, a soft sided cooler, and two big deer loins. Baggage check was hysterical! No forbidden items, but they were confused. Flight was cancelled and I didn't get home until like 12 hour later. I was able to talk a restaurant manager to set my carry on in his walk-in cooler while I waited for next flight. I'm sure that helped, but I eventually got to travel. Two flights later and an uber ride to the house.... chickens were still icy and deer meat was very cold!

 

[poultryprofessor]

Speaking of frozen chickens. I flew from Kansas one day with two venison loins that had been harvested that morning. I thought I'd be able to buy some dry ice in Wichita. NOPE! Tried several walmarts, a party supply store, a regional grocery store chain, nothing. Well, I know ice isn't allowed on carry on (even though dry ice is). I wound up buying two large frozen chickens. Checked my rifle and clothing bag, and my carry on was two big frozen chickens, a soft sided cooler, and two big deer loins. Baggage check was hysterical! No forbidden items, but they were confused. Flight was cancelled and I didn't get home until like 12 hour later. I was able to talk a restaurant manager to set my carry on in his walk-in cooler while I waited for next flight. I'm sure that helped, but I eventually got to travel. Two flights later and an uber ride to the house.... chickens were still icy and deer meat was very cold!

And here I thought I had a lot of crazy travel stories. Your story takes the cake!

 

[Panhandler80]

And here I thought I had a lot of crazy travel stories. Your story takes the cake!

I thought folks might get a kick out that one! I may even have a picture somewhere.

Hahaha.... The orange bag was frozen chicken and deer meat.

Sitting at the bar... this was before I convinced the manager to put the orange bag in their walk-in. Was stranded in Wichita airport for like 8 hours!!!

 

[farmyardchic]

You're welcome.

When I was a kid we used to go camping at the beach and successfully kept milk fresh all week by keeping the ice in the cooler topped up daily.

Wow. That's interesting. Thank you.

 

[3KillerBs]

Wow. That's interesting. Thank you.

It was a very large, high-end cooler.