Selling processed birds

[prov31mom23]

Questions:

I live in Ohio. Does anybody know where I can find the regs concerning home-processing and sale of chicken for Ohio? I've tried to find it on my own so please don't just tell me to look on the Ohio Dept. of Ag website.

We have raised a small flock of meat birds this year (3 dozen). Tonight my daughter called and said the chef at the exclusive restaurant where she works wanted to buy some chicken and eggs from us. Can we do this? What should we charge both for eggs and for meat)? Our birds are Freedom Rangers who free-range and who are supplemented with non-GMO feed and organic produce scraps. They will probably be in the 5-7 pound range if last year's birds are any indication of size.

Can we take our chickens to a third party to process (not USDA inspected) and then sell the processed birds?

I've read different things about how long - or even if - you need to let the chicken sit in the fridge before cooking or freezing after butchering. I'm thoroughly confused now. We plan to butcher Sunday. The restaurant wants the chicken on Thursday. Is that too long to let a fresh chicken sit in the fridge? Should we plan to butcher later?

Are there any considerations for selling these chickens that I need to know about? Do we carry any liability or does the restaurant? If we do, where can we get insurance for this?

Thanks,

Pamela

 

[whambam]

I see no date on this but it may have some info you are looking for

http://meatsci.osu.edu/exemptions.htm

From the looks of it you may need to us a USDA certified processor

 

[Rnbwbrite1207]

It is my understanding in the state of Ohio it is illegal to run a processing plant that is not inspected and certified with a animal health rendering plant certificate. I do know that the restaurant must have proof for the health inspector that the meat was processed in a specific way. They can be cited for having unlabeled meat in their cooler. When I process chickens I let them sit in my fridge for a few days until all the joints move freely before freezing. Sunday to Thursday is no problem as long as temperature is consistent to prevent bacteria growth and below 40 degrees F. Bacteria grows between 41-140 degrees F so keeping food cold and then heating sufficiently at cooking are te keys to safety. As for liability you should consult a lawyer. As for prices 2.50-4.00 dollars a dozen are the range I came up with the higher end is for certified organic. As for chickens I found prices ranging from 4-8 dollars per pound again with the higher price being certified organic. I hope any of this is helpful.