A system and method for automatically suspending poultry from a carrier of a carrier conveyor. A vision guided robot can pick up poultry from a feedline and suspend the poultry from the carrier. An imaging device can be connected to a decision-making tool to process images from the poultry on the feedline, wherein the decision-making tool is arranged to detect a head of the poultry and to control the vision guided robot to pick up the poultry from the feedline by engaging the poultry at or below the head, and to subsequently suspend the poultry with its head up from the carrier of the carrier conveyor.

A poultry meat product and method of producing the same. The meat product has breast meat divisible into a first portion attached to a wishbone and separated from a second portion. The first portion remains attached to the wishbone and has a width having a dimension of between 1.0 and 1.5 times a first distance between tips of the wishbone and having a length having a dimension of between 0.5 and 1.5 times a length of the wishbone. A shaped blade may be inserted into a bird carcass for cutting the breast fillets. A V-shaped cut has a first segment approximately parallel to a first wishbone leg and a second segment approximately parallel to a second wishbone leg. The cut defines a portion of the breast fillets that remain attached to the wishbone. The wishbone remains intact within the attached portion of breast fillet for producing a unique meat product.

A system and method for deboning a poultry leg part, including at least one bone and meat surrounding the bone. The system includes a conveying unit arranged for transporting the poultry leg part along a conveying path. The system also includes a deboning unit. The deboning unit includes a gripper arranged for gripping the meat surrounding the bone, the gripper being associated with a first carrier; a gripper actuator arranged for opening and closing the gripper, the gripper actuator being associated with a second carrier; and a gripper tensioner arranged for providing a biasing force for closing the gripper, the gripper tensioner being associated with a third carrier. The first, second and third carriers are arranged for displacement relative to a base member, and the base member is arranged for being transported in horizontal direction along the conveying path.

A processing line for harvesting hearts from viscera packages taken out from poultry carcasses. An apparatus with an infeed section below a conveying track to mechanically grip the viscera package. The infeed section is equipped to transfer the viscera package from which the gizzard is removed to a processing section. An outfeed section that follows the processing section, which outfeed section is arranged to make the heart as separated from the viscera package available at an outlet for the heart.

An apparatus 10 for removing the skin of poultry pieces includes a frame 12 for supporting an infeed conveyor 14 for transporting and feeding poultry pieces to be skinned to a skinning station 16 located closely adjacent the downstream end of the conveyor. An outfeed conveyor 18 is also supported by the frame to carry the skinned poultry pieces away from the skinning station 16 for further processing. The infeed and outfeed conveyors are carried by a lift mounting systems 40 and 42 to mount the conveyors to the underlying frame 12. The lift mounting systems 40/42 function to shift the infeed and outfeed conveyors between an in-use lowered position closely adjacent the skinning station 16 and a retracted position raised above and shifted longitudinally away from the skinning station to provide access to the conveyors 14/18, as well as access to the skinning station 16.

A machine for cleaning fowl giblets, which comprises pre-cleaning rollers positioned underneath a guiding assembly for directing the giblets to a chain for gripping and conveying the giblets to a pressing assembly via a cutting element and a unit for washing the giblets. The machine also has a first steering element arranged beside a second steering element, in which the first steering element extends along the length of a cleaning assembly. This cleaning assembly is arranged underneath the pressing assembly and underneath the steering elements.

A method to eviscerate poultry, in particular waterfowl such as ducks, having a carcass with a body, neck and head is disclosed. The method involves damaging skin of the poultry at a back side of the neck of the poultry, damaging an esophagus of the poultry at or near the head of the poultry, removing skin from the neck of the poultry in which the esophagus is removed along with the skin, and removing a viscera pack from the poultry along with the esophagus removed from the neck of the poultry. Further, a collector device for collecting a viscera pack of poultry is also disclosed.

A mop washing bucket has a container with an interior volume defined by a bottom and a wall extending upwardly from the bottom, a fluid inlet affixed adjacent to the bottom of the container, and a fluid outlet formed on the container in a location above the fluid inlet. The fluid inlet is adapted to be connected to a water hose. The fluid inlet extends through the wall of the container so as to have one end in the interior volume of the container and another end exterior of the wall of the container. The fluid outlet is adapted to allow water from the interior volume of the container to flow outwardly of the container.

An inclined carving device for a carcass includes a mounting board having a plurality of apertures distributed in the mounting board in a predetermined pattern; retaining pins removably inserted into preselected apertures in the mounting board; and a positioning member pivotally secured to the mounting board for disposing the mounting board in an inclined relationship relative to a surface that the carving device is disposed upon; whereby, the retaining pins ultimately secure a carcass to the mounting board when disposed in a substantially horizontal orientation with the positioning member in a closed position; whereupon, the positioning member is pivoted to an inclined or open position relative to the mounting board, thereby enabling a user of the inclined carving device to carve selected portions from the carcass at an angle selected by the user.

An apparatus for measuring the shoulder joint position of continuously conveyed poultry bodies has a measuring station, arranged along a conveying line, which is adapted to detect the shoulder joint position. Also provided is an arrangement for filleting poultry bodies having such an apparatus for measuring, and to corresponding methods.