An automated poultry orientation and shackling system comprising an orienting system, an orientation determination system, a pass fail system and a poultry shackling system whereby poultry is robotically inserted into a poultry shackle using a plurality of vision guided robots in series and a unique tool that has a three axis capability of rotation and a contour to match the contour of a poultry breast.

Apparatus and method for harvesting meat from poultry thighs in a processing line provided with carriers for poultry legs. A cutter for cutting into the poultry leg, and a scraper for scraping poultry thigh meat from the thighbone, wherein the scraper of the apparatus is arranged to clamp the poultry leg near to its knee joint and fix the knee joint in position, and the cutter is arranged to provide a first cut into the poultry leg while the scraper clamps the poultry leg, and wherein the cutter is arranged to provide the cut adjacent to the scraper and below the knee joint at the height of a knuckle of the thighbone at the side of the knee joint, so as to cut through ligaments that connect the thigh meat to the thighbone.

Method and apparatus for providing a drumstick from a poultry's leg suspended by the ankles in hooks of a carrier, including clamping the poultry's leg with a clamp and arranging that the poultry's leg is kept in position, cutting the ligaments between the drumstick and the thighbone for removal of the thighbone and providing the drumstick, raising the clamp with the poultry's leg so as to raise the ankles from the hooks of the carrier and arranging that the knee joint is positioned at a predetermined altitude, and providing that a cutter is positioned at the predetermined altitude and is activated to cut through the knee joint so as to separate the thighbone from the drumstick.

Conveying assembly with overhead conveyor having shackles for suspending poultry carcasses by the legs with each shackle suspended from a hanger. A guide element may be disposed generally below and parallel to the overhead conveyor to prevent rotation of the shackles about a vertical axis. The guide element may be movable in the conveying direction and the stops can be mounted on the guide element.

The invention relates to an evisceration tool, designed and configured for removing internal organs and in particular an intestine pack from the body of slaughtered poultry, comprising a spoon-shaped basic body, wherein the basic body has a spoon base (12) and a spoon edge which extends around at least part of the spoon base to form a spoon bowl, which is distinguished in that the basic body is made at least partly of a resilient material, wherein the resilient material is on the one hand flexible enough to adapt to a contour of the body during removal of the internal organs and on the other hand stiff enough to remove the internal organs from the body. The invention relates also to an evisceration apparatus having such an evisceration tool.

A shackle for suspending viscera packs of slaughtered poultry in a processing line comprises a frame; a coupling, connected to the frame, at a first end of the frame; a clamping part, connected to the frame, at a second end of the frame, opposite to the first end of the frame. The clamping part comprises a first clamping element and a second clamping element, wherein the second clamping element is rotatable regarding the first clamping element, between an open position and a closed position. An actuator, such as a rod, is arranged to move, the second clamping element regarding the first actuator. The actuator is moveable between an open position and a closed position. A spring has one end arranged on the first clamping element, and another end arranged on the second clamping element.

The invention relates to a poultry transfer mechanism for transferring poultry bodies from a first poultry transport line to a second poultry transport line. Further, the invention relates to a poultry transport system comprising a poultry transfer mechanism, a first poultry transport line and a second poultry transport line. In addition, the invention also relates to a method for automatically transferring at least one poultry body from a first poultry transport line to a second poultry transport line.

A Cutting unit and method for cutting meat parts from suspended previously eviscerated poultry carcasses, when the carcasses are each suspended upside-down by their legs from a shackle in an overhead conveyor that transports a succession of shackles through poultry cut-up apparatus. The cutting unit includes at least one cutting element. The cutting unit includes a guiding and positioning member for guiding and positioning a predetermined portion of a poultry carcass in respect of the at least one cutting element. The guiding and positioning member is associated with an auxiliary conveyor adapted to move synchronously with shackles in an overhead conveyor. The auxiliary conveyor has an endless chain articulated about first and second return sprocket. The articulated chain moves in a vertical plane parallel to a vertical plane common to a path of movement of the conveyor shackles.

A clamping device for a bone-in limb meat according to an embodiment includes a base portion, a pair of clamp pieces mounted to the base portion and configured to hold a bone-in limb meat, and an orientation adjusting member for adjusting an orientation of the bone-in limb meat, the orientation adjusting member being mounted to the base portion independently of the pair of clamp pieces and having an inclined surface inclined at an acute angle with respect to a center line between the pair of clamp pieces. When the pair of clamp pieces are in an opened state, in a planar view, at least a part of the inclined surface of the orientation adjusting member is disposed so as to overlap a space formed between the pair of clamp pieces.

The invention relates to an evisceration tool, designed and configured for removing internal organs and in particular an intestine pack from the body of slaughtered poultry, comprising a spoon-shaped basic body, wherein the basic body has a spoon base (12) and a spoon edge which extends around at least part of the spoon base to form a spoon bowl, which is distinguished in that the basic body is made at least partly of a resilient material, wherein the resilient material is on the one hand flexible enough to adapt to a contour of the body during removal of the internal organs and on the other hand stiff enough to remove the internal organs from the body. The invention relates also to an evisceration apparatus having such an evisceration tool