An apparatus for separating wing tips from poultry carcasses includes a suspended conveyor device and a support guide for guiding the neck and shoulder region. The guide extends in the transport direction and is arranged below the carcass, and has at least one support surface to support the neck and shoulder region. A lower arm guide is configured for guiding the poultry lower arm and wing tip and is arranged at the side of the support guide. A first hold-down guide holds down the poultry upper arm under pretension and is arranged stationarily. A second hold-down guide is arranged downstream of the first hold-down guide and has at least two guiding elements for holding down the upper arm. The guiding elements are movable in deflection against a return force. A separating device is configured for separating the wing tip and is arranged in the region of the second hold-down guide.

An apparatus for processing a gutted poultry carcass includes a framework, a transport unit mounted on the framework having a transport means, at least one holding apparatus fastened to the transport means for holding the gutted poultry carcass during transport, and at least one processing station for processing the gutted poultry carcass. The processing station includes a knife arrangement for cutting into the gutted poultry carcass or the part located in an effective range of the knife arrangement. A knife of the knife arrangement is movable from a standby position into a cutting position and back. Each holding apparatus is in a position wherein a center axis of the holding apparatus is oriented transverse to a transport direction. The knife is arranged laterally to the transport means and carries out movement of the knife from the standby position into the cutting position as a cutting movement.

The disclosed technology includes systems and methods for continuously supplying livestock to a processing plant. The disclosed technology can include an enclosure configured to house livestock. The enclosure can include an enclosure entrance, an enclosure exit, and moveable walls to partition the enclosure into separate pens and automatically direct the livestock from the enclosure entrance toward the enclosure exit. A passageway can be connected to the enclosure exit and include moveable walls to automatically direct the livestock from the enclosure exit toward a processing plant. The moveable walls can be configured to move at a predetermined speed such that the plurality of livestock enter the enclosure as offspring, are reared in the enclosure, and are directed through the enclosure exit into the passageway approximately when the plurality of livestock have reached slaughter weight.

An apparatus and method for processing poultry leg or drum parts to form “Drum Tulip” products. A conveyer includes drum holder assemblies each configured to receive and carry a leg or drum part along a processing path through a cutting station and to a discharge. The cutting station includes cutting assemblies on opposite sides of the processing path for separating kneecap and knuckle portions from the leg or drum parts to form the drum tulip products. Each of the drum holder assemblies includes a base having a clamping recess and a pivoting clamp arm having a clamping portion adapted to cooperatively engage with the clamping recess to at least partially define a meat-stripping passage through which a portion of a leg or drum part is held. A meat scraper is configured to push at least a portion of the leg or drum part at least partially through the meat-stripping passage.

The present invention relates to a carrier for holding poultry carcasses, comprising a frame part, for attaching the carrier to a processing line; a hook part, fixed to the frame part; and a support part, rotatably connected to the frame part, wherein the support part is movably between an unloaded position, in which a poultry carcass can be loaded on the carrier, between the hook part and the support part; and a loaded position, in which the poultry carcass is being held by the carrier, between the hook part and the support part. The poultry carcass may for instance be a breast cap, including breast fillets and a breast bone. The invention also relates to a method of providing poultry carcasses on such carrier.

A poultry processing system having a cleaning station, a scalding station, a picker station and a transfer line for supporting a poultry carcass head down through the processing stations. The cleaning station including a plurality of spray manifolds coupled to a cleaning liquid supply each having a plurality of spaced apart spray nozzles for directing cleaning liquid onto the carcasses from the tail to head as they are transferred through the cleaning station for removing dirt, fecal material, and other foreign matter from the carcasses prior to transfer to the scalding and picker stations.

A transport apparatus for poultry bodies/parts includes a frame, a transport unit on the frame with a revolvingly driven transport device, and a holding apparatus for saddling/holding the poultry during transport/processing. The holding apparatus includes a clamping device with a clamping hook pivotable by an actuating mechanism about a rotational axis from a standby into a clamping position and back. The actuating mechanism includes an adjusting lever pivotable about a rotational axis into connection with an actuating member, on the frame along the transport path, for pivoting the adjusting lever and hook. The holding apparatus rotates relative to the transport device about an axis perpendicular to the transport direction, and is brought into operative connection with an actuating lever on the frame. The adjusting lever rotational axis is oriented perpendicular to the hook axis. The actuating lever for rotating the holding apparatus is before the adjusting lever actuating member.

An apparatus for the moving-along tool positioning of linearly conveyed articles includes a conveyor device forming a conveying line, a processing station arranged along the conveying line and having a processing tool, and a positioning unit having a transverse slide and a longitudinal slide for positioning the tools. An assembly for removing the wishbone from poultry carcasses has such an apparatus and utilizes corresponding methods.

A holding apparatus for holding a gutted poultry body/part during processing has a support body supporting the body/part, a fastening body for holding the support body and fastening the holding apparatus to a circulatingly driven transport unit, and a clamping device for securing the body/part to the support body. The clamping device has a hook for penetrating into soft parts and a clamping lever. The lever has a clamping jaw for clamping parts of the body/part against the hook lower side directed towards the support body. The hook lower side is spaced apart from the support body to form a free space for receiving the parts to be clamped. The clamping lever is movable, against a spring force, from a standby position into a clamping position, and back. The clamping lever also has a centring shoulder projecting into the free space when the clamping lever is in the standby position.

An apparatus for automatically recovering breast fillets from poultry bodies or parts thereof has a conveying device to continuously convey the poultry bodies in a conveying direction. The conveying device has receiving elements to hold and convey the poultry bodies along a processing path. Processing stations are arranged on the processing path and the stations include at least a furcula-removal station and a breast fillet detaching station. At least one measuring device is arranged on the processing path downstream of the breast fillet detaching station. The poultry bodies held by the receiving elements are conveyed past the measuring device such that the sternum of the poultry bodies is oriented at least substantially transversely to the conveying direction with the breast side facing the measuring device. The measuring device has a scanning element to mechanically scan the poultry bodies on the breast side. A corresponding method is also provided.