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.

A method of mechanically removing skin from animal parts that have a bone part extending therein, including: moving the animal parts, suspended on shackles depending from an overhead conveyor, along a path of travel and cutting the part to separate the skin therefrom. The part moved into a skinning station in which the part is urged into engagement with skinning rolls. The skinning rolls are rotated and engage and draw the skin of the part therebetween. The skin is progressively pulled downwardly and away from underlying meat of the animal part as the part moved forwardly along its path of travel.

Deskinning apparatus for a poultry leg or part of a poultry leg, including a conveyor with conveyor hooks from which the poultry leg or part of the poultry leg is suspendable, and rollers below the conveyor that are rotatable in opposite directions and are provided with meshing teeth that are contactable with a skin on the poultry leg or part of the poultry leg that is suspended from the conveyor hooks for stripping the skin from the poultry leg or part of the poultry leg, wherein the rollers are movable up and down.

An arrangement for skinning poultry parts containing the poultry breast includes a conveying device having saddle elements configured for conveying the poultry parts in a conveying direction along a skinning device. The skinning device has at least one rotationally driven profiled roller and a guide element. The roller, together with an entry edge of the guide element, is adapted to form an entry gap for gripping the skin on the side of the poultry breast. The guide element has flank guide elements each adapted for laterally guiding the poultry part, wherein the flank guide elements have inner guide surfaces adapted for contacting the flesh of the poultry part. A method is also provided.

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.

Deskinning device for removing skin from a poultry leg product, comprising a first leg end which comprises at least a part of an ankle joint, and a second leg end opposite to the first leg end, the first leg end being arranged at a higher level than the second leg end, wherein the device comprises at least one skin removal assembly which is adapted to carry out a deskinning process, a first skinning roller rotatable about an axis of rotation, wherein a first roller end is arranged at a higher level than a second roller end, a counter skinning member arranged adjacent said first skinning roller, a gap between the first skinning roller and the counter skinning member, wherein the skin removal assembly is adapted to pull the skin of the poultry leg product into the gap and towards the first roller end.

A conveying device, apparatus and method for continuously conveying poultry bodies or parts oriented into different processing positions in a conveying direction. A continuous conveyor, which is provided with receiving elements for holding the poultry bodies revolves in a conveying plane and forms a conveying path. The receiving elements each of which include a saddle element to receive one of the poultry bodies, are arranged on a base element to be pivotable about an axis of rotation lying perpendicular to the conveying direction. The conveying plane is arranged inclined relative to the horizontal by an angle of inclination greater than 0 and less than 90, and the base elements are each arranged on the continuous conveyor by angled elements with an angle of extension less than 180 and greater than 90.

An automated poultry skinning apparatus which includes a support frame having a product feed inlet and discharge outlet. The apparatus may house an upper conveyor aligned to engage the upper surface of a piece of poultry product entering the feed outlet. The apparatus is provided with a lower conveyor with a plurality of radially extending protrusions adapted to engage the lower surface of the piece of poultry passing between the lower conveyor and the optional upper conveyor. An arcuate pinch surface is provided which is mounted in closely spaced relationship to the arcuate path traveled by the protrusions of the translated belt and define therewith an opening for trapping the outer skin attached to the poultry product between the arcuate surface and the distal tips of the protrusions to entrap a portion of the skin and pull the skin from the poultry product piece.

A chicken skinning handheld kitchen tool of a unitary structure is provided. In some embodiments, the present invention may provide for conically shaped kitchen tool with a ridged base member and a top member having teeth or tine extending therefrom and curving downward at a variable angle of 45 to 90 degrees. The present invention may be made from a thermoplastic polymer that is sufficiently rigid to withstand forces that would normally be applied without breaking and sufficiently flexible so that it will flex during operation.

Method and apparatus for deskinning a poultry leg or part of a poultry leg that may use a conveyor with conveyor elements from which the poultry leg or part of the poultry leg is suspendable, and substantially horizontal or slightly slanting cooperating bottom rollers below the conveyor that can be rotatable in opposite directions and provided with meshing teeth for stripping the skin from the poultry leg or part of the poultry leg, and wherein a set of top rollers can be provided above the bottom rollers and below the conveyor for contacting opposite sides of the poultry leg or part of the poultry leg.