A skinning machine for any meat product, and particularly for poultry cuts. The machine includes two or more skinning stations, each of which may remove skin between a gripper and a closely-fit pinch block. The skinning stations are vertically distinct so that the first skinning station skins a first side of the product, and the second skinning station receives the product at a position lower vertically and skins the second side of the product. The product falls through a path between the two skinning stations to permit the product to rotate about one-half of a rotation. The product lands on a conveyor beneath the first skinning station that transports the product to the second skinning station facing the opposite direction from when it was in the first skinning station. By making the vertical drop sufficient, the poultry cut rotates the unskinned face down prior to skinning.

An automated chicken deboner system and method. The system includes a conveyor system to move the front-half of the chicken through the different deboning stations, including a loading station where the bird is placed on a cone, a press station to align the front half of the chicken on the cone, a skin cutter station to cut the skin and fat located at the base of the neck of the chicken, a wing cutter station to remove the wings, a scapula cutter station to separate the breast meat from the scapula, a wishbone cutter station to separate the breast meat from the wishbone, a breast plow station to separate the breast meat from the ribs, a wishbone paddle station to further separate the breast meat from the wishbone, a breast removal station to completely remove the breast meat, and a tender cutter station to remove the two tenders.

An apparatus 10 for removing the skin of poultry pieces at a skinning station 12 includes an infeed conveyor 14 for transporting or feeding poultry pieces to the skinning station 12. The infeed conveyor 14 includes an endless belt 16 that is trained around an end roller 18 at the downstream end of the infeed conveyor. A pinch block 20 is configured with a concave pinch surface 22 having curvature closely following the curvature of the endless belt 16 trained around the end roller 18 to define a narrow gap 24 therebetween for capturing the skin of the poultry piece and forcing the skin through the gap 24, thereby pulling the skin away from the underlying flesh of the poultry piece. A transfer roller 26 assists in transferring the skinned poultry piece to an outfeed conveyor 28. A hold down structure 30 is provided for applying downward pressure on the poultry piece as the poultry piece is carried by the infeed conveyor 14 towards the skinning station 12, while the poultry skin is being removed, and also while the skinned poultry piece is being transferred to the outfeed conveyor 28.

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.

An apparatus 10 for removing the skin of poultry pieces at a skinning station 12 includes an infeed conveyor 14 for transporting or feeding poultry pieces to the skinning station 12. The infeed conveyor 14 includes an endless belt 16 that is trained around an end roller 18 at the downstream end of the infeed conveyor. A pinch block 20 is configured with a concave pinch surface 22 having curvature closely following the curvature of the endless belt 16 trained around the end roller 18 to define a narrow gap 24 therebetween for capturing the skin of the poultry piece and forcing the skin through the gap 24, thereby pulling the skin away from the underlying flesh of the poultry piece. A transfer roller 26 assists in transferring the skinned poultry piece to an outfeed conveyor 28. A hold down structure 30 is provided for applying downward pressure on the poultry piece as the poultry piece is carried by the infeed conveyor 14 towards the skinning station 12, while the poultry skin is being removed, and also while the skinned poultry piece is being transferred to the outfeed conveyor 28.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.