Processing Poultry Byproducts in Poultry Slaughtering Plants

Excerpts from the report: Widespread interest in the possibility for profitable utilization of byproducts from poultry slaughtering plants prompted this study. A preceding study indicated that less than half of the poultry slaughtering plants in the United States receive any net income from inedible byproducts. Many plants incur net expenses in disposal of these byproducts - offal, feathers, blood, and manure. The principal outlets of the slaughtering plants for inedible byproducts are renderers. Prices paid by renderers, however, often were low and the collection service provided frequently was unsatisfactory. Quite logically the question of alternatives arose. That is, how could poultry plants obtain more net income from byproducts in terms of both prices and services? Could a poultry slaughtering plant afford to own and operate its own facilities for processing inedible byproducts as an integral part of the slaughtering operation? If yes, under what conditions? These are the principal questions answered in considerable detail in this report. Detailed economic-engineering estimates are given for rendering facilities of six different sizes. These estimates cover both investment and operating costs along with details on the physical items (land, buildings, equipment, labor, and fuel) covered.