Semi-automatic Chicken Slaughtering Line

Applications:

Poultry slaughterhouses and processing plants

Farms seeking in-house poultry processing

Startups, small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale processors

Government or NGO-funded rural processing projects

Typical Capacity:

Processing Capacity: 1000–6000 birds per hour (customizable)

Suitable for: broiler chicken, layer chicken, native chicken(depending on configuration)

Product types enabled:

Whole carcass (fresh/chilled/frozen)

Portioned parts (breast, leg, wings, back)

By-products: heart, liver, gizzard, feet

Processed meat (when combined with further processing equipment)

Main System and Equipment Components:

1) Live Birds Receiving & Transportation Section

● Bird Crate Unloading Platform

A robust stainless steel platform and sliding way designed to safely receive poultry crates from transport vehicles. The platform height aligns with truck beds for smooth crate transfer and minimal manual handling.

● Live Bird Conveyor System

Live birds crates are gently conveyed from the unloading area to the hanging station using a belt-type or roller-type conveyor. This helps maintain bird orientation and reduces panic, bruising, or injury during handling.

● Hanging Station

Skilled operators manually hang birds by their legs onto the shackles of the overhead conveyor. The ergonomic workstation is designed for operator comfort and efficiency, minimizing stress on both workers and poultry.

● Crate Washing Machine

It is a specialized cleaning machine designed to sanitize poultry transport crates efficiently and thoroughly. After each cycle of live bird delivery, crates often become heavily soiled with feathers, feces, and other contaminants. This machine ensures hygienic reuse of crates, reducing the risk of cross-contamination and helping poultry processors comply with biosecurity and food safety standards.

2) Slaughtering and Defeathering section

● Overhead Conveyor System

The overhead conveyor is the backbone of the poultry processing line, responsible for transporting live birds and carcasses through each processing stage, ensures smooth, continuous movement, stainless steel structure with adjustable speed drive.

● Electric Stunning Machine

This machine humanely stuns birds before slaughter, ensuring compliance with animal welfare standards. Adjustable Voltage & Frequency for different poultry sizes and species. Equipped with water bath and current controller for precise stunning. Reduces bird stress and ensures effective bleeding.

● Bleeding Trough & Blood Transportation Pump

A hygienic solution for collecting and transporting blood after slaughter. SUS304 stainless steel Bleeding Trough with slope design for fast drainage, compatible with hand-cut processes. Blood transportation pump delivers collected blood to designated storage or treatment tanks, maintains sanitary working conditions and facilitates waste management.

● Scalding Machine

It is an essential component for effective feather removal, using hot water and air agitation to loosen feathers uniformly. Equipped with automatic temperature control system with digital display and thermostat. High efficient air agitation system enhances scalding efficiency by circulating water around carcasses.

● Plucking Machine

Vertical A-frame design rotary pluckers with multiple rotating discs for fast and effective feather removal. Durable and replaceable rubber plucking fingers, designed to minimize carcass damage. High plucking rate and performance with minimal residual feathers. Suitable for broilers, layers, native chickens defeathering depending on different configuration.

● Automatic Head Cutter

The automatic chicken head cutter is installed on the overhead conveyor after defeathering. It removes heads cleanly and consistently with minimal carcass damage. Precise cutting with synchronized rotating blades, adjustable for different bird sizes.

● Automatic Feet Cutter

This machine automatically cuts off chicken feet at the ankle joint, ensuring clean separation and uniform results. It can be installed after head cutting or after evisceration.

3) Evisceration Section

● Evisceration Trough (Manual)

Operator platform for gutting and viscera removal with manual tools or semi-automatic evisceration tools, comes with water spray cleaning systems, waste collection or vacuum transportation for further separated processing.

● By-product Processing: Chicken Heart, Liver, Gizzard & Feet

Efficient by-product processing adds significant value to poultry slaughtering operations by enabling the collection, cleaning, and preparation of edible parts such as hearts, livers, gizzards, and feet.

● Gizzard Grease Removing and Peeling Machine

Removes internal contents and peels the inner yellow skin for a clean, finished product.

● Heart & Liver Washing Machine

Uses water agitation or rotary drums to remove blood and impurities, preparing the products for packaging or chilling.

● Chicken Feet Processing Line

Chicken feet (paws) are highly valued in export markets, especially in China, where strict standards for cleanliness and appearance are required. It consists of Feet Scalding & Peeling Machine, Nail Clipping Machine (Optional), Feet Washing Machine or Feet Screw Pre-chilling Machine, Feet Sorting & Grading Machine, Feet Packaging Machine etc.

These by-product processing systems can be integrated into your semi-automatic or fully automatic slaughtering line to create a complete and profitable poultry processing solution.

4) Pre-chilling Section

● Spiral Water Chiller

The spiral water chiller is designed for rapid and uniform cooling of whole chickens carcasses after evisceration. It uses a spiral screw and chilled water to ensure proper carcasses core temperature reduction before further processing.

Efficient Cooling: Reduces carcass temperature to below 4°C within 60 minutes.

Spiral Conveyor Design: Ensures even movement and full immersion.

Adjustable Chilling Time: Matches different processing speeds.

Benefits: Improves meat quality, reduces bacterial growth, and prepares products for grading or packaging.

● Air Chilling System

The air chilling system uses cold, filtered air to chill chicken carcasses in a clean and dry environment. It is ideal for processors targeting high-end or export markets that require no water retention.

Dry Cooling: Maintains natural meat color and texture.

Cooling Temperature: 0–4°C adjustable.

Airflow Design: High-speed circulating fans ensure even chilling.

Conveyor Line Compatible: Can be integrated with overhead or tunnel systems.

Optional Humidity Control: Prevents meat surface drying.

Benefits: Reduces water usage, meets export standards, and delivers better product appearance and shelf life.

5) Whole Carcass Sorting & Packaging Section

● Whole Chicken Weighing and Sorting Machine

The whole chicken weighing and sorting machine is a high-efficiency automated system designed to weigh and sort whole carcasses into specific weight categories, optimizing packaging and ensuring consistency in product presentation.

Automatic Weighing: Uses high-precision electronic scales to weigh each carcass accurately as it moves through the conveying system.

Pneumatic Sorting: Once weighed, chicken carcasses are sorted into predefined weight classes via automated sorting mechanisms.

Adjustable Weight Grades: Customizable sorting criteria to meet varying customer specifications and market requirements.

Speed and Capacity: Capable of handling up to 6000 birds per hour, ensuring high throughput for large-scale operations.

Real-Time Monitoring: Equipped with a digital display for real-time weight data and performance monitoring.

● Whole Chicken Packaging Machine

Various Packaging Options: Supports various packaging formats, including vacuum packaging, shrink-wrapping, or tray packing.

High-Speed Operation: Ensures fast, efficient packaging for up to 6000 birds per hour.

Enhanced Efficiency: Fully automated system reduces labor costs and processing time.

Customizable Packaging: Flexibility to meet different packaging requirements and market standards.

This system can be tailored to fit the capacity and specific requirements of your poultry processing operation, optimizing product handling, sorting, and packaging efficiency.

6) Cutting Section

The chicken cutting process is designed to efficiently portion whole chickens into commercial cuts such as breasts, wings, thighs, and drumsticks.

Main Cutting Steps :

● Manual or Semi-automatic Cutting Line

Operators or semi-automatic machines perform precise cuts according to customer specifications.

● Breast Cutting

Separates breast meat from the carcass, often using butterfly or single fillet cutting techniques.

● Wing & Leg Separation

Detaches wings and legs at joints for clean and uniform cuts.

● Thigh and Drumstick Division

Splits the leg into drumstick and thigh portions for retail packing.

● Back and Frame Trimming

Carcass frame and backbones are trimmed and collected separately, often used for further processing.

Optional Equipment:

● Overhead Conveying Line

● Belt Conveyors for smooth product transfer

● Cutting Tables and Cutters

● Pneumatic Scissors or Portioning Devices for increased efficiency

● Integrated Weighing and Sorting Machines for portioned parts

This cutting process can be scaled and configured according to production capacity and product types, forming a key part of an integrated poultry processing solution. Contact us freely if you need a complete offer and solution with diagrams, equipment lists, or layout planning!