A full chicken is portioned into eight parts -breast, back, two thighs, two drumsticks and two wings. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]
Dear Dr Messo
I am a broiler poultry farmer selling whole fresh and frozen birds to my customers in various hotels and eateries. Of late, we have suffered a lot with these frequent closures of restaurants due to Covid-19 restrictions. What can I do to add value to my chickens and expand my market? Distraught farmer, Nairobi
Dear Distraught farmer,
- Causes and solutions of pecking in flock of birds
- How to handle chicken before slaughter
- 9 causes of decreased egg production in flock
- Newcastle disease: Signs, prevention and treatment
We have addressed this issue before but I will expolre the topic once again. Value-added agriculture in poultry production is not a new phenomenon. The highly mechanised chicken processors are already doing this to increase appeal of their products to meet consumer needs. Value-addition will increase your profits, give you a chance to brand your products and stand out in this competitive market. You will have a chance to increase your market share as you will have additional product range, you can price your products competitively with additional avenue of making profit. Here are ways farmers can add value to their products.
8-Piece cutup
A full chicken is portioned into eight parts -breast, back, two thighs, two drumsticks and two wings. Alternatively, you can portion the whole chicken into breast halves, poultry halves, winglets, drumettes, breast quarters, leg quarters, legs (drumstick+ thigh), gizzards and necks. These can then be packed separately and priced based on demand and clientele. Wings are quite popular in most fast-food eateries and hotels while backs, feet, necks are fast moving products in lower economy markets. Most families nowadays do not want to buy a full chicken, they may only buy two thighs or legs for supper and that is it. We must sell convenience to new generation clients.
De-boned meat
In this process, meat is physically separated from the bone of the breast portion and some of the thighs. This is then packed as cutups and sold to high-end restaurants, hotels and retail markets. Make sure the skin is intactly preserved, or you can remove the skin depending on the demand of the customer. Deboning can be done using a kitchen knife. When doing this, wear protective gloves, scrap the flesh along the bones cutting off any connective tissues linking meat to bones.
Cubed chicken breast
From the chicken breasts, using a sharp knife cut the meat along the bones through the connective tissues as you separate the meat from bones. These are then sliced into cubes, packed, and sold as fresh or frozen products. Cobb 500 breed of chicken has meaty breasts. Thigh muscles can also be sliced into cubes on a flat cutting board and packed.
Marinated chicken portions
In this process, chicken parts are treated with marinades for 40 to 72 hours. The final products have improved flavour, are spicey, aromatic, tastier and easy to prepare at home.
Chicken nuggets
Chicken portions from the breast muscles are breaded and then deep fried before they are packed and sold as fresh or frozen. The nuggets are popular in fast food markets, KFC and clubs.
Pet food
The bones, together with meat trimmings, feet, heads and blood can all be minced together and sold as pet food.
[The writer is head vet at Kenchic, watsonmesso@yahoo.com]
