Automated poultry slaughterhouse, 10,000 birds/hour: technical, operational and cost-per-bird study
Two linked studies for a large automated chicken processing plant offering toll slaughtering: the first sets out how the line should be built and run, the second works out what each bird really costs.
| Facility | Automated poultry plant, toll-slaughtering model |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 10,000 birds/hour (80,000 birds in one shift) |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Slaughter | Manual halal slaughter by knife, no stunning |
| Product | Chilled and frozen, with a cut-up line |
| By-products | Rendering unit (protein meal and fat) |
| Design conditions | Ambient temperature up to 50°C |
The challenge
An investor with land wants to build an automated plant that slaughters for other producers. Before building, he needs clear answers to two questions: how should the line, equipment and utilities be set up, and what does each bird actually cost him, so he can price the service and decide?
What I did
Technical and operational study
- Design basis and the full line sequence, from live-bird receiving to loading.
- Equipment specifications for each hall: receiving and hanging, slaughter and bleeding, scalding and plucking, evisceration, chilling, and weighing, cut-up and packing.
- Chilling, freezing and storage, and the central refrigeration plant.
- Utilities: boilers, compressed air, water, wastewater treatment and rendering.
- Water and power balances, and manpower for each section.
- Critical control points and licensing requirements.
Cost-per-bird study
- Every cost line with its basis: quantity times price.
- Cost at each stage: trial run, full capacity, then with rendering.
- Month-by-month cost through the first year.
- Rendering income and its running cost.
- Sensitivity of the cost to prices, wages and investment.
- A1Crate unloading conveyor
- A2Crate washer
- A3Hanging station (dim light)
- A4Manual slaughter platform
- A5Bleeding trough
- A6Scalder
- A7Pluckers and hock cutter
- W1Blood tank
- W2Feather separation
- B1Rehang
- B2Evisceration carousels
- B3Inspection and washing
- B4Giblet line
- B5Multi-level chilling path
- C1Automatic weighing and grading
- C2Cut-up line
- C3Packing tables
- C4Blast freezing tunnels
- C5Pallet storage
- C6Chilled loading dock
- P1Hand and boot wash
Conceptual drawing to show the method, with no real dimensions or equipment.
The outcome
- The owner knows the cost per bird at each stage, and his margin against the service fee.
- He knows which items matter most: labour and fuel together make up about three quarters of the variable cost.
- Rendering turned out to be more than a licensing condition: it turns waste into net income.
- He has a ready file to request supplier offers.
- Labour50%
- Steam fuel24%
- Electricity10%
- Spares and chemicals8%
- Fixed costs4%
- Water and bags4%
Scope of work
Common questions
How many workers does a 10,000 birds/hour poultry plant need?
The production line alone usually needs roughly 50 to 60 people, plus support, management and quality staff. The number depends on the level of automation and the share of cut-up product.
What is the biggest running cost in a chicken processing plant?
Labour first, then fuel for steam. That is why line design and boiler efficiency feed straight into the cost per bird.
Is a rendering unit worth it?
In Saudi Arabia it is usually a licensing condition, and its protein meal and fat cover its running cost with a surplus.
How is the cost of toll slaughtering calculated?
From hanging until after the scale. Any service after that, such as packing, freezing or storage, is priced separately.
Planning a poultry plant?
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