Currently, biosecurity for farms is vital. We have a disinfection station at the top of the hill approaching the abattoir. Please stop there, and spray your tires and footwear. Remove as much excess mud as possible.  As you descend the hill, you will see the drop-off point for your birds. There will be an additional foot wash station there. The second wash is to clean your shoes before getting back into your vehicle. Please walk only in this small area. You will have adequate room to turn around. Please do not continue driving toward the house.

Booking your date for processing 

Booking early is essential. Staff must be scheduled, and inspectors must be assigned. A $100 deposit is required to ensure your birds have a definite processing date. This is to protect both the business and the client. The client is assured that their birds will be processed without exception on a defined day, and the business will not lose money to cancelation. If a date has been selected, and a deposit is not received, that date will be secure until another customer requests that date and pays the committed deposit. The customer who did not pay the deposit will be offered another day but will be subject to the same expectation. Deposits will be deducted from the costs of processing. 

Drop off / Pick up protocols 

At drop-off, an info sheet outlining your order must be filled out and signed. A blank form will be sent to you when booking. It clarifies details specific to how you would like your birds priced and any other particularities.  

Birds arriving the night before processing will be placed into crates by yourself, 5 birds max per crate. The rental per crate is $6. Processing will start at 6:00 am. Your birds will be ready, and the inspector will be there.  An agreed arrival time is important for the night before the drop-off to ensure the info sheet reflects accurate information. A late fee of $60 will be applied if you are not punctual. 

Birds that arrive in the morning must be crated and ready for processing by 6:00 am. A late fee of $60 will be applied if you are not punctual.

All birds must be fasted for 24hours prior to processing. Overnight crated birds will be placed on pallets to prevent birds from eating ground material. The fast is to clean the digestive tract, the craw. A chicken’s full gut contains salmonella. This is a problematic pathogen that takes extra time to maintain cleanliness in the processing system. If your birds are not properly fasted, there is a surcharge of $1 per bird. 

Problematic cases/diseased birds 

If your birds suffer from diseases (black head, caused by mites), this too will take extra time to process.  Birds with mites are often missing feathers. Every black tip must be removed manually. Mites can be caused by pine shaving bedding that has not been changed often enough. The best bedding for chickens is straw. It is super absorbent and dries quickly. There will be a $1 surcharge for each bird with mites. 

If the inspector condemns your birds, the inspector will submit in writing the reasoning.  Hendrickson Abattoir will not be responsible to the client regarding these condemned birds. The inspector examines the birds prior to processing and the inspector will then later examine the internal organs and body after evisceration for disease. This role is crucial for retail food safety. The condemned birds will be disposed of immediately. They are not allowed to be returned to the client. The processing charge for condemned birds after evisceration will be $3, as half the processing work will have been completed. 

Payment options 

Processing fees will be paid at pickup. An interact machine, point of sale, is available. This machine will take debit or credit cards. We accept cash or e-transfer.

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We are developing strategies and systems to best meet the needs of our customers and their birds. 

We are excited to be a part of the backyard farming community producing a product that lives outside eating grass and living the life of a healthy happy chicken. 8 billion chickens are consumed annually in the  USA. The average North American consumes 201 pounds of chicken a year. Chickens are amazing creatures that give us so much. They deserve to be living the best life possible.

Our motto at Hendrickson Homestead, is "We produce happy food".

We look forward to meeting you and doing business.

Regards,

Shelley Hendrickson