Slaughtering of chicken
(slagtning af kyllinger)

Denmark
1997-1999

Process description

The present data refer to slaughtering of chicken in eleven Danish chicken slaughterhouses in 1997-1999. The main processes are following: 1) chicken are transported to the chicken slaughterhouse in plastic boxes 2) the chicken are placed upside-down on a conveyor 3) the chicken are stunned and stabbed in the throat and the blood is tapped, 4) the chicken die from blood loss and the dead bodies are scalded in water (app. 60oC) 5) feathers, intestines, heads and feet are removed 7) the bodies are washed and cooled and eventually cut into pieces 8) the final product is packed and stored for distribution to the market. Feathers, blood, intestines, heads and feet are sold to bone meal factories. Wastewater generated during the process is treated more or less before it is diverted to municipal wastewater treatment. All production processes are automatic and modern.


Data collection and treatment

Average data have been derived from Pontoppidan and Hansen (2000).


Technical scope

All production processes as well as administration and local wastewater treatment processes are included. Maintenance of equipment, use of cleaning agents and chemicals are not included. Packaging material is not included. Emissions to municipal wastewater treatment plant are derived from five slaughterhouses with limited local treatment of the wastewater (mechanical screening and grease removal). Some chickens are frozen before distribution to the marked. The freezing process has not been included, but electricity consumption for freezing range between 0.12 to 0.26 kWh/kg depending on packaging type (Pontoppidan and Hansen, 2000).


Representativity

The eleven considered chicken slaughterhouses cover 100% of industrial slaughtering of chicken in Denmark and the data are very representative to industrial chicken slaughtering in Denmark in 1997 to 1999. Contributions from cutting processes are very limited and the present data are representative to both cut and non-cut products. 


Validation

Data from different factories are in mostly in the same order of magnitude and the present data provide a reasonable average.


Inputs and outputs

Inputs and outputs associated with chicken slaughtering are shown in the table below. Data are provided per kg of living chicken.

 

    Unit quantity
Inputs Living chicken kg 1
  Electricity kWh 0.2
  Heat kWh 0.1
  Water l 9
 
Outputs Products    
  Slaughtered chicken kg 0.728
  Blood, heads, intestines etc. kg 0.27
  Emissions to municipal wastewater treatment plant    
  BOD g 21
  total N g 2.2
  total P g 0.3

Location in database: Material/Food from industry/From slaughterhouses/Chicken, fresh, form slaughetrhouse

 

 

References

 

Pontoppidan O and Hansen P-I (2000). Renere teknologi på fjerdkræslagterier - projektrapport . Environmental project no. 573. Danish Environmental Protection Agency. In Danish.

 

Administrative information

Data URL: http://www.lcafood.dk/processes/industry/slaugtheringofchicken.html
Version no.: 1.00
Authors: Per H. Nielsen
2.-0 LCA Consultants and Ole Pontoppidan Slagteriernes forskningsinstitut.
Data entry: Data have been entered in this format by Per H. Nielsen
.
Data completed: 
July 2003.