Greetings Humboldt Poultry Cooperative Supporters and Enthusiasts:

A new growing season begins and many of you are likely planning your chick orders or dreaming of the delicious meals you will soon prepare with the season’s first birds.  We at the Humboldt Poultry Cooperative are ever grateful to those of you who support us by purchasing our products at local farmers’ markets and directly from our member farms.  But the production of high-quality pastured-poultry and rabbit meat for your dinner table is just one aspect of what we do.  Empowering you in your effort to raise your own meat remains one of our primary missions.

To this end, our “Junior” poultry processing trailer - designed with the backyard grower in mind – will again be available for rental in 2011.  If you are considering stocking your freezer from home-grown birds this season, or perhaps joining with friends and neighbors in a community-building, chicken-raising, family-feeding exercise, then come on out to our one of our equipment rental orientation.  We will introduce you to Junior if you haven’t met before, and teach you the safe and proper use of each piece of equipment.   You will see the process from start to finish and have your questions answered.  Attendance is required of ALL renters, whether you have used Junior before or not.   An annual refresher in the proper use of this equipment will assist us in keeping it functioning and available for use by the community.

What is Junior?:  Junior includes all of the industrial equipment essential to your safe and enjoyable poultry processing experience, including a scalder, plucker, table, chill tank, and killing cones.  All equipment is mounted on a 5’x8’ trailer you can easily haul with a small truck.  You provide the birds of course, as well as knives, water, power, propane, ice, and packaging materials.  (Please note: the HPC will provide everything needed for the orientation!!)

How do I rent?:  This year we’re extending the hours allotted per rental, enabling you to arrange for pick-up the evening before your processing day and drop-off the morning after.  Rental costs $100 each time, plus a fully-refundable $200 security deposit.  We require all paperwork and fees be submitted at least two weeks prior to rental.  Rental details will be thoroughly discussed at the upcoming orientation.