Analysis of the causes of high rates of carcase rejection at a poultry processing plant.

A poultry processing plant received approximately 33.65 million birds from 87 commercial broiler growing units in 1992. Carcase rejection rates of 3 per cent or more were recorded in birds received from 13.2 per cent of the rearing houses distributed among 48 per cent of the growing units. The higher rates of carcase rejection were found on the units with an average flock size of over 100,000 birds and from rearing houses with a population of more than 30,000 birds. The main causes of rejection were birds dead on arrival, disease and miscellaneous conditions. The average rates of carcase rejection for birds dead on arrival and disease were higher on the units with a high rejection rate than on the others. The commonest cause of carcase rejection due to disease was colisepticaemia.