Abstract: Birds 24 are placed on bird support mandrels 22 and their wings are spread into the recesses 68 at the peripheral portion of the rotary carrier wheel 11. As the wheel 11 rotates, the wings are severed from the carcasses by the wing cutters 12 and 13, the carcasses transferred to the carcass carrier 14, where the breasts are split longitudinally by the breast cutter 42 and the backbones of the carcasses are cut out by the backbone cutters 49 and 50. In the meantime, the previously cut-away wings continue to move with the rotary carrier wheel 11 where they are guided and cut apart at their joints by blade members 90-92.