Abstract: A bird is cut up by cutting free the fillets, that is the large portions of breast meat, loosening the wings, dislocating the thighs, and at the end removing as one piece a subassembly comprised of the thighs, the fillets, and the wings. More particularly the fillets are freed in two steps, namely first they are partially from the skeleton starting from the sternum, and then, after the wings have been loosened, the cut is completed. In addition the coracoids are cut between the two stages of fillet-freeing, and the pygostyle is ripped or cut off at the end of the process. The bird to be cut up is fixed on a holder that fits within the thoracic cavity of the bird and remains on this holder through all of above-described treatment steps.

Abstract: An apparatus for dewinging a bird comprises a generally stationary base, a holder that supports the bird to be dewinged stationarily adjacent the base, and a carriage longitudinally displaceable forward on the base. The carriage can be displaced relative to the base longitudinally forward toward the bird and backward away from the bird. A pair of transversely spaced and transversely displaceable grippers carried on the carriage are engageable around wings of the bird on the holder when the carriage is displaced forward adjacent the bird. These grippers can be closed on the wings and transversely displaced apart after closing of same for tearing the wings from the bird on the holder.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting a soft material, such as meat, from a hard material, such as bone, according to the invention has a chain formed of a succession of alternating cutting and coupling links extending along a longitudinal line. The cutting links are of generally polygonal cross-sectional shape and have corners forming longitudinally extending sharp cutting edges spaced a predetermined maximum transverse distance from the line. In addition the coupling links are of a predetermined maximum radial dimension from the line shorter than the distance such that the cutting edges project transversely beyond the coupling links and the cutting links are rotatable in the chain about the line. This chain is advanced in a longitudinal direction parallel to the line. Thus the cutting links will naturally pivot to lie flat on the hard material and slide therealong, neatly cutting along the hard/soft interface.

Abstract: An apparatus for holding a gutted animal body having an empty body cavity that has an open end and a closed end has an elongated holder body having a front portion and a rear portion offset along a longitudinal axis of the holder body from the front portion. The portions are interconnected for relative axial displacement between an adjacent position and an axially extended position. A holder is provided on the front portion for engaging same in the closed end and another holder is provided on the rear portion for engaging same adjacent the open end when the holder of the front portion is engaged with the closed end. The system is operated such that, on engagement of the holder body in the body cavity with the portions in the adjacent position, the rear holder is engaged with the animal body adjacent the respective end, the front and rear portions are axially extended away from each other, and then the front holder is engaged with the respective cavity end.