Abstract: A shackle assembly has a clip that is essentially permanently affixed to the overhead conveyor in a poultry processing plant and a shackle that can be attached to and detached from the clip without the use of hand tools. Significant motion of the shackle relative to the clip is permitted without promoting accidental detachment from the clip such that the shackles can be manipulated as need be by various guide structures and the like throughout their movement along the processing line and inspectors can move the suspended carcasses into the most advantageous positions for visual inspection. However, when detachment is desired, a locking head on the shackle that is loosely confined within a key slot in the clip can be oriented in such a way as to permit the shackle to be withdrawn from or replaced within the clip when the conveying line has been disengaged and stopped. Alternative embodiments are disclosed of both the clip and the shackle, including both metal and non-metal forms.

Abstract: The holding fixture has a narrow neck fork designed to fit entirely inside of and between the shoulder joints of the carcass so as to utilize the inside surfaces of the shoulder joints as a means of centering the carcass and precluding side-to-side movement thereof. Each arm of the fork is narrow enough to fit entirely between the neck and the corresponding shoulder joint. A modified fixture for use with a crop-inclusive eviscerator has a resilient projection on the backrest between the arms of the fork to yieldably push the backbone at the base of the neck out away from the backrest to facilitate snagging of the esophagus by a hook-shaped dislodging tool utilized as part of the eviscerator.