A guide for small-scale poultry producers and processors using a Massachusetts-inspected mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU) or stationary on-farm facility. The guide was created by New Entry in partnership with the New England Small Farm Institute with input from Massachusetts state agencies, outlining the food safety and recordkeeping practices required of small-scale poultry processors operating under a slaughter license from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, including:

• On-farm processing safe food handling plan
• Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
• Standard Operating and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs and SSOPs)
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan
• Sample Daily Use Report Logs for Massachusetts poultry processors

For questions or clarification about the Handbook, or for technical assistance in completing your local and state approvals for MPPU use, please contact the New Entry office at 978-654-6745.

New Entry prepared a Handbook for Small-Scale Poultry Producer-Processors that describes how to apply for licensure to process poultry using a Massachusetts-inspected MPPU. Producers are encouraged to use the guide to understand basic requirements for MPPU use and licensure. The guide contains:

• Overview of Massachusetts regulations regarding poultry processing
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Step-by-Step guidance on completing the Mass Slaughter License application
• What to expect after completing the application
• Regulatory Resources

For questions or clarification about the Handbook, or for technical assistance in completing your local and state approvals for MPPU use, please contact the New Entry office at 978-654-6745.

We've learned a lot over the last few years while planning, building, operating, repairing, and managing a mobile poultry processing unit. Drawing on our own experiences and those of other poultry processing projects around the country, we put together this comprehensive guide to planning and constructing an MPPU or stationary facility for on-farm poultry processing.

The guide incorporates tips and lessons learned, case studies and example plans, and lots guidance for anyone thinking about building their own MPPU or other on-farm poultry processing facility, including:

• Choosing a facility type
• Selecting equipment
• Designing a floor plan

For questions about the guide, please contact the New Entry office at 978-654-6745.

This is a guide for training on the basics of raising farm livestock (specifically chickens and goats). Each lesson can be used independently if desired by the program. It was written for a community farm program in Central Virginia, however most of the concepts are transferable across geography. Local livestock laws and regulations and supply sourcing stores will need to be researched to be relevant for other locations.

This guide describes the most important challenges for profitable niche poultry enterprises in New England and some ways that producers have overcome those challenges. Through interviews and direct farm research, New Entry worked with several small-scale poultry growers to track best practices and build enterprise budgets for alternative poultry enterprises in New England. For purposes of this guide, the focus is primarily on two chicken enterprises: laying hens, with fresh eggs as the primary product; and broilers, with whole roasting birds as the primary product.