End of Life
Chicago’s Municipal Code prohibits possession of any animal for the purpose of slaughtering for food without a state permit and business license to do so. See Ban of unlicensed possession of animals for slaughter in the Municipal Code (type 'slaughter' into the Search box).
We provide information about humane & sanitary slaughtering methods & options as part of teaching best practices and preventing problems. IF ONLY in case of dire emergency, backyard chicken keepers may want to be familiar with how to kill a chicken.
Below is an assortment of youtube video links (watch at your own discretion). They show a variety of techniques (and scales of operation.)
Following them is regulatory info about poultry processing from the State's Dept of Agriculture, and a list of Live Poultry firms in Chicago. They provide slaughter and butchering service for live animals quickly, cleanly, and inexpensively, and many backyard chicken keepers have used their services when culling from their flocks. See this description on the Learning Center's blog of one of these businesses, Chicago Live Poultry House, in Little Village.
VIDEOS
- This video of a simple and calm DIY method may surprise you.
- This excellent video of butchering, from Featherman.net, provides narration in detail (he makes/sells the plucking machine shown).
- This video shows a small-scale and apparently well-run operation. Michael Pollan’s description of Joel Salatin’s systems at Polyface Farm in An Omnivore’s Dilemma suggests something like this. It goes through the whole process (killing, plucking, gutting, etc) but isn’t narrated.
- See the New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI)’s mobile processing unit here.
POULTRY PROCESSING COMPANIES
Information from the IL State Dept of Agriculture. Main page is: Agricultural Industry Regulation
The following comes from the Division of Food Safety and Animal Protection, Bureau of Meat and Poultry.
They license and inspect meat and poultry brokers and processors around the state. According to the website, there are two types of processing establishments that the Bureau licenses.
- Type 1 establishments are licensed to receive live animals, slaughter them under inspection, and sell them to the public in IL.
- Type 2 establishments are licensed to receive live animals and provide slaughter and processing as a service, but not to sell the meat. The meat has to be for the owner’s personal use.
Their FAQs include the following (remember, this comes from the State of IL Dept of Ag):
- A ‘Custom Operation’ is one in which a person or entity offers slaughter and/or processing services to the public for a fee. The animal to be slaughtered or the meat to be processed belongs to the customer, not the establishment. After the services are rendered, all of the resultant material must be returned to the owner of the animal or altered in an approved manner to prevent its use as food.
- A ‘Producers Exemption’ is included in the Meat and Poultry Inspection Act. It exempts you from the requirements for inspection when slaughtering your own animal, on your own property, for consumption in your household. The producer/owner must own the animal for 20 days prior to slaughter.
- Meat products sold to the public…shall not be produced in a residence.
So it seems that the Live Poultry places (see the list at right) in Chicago at least need to be licensed as Type 2 establishments in order to stay in good standing with the Dept of Ag. Good to know this service is articulated in state regulations – and evidently some of these businesses expect it and/or are unfazed by the request.
The Producers Exemption piece, however, suggests that we should clarify rules before bringing birds from various households to another producers’ property, even if each person slaughters their own birds.
LIVE POULTRY ESTABLISHMENTS IN CHICAGO
See LTHForum.com, "the Chicago-based culinary chat site" for this list of live poultry shops in Chicago, updated in 2015:
"...Over the years I've maintained a list of live poultry shops in Chicago but haven't updated it for a while (was the last time really in 2008?). So this seems like as good a time as any to do it. Additions or corrections are appreciated."
Aden Live Poultry
2731 W Lawrence Av
Chicago
773-506-0169
Alliance Poultry Farms
1636 W Chicago Av
Chicago
312-829-1458
Cermak Live Poultry
1823 W Cermak Rd
Chicago
773-376-2222
Chicago Live Poultry
6421 N Western Av
Chicago
773-973-2531
Chicago Live Poultry House
2601 S Ridgeway Av
Chicago
773-542-9451
Ciale's Poultry Store
2141 W Armitage Av
Chicago
773-278-1118
Fermin's Poultry
5932 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago
773-581-8476
Francisco Pollo Vivo
3752 S Ashland Av
Chicago
773-523-8891
Garibay Poultry
2100 S California Av
Chicago
773-376-8828
John's Live Poultry
5955 W Fullerton Av
Chicago
773-622-2813
MAK Live Poultry
2600 W 51st St
Chicago
773-778-4334
Western Live Poultry
2003 S Western Av
Chicago
773-847-2222
Windy City Poultry
4601 S Kedzie Av
Chicago
773-847-7368
Wing Ho 128 Live Poultry
244 W 26th St
Chicago
312-225-5623
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The following list of Live Poultry places is from a discussion on the Chowhound site, and several of the writers there had comments to offer. See these: chowhound 1 and chowhound 2.
Chicago Live Poultry: http://www.freshchickens.com/
6421 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60639
773.381.1000, 773.973.2531
At Fresh Chicken, we slaughter live Chickens, Rosters, Hens, Rabbits, Ducks, Turkeys, Pheasants, Pigeons, Catfish and so much more in a Zabiha/Halal traditional way. http://www.antwifarms.com/chicagolivepoultry.shtml
If you buy chicken at a live poultry store, you should be aware that cooking chicken while in rigor mortis produces one tough bird. Either cook it real fast (less than an hour from slaughter to pan) or wait until the muscles relax. Long ago I raised chickens and dressed them out, so I remember this problem but not how long it takes for the muscles to relax. It would be a pity to have a bad experience with what will be a premium-priced bird.
Chicken in the stores I have seen are kept in batteries, which are cages stacked on top of each other. Battery chicken used to be a pejorative due to low quality from the cramped growing conditions. If the chickens haven't been kept in batteries too long, the quality may be OK.
Live poultry stores tend to come and go as they aren't the best neighbors and tend to serve ethnic groups where the history of refrigeration and chicken quality aren't all that great. One not mentioned in the thread cited in another post has a rather mysterious name. The sign outside says Live Zahiba Poultry although there is no telephone listing under that name. Several languages are in the sign. This store in in what is probably the crummiest block in Lincoln Square.
Live Zahiba Poultry
2741 West Lawrence Avenue
773-784-9921
Chicago Live Poultry House
2601 S Ridgeway
773-542-9451
Ali Ziyad, Owner, 2 employees, Since 1997
Chicago Live Poultry and Grocery
6421 N Western
773-973-2531
Ciale’s Poultry Store
2141 W Armitage
773-278-1118
John's Live Poultry and Egg Market
5955 W Fullerton
773-622-2813
This list was about sourcing good poultry and also peppers – may not all do the live poultry business --
Old World Market
5129 N Broadway
Chicago
773-989-4440
John's Live Poultry & Egg Market
5955 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago,IL 60639
773-622-2813
African Supermarket
4158 W Madison St
Chicago
773-722-2198
Chicago Live Poultry
6419 N Western Ave
Chicago,IL 60645
773-381-1000
Williams Live Chickens
1512 W Chicago Ave
Chicago,IL 60622
312-666-6138
Ash Town Store
4560 N Broadway
Chicago
773-293-1252
Makola African Super Market
1017 W Wilson Av
Chicago
773-935-6990
Unity Food Import
8462 S Commercial Av
Chicago
773-375-0800?
From the chowhound blog: Try also Noor Meat Market on Devon a couple blocks west of Western. They have the cheapest organic chickens around, and sometimes smaller ones.
From the chowhound blog: I have shopped at all the live poultry places mentioned in the previous email and Chicago Live Poultry on Western and Devon is best. Call ahead-- they might well have small chickens. Keep in mind that the weight they give you on the phone is the weight before the bird is dressed.
Linda Nellett’s recommendation:
Elston Chicken Poultry, 4350 N. Elston Ave (between Montrose and Pulaski), telephone 773-545-5589.
And also -- one of the closer, larger processors in IL: Central Illinois Poultry Processing, 119 N Cr 000 E, Arthur, IL 61911-6532, (217) 543-2937. Andy Jess, Owner; Est number of employees: 15; Year established: 1996