Case: Up to 80 chickens in 90 seconds – lower transport costs with the RedUnit system

07 September 2026 | VOGELSANG

• Focus on sustainability
• Food Processing
• Water and Energy

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A British poultry processing company processes whole chickens for retail. During production, chickens that have fallen on the floor or been damaged are removed from the process. This generates around one tonne of poultry waste per hour.

Previously, the waste was collected in bulk by an external contractor and shredded for use in the animal feed market. However, the bulky waste resulted in high storage and transport costs.

The challenge

The company needed a more efficient solution for handling the large volumes of poultry waste. Before shredding, the waste took up considerable space, resulting in high storage and transport costs.

At the same time, the solution had to handle different materials, including chicken carcasses, bones, offal and meat, reliably.

The solution

In 2018, the company chose a RedUnit system from Vogelsang comprising a twin-shaft RedUnit XRL industrial shredder and a progressive cavity pump from the CC series.

The RedUnit system shreds and pumps the poultry waste in a single process. The shredding speed is adapted to the material, allowing the pump to operate at a constant speed. Designed for high loads, the shredder can process up to 80 chickens in 90 seconds.

The result

Following shredding, more material can be transported in the same containers. This reduces transport costs and makes better use of container capacity.

As the RedUnit system does not require downstream pumps or screw conveyors, the company also saves space, energy and labour. The result is a more efficient, integrated solution for shredding and pumping poultry waste.