| Inside a Chicken Processing Plant |
 
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11. Grading Once cooled, birds are rehung in the shackles to be graded. Perdue graders determine whether a bird is of Grade A standard and then check for an additional 22 quality standards that meet Perdue's Grade A requirements. This is considered one of the more prestigious jobs in the plant, as it requires a trained eye to detect bruises or damaged areas that need to be cut away from the bird. Whole birds are sent down the line for packaging; remaining birds are cut up and sold in pieces. (11 of 14) |
photographs by Frank Johnston, graphic by Laura Stanton–The Washington Post
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