KINGSTON, Wash. -- Harley Soltes processes up to a few dozen chickens on a Friday, and "they're all sold by the next morning."

Working under a special poultry permit issued by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, he can sell only directly to the consumer. All of his customers, he said, have come to him by word-of-mouth.

"People hear you have (heritage chickens), and they become regulars," he said.

Ethnic customers love the stew hens for the taste and texture. Some especially ask that the protein-rich ovaries be kept, he said. "To them, that's the richest, best part of the chicken."

Though he recommends the meat be aged 48 hours before cooking, some cooks prefer the texture of recently killed birds.

His permit allows him to sell up to 1,000 birds a year. Under state law, the poultry must be sold whole and fresh, not frozen, and sales can be done only from the farm.

No permanent building is required under this permit, but WSDA food safety inspectors verify that the facility, the slaughter and the processing are done in compliance with food safety requirements. The permit fee is $75 for one year; $125 for two.

The WSDA also offers a food processor license, which allows up to 20,000 birds per year, sold direct or retail, whole or "parted out," fresh or frozen. Sales can be made from the farm, at farmers' markets, on the Internet, to restaurants or other food-service institutions, but only within the state.

A separate, dedicated facility is required for commercial processing. Fees range from $55 to $825, depending on gross annual sales.

Larger operations are required to obtain a license from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. This allows unlimited quantities sold whole or processed, direct or retail, and outside the state.

To slaughter and butcher one's own birds for one's own consumption, no license is required.

-- Steve Brown

Online

www.agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/FSP