Poultry chiller with open auger

A chiller for reducing the temperature of previously eviscerated oven-ready whole birds and the like, comprising:

• a tank having first and second opposed ends and defining a water reservoir between said ends;
• water fill means for introducing water in said reservoir at a first end of said tank and draining water at a second end of said tank and forming a movement of water generally from said first end toward said second end of said tank;
• an auger in said tank extending between said first end and said second end of said tank, said auger including an auger shaft and a helical blade structure mounted to and extending about said auger shaft, said helical blade structure defining therein water passages for passing water from one side to the other side of said blade structure said water passages extending radially from said auger shaft and facing approximately tangentially of said auger shaft and movable with said auger in a rotary direction away from the birds in said tank;
• power means in driving relationship with said auger and arranged to rotate said auger about an axis of rotation in a rotary direction to urge birds from said second end toward said first end of said tank and to move said water passages of said auger in a rotary direction away from the birds in said tank so that the birds do tend to not pass through said water passages of said auger;
• whereby the birds are urged in one direction by the auger from the second end of the tank toward the first end of the tank as the water flows in the tank through the water passages of the auger blade in a counter flow direction.