A tool, or probe, is provided for insertion into a avian or poultry
carcass for removing the crop and/or windpipe and/or gullet and/or other
undesired viscera from the neck of the bird carcass. The probe has
helical threads protruding from a probe body. V-shaped voids are cut into
the helical threads to provide teeth for removal of the crop and other
inedible viscera from the carcass. A cam and method of manufacturing a
cam for use in decropping machines and other food processing machinery is
provided. The cam includes plastic guides that are pre-shaped in two
dimensions and then wrapped about a three dimensional cam frame to
provide a desired path for a cam follower.