Hi folks! I'm looking for suggestions on the best chicken plucker for handling small batches of chickens that comes either as a COMPLETE easy to assemble kit, or completely pre-assembled.
I would be looking to do extra cockerels, retired hens and extra big Cornish crosses in it, so should probably handle birds from 3-4lbs-12lbs live.
The most important thing; I'm looking for something I can open the box and put together without any more effort than a trip to our local understocked home depot in a smallish four door sedan for parts. So, for example, if I have to try to source a motor I know nothing about or a 55 gallon drum and drill 50 perfectly sized plucker finger holes, I don't want to even try it. I don't drive and my partners car is limited. Nobody with more knowledge or resources than me is going to help me with it. If I have to order my own rubber fingers, I'm just sitting wondering why such an essential part is not included and waiting for it to be delivered from somewhere else.... Well, you get the idea. I don't have a ton of opportunities to drive around from store to store getting parts so something shipped to my door complete or ready to assemble with no extra parts is really best, though I can make a trip for a few screws and washers and have some standard tools for assembly. Things that need a lot of extra work, tools, or trips to assemble never get assembled in my household.
(Case in point, the rain barrel my sister got me, promised the tools to help me install cause I didn't own them, and 5 years later is missing half its pieces and cracked and defunct in my back yard dreaming of being repaired and used. It just doesn't end up getting done for 'Reasons'(tm))
It can generally be a very small or slower plucker. I wouldn't be doing more than 20 birds at a time. I don't mind waiting 20-30 minutes for it to finish a batch like that. I don't mind doing one bird at a time most of the time. It just has to be good enough and complete enough out of the box that it will actually get built and then used!
Obvious bonus points for an affordable price. Extra bonus points for being big enough to hold small turkeys for the holidays but still gentle enough to handle small extra cockerels.
Thanks so much for your suggestions!
I would be looking to do extra cockerels, retired hens and extra big Cornish crosses in it, so should probably handle birds from 3-4lbs-12lbs live.
The most important thing; I'm looking for something I can open the box and put together without any more effort than a trip to our local understocked home depot in a smallish four door sedan for parts. So, for example, if I have to try to source a motor I know nothing about or a 55 gallon drum and drill 50 perfectly sized plucker finger holes, I don't want to even try it. I don't drive and my partners car is limited. Nobody with more knowledge or resources than me is going to help me with it. If I have to order my own rubber fingers, I'm just sitting wondering why such an essential part is not included and waiting for it to be delivered from somewhere else.... Well, you get the idea. I don't have a ton of opportunities to drive around from store to store getting parts so something shipped to my door complete or ready to assemble with no extra parts is really best, though I can make a trip for a few screws and washers and have some standard tools for assembly. Things that need a lot of extra work, tools, or trips to assemble never get assembled in my household.
(Case in point, the rain barrel my sister got me, promised the tools to help me install cause I didn't own them, and 5 years later is missing half its pieces and cracked and defunct in my back yard dreaming of being repaired and used. It just doesn't end up getting done for 'Reasons'(tm))
It can generally be a very small or slower plucker. I wouldn't be doing more than 20 birds at a time. I don't mind waiting 20-30 minutes for it to finish a batch like that. I don't mind doing one bird at a time most of the time. It just has to be good enough and complete enough out of the box that it will actually get built and then used!
Obvious bonus points for an affordable price. Extra bonus points for being big enough to hold small turkeys for the holidays but still gentle enough to handle small extra cockerels.
Thanks so much for your suggestions!
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