Home made chicken plucker / how to make

[Arielle]

BTW I used mine again last weekend. Sadly had to cull a roo. With exception on a few bruised knucks (My fault) worked great as dry plucking. Didn't even try scalding this time. Could prolly replace fingers with some fresher ones, been sitting 2 years but still works great. Roo in FC and not 1 pin feather, and he was BA so I could of seen really easy. Black feather white ski

I really love the design and keep looking at it. Lots of cornish x on my butchering schedule.

WHat else could you use for fingers??

 

[viper125]

Just wondering if any one has plans for the tub style they would share. Things are tight here since were both disabled. I have most things figured out but no exact sizes.
I see the wizbang uses a 2.5 pulley and a 14" pulley for the right speed. Anyone try other sizes and did it work?
Also they use a 1" or 3/4 " shaft
The rest is pretty simple. Except wondering if plate diameter is smaller than drum for feathers to fall through. or if drum is raised enough to allow escape. Or both.
Also any certain pattern for holes in drum? Or for lenght or type of fingers.
Drum looks like no top or bottom is left in it.
Anyone who has advise or info or even plan with sizes I would love to hear from. My wife refuses to use the drill or table type, but will help if i build this.

 

[Arielle]

I understand your wife not wanting to use the table top style. I never did build that model as I couln't figure out an easy way to hold the drill steady. I hand pluck these days.

 

[epona9992002]

I don't pluck at all. I skin my chickens. No fuss, no muss.

 

[lokua]

I highly recommend the whizbang plucker book. Lots of minor details can be changed to suit your salvaged materials. My pulleys are 18 and 2 inches. My drive shaft is 1and 3/16. My drum has a bottom and a discharge hole on the side. The exact details can vary you just need a bunch of rubber fingers spinning around 200 rpm with plenty of torque and a good scald and it will work.

 

[viper125]

Well built mine. Used landscape ties for frame so it would be strong and heavy duty. Used a couple bearing blocks on top surface to hold shaft. Took a piece of 4" PVC and two end caps for drum. Ordered 28 rubber fingers for it. And used and old 110 fan motor i had. Found a car fan belt in the garage with a pulley on it and a larger one on the shaft of the drum. The shaft was a piece of all thread so i could use nuts and washers to tighten drum to shaft. Pretty simple and mostly recycled stuff i found around the barn and house.
It turned out to be great. Dipped them in my turkey fryer pot with heated water. And with in 1 minute chicken was plucked. Passed on to wife and daughter in law who gutted and removed feet and neck.Then on to Grandchildren who washed off an removed little feathers or anything missed and threw in cooler of ice water. About 3 minutes per chicken from the cone to the cooler. After 4-5 hours we wrapped in cellophane and white freezer paper and froze. We made it a family affair, with lots of conversation and joking. Plenty of rest breaks and meals. So actual time would run about 2-2.5 hours per 35 birds. And we did 145 of them. Spread out over two weekends.
Good experience for the grandchildren. And they had a healthy understanding of what's involved in the meats the eat. And how to do it humanely and clean. Also Its loaned out now. And so far 4 other church family members have done their flocks. Making me quite popular.

 

[Pa1963]

Seems like this would freak the chickens out.

 

[donrae]

Seems like this would freak the chickens out.

It might, if the birds were still alive

. They're pretty dead when they're plucked, so I really doubt they care how it happens.

 

[Wsullivan]

i love the design. I already have the rubber fingers. Could email me a materials list for it all? I plan to make one JUST like it. Thanks, WSullivan

 

[Rod-T]

This is what I built last week Jean

This looks great.. I was wondering if it could be designed to fit snug on a garbage can. .that way you could put a bag in.. and when it gets full just lift off and tie bag and put in a fresh one.. cool design I may have to try this