How do you pluck a bird?

[aliciaplus3]

So, this brings a question. Do pluckers cost a lot of money? Any recommendations for a plucker?

I bought one for just under $500 but I went with the biggest drumb I could find hoping it would do my heritage turkeys. We discovered it is helpful but will not pluck them clean. There were cheaper ones out there but here is the one I got

the drum is 23 inches across and it stands 30 inches tall... not a small piece of equipment

 

[erehwon]

We keep chickens, ducks and geese and wet pluck them all by hand. They are dunked into water that is @ 65-70 C (we estimate rather than thermometer check) until we can pull out the wing feathers with no problem. For the ducks and geese we add a dash of washing up liquid. Tried dry plucking but could not get on with it and it seemed to take forever so the birds got dunked!!

I have read somewhere in the past that hanging a duck/goose for 5/7 days before plucking and butchering makes it easy to pluck and improves it flavour, not sure is that is true or not as I have never tried it.

 

[jnicholes]

We keep chickens, ducks and geese and wet pluck them all by hand. They are dunked into water that is @ 65-70 C (we estimate rather than thermometer check) until we can pull out the wing feathers with no problem. For the ducks and geese we add a dash of washing up liquid. Tried dry plucking but could not get on with it and it seemed to take forever so the birds got dunked!!

I have read somewhere in the past that hanging a duck/goose for 5/7 days before plucking and butchering makes it easy to pluck and improves it flavour, not sure is that is true or not as I have never tried it.

I'll have to try that plucking method next time I get a goose. Thanks!