My Whizbang Inspired Scalder (but for much cheaper)

[jaku]

Quote:
Haha, oops- I forgot to put the pictures of where I put the burner BACK in. It heats with the same burner I took out. The Whizbang scalder book tells you how to re-install it, hooking it up to a new gas line.

 

[atd]

It's nice to see a completed Whizbang Scalder - there are plenty of satisfied plucker customers, but it's hard to find people who have actually made the scalder.

Like you, I'm planning to build a scalder - I have the parts, etc. But instead of getting around the size problem of a water heater (no Turkeys is a bummer) by adjusting the water heater, I went for a bigger tub. I found a stainless hydrotherapty tub on ebay for $100. It was just across the line in Ohio (I live three hours due south of jaku in Indiana). It was a real steal, I think, and other than being a bit too big, I think it'll be great for putting the Whizbang assembly underneath. I'm not sure if I'll be able to put in a bigger drain or not, but what I'd like to do is find a way to make it detachable so i can just pop it off the frame and hose it out. We'll see.

Like you I thought that his plans were bizarrely expensive for being a budget solution. $380 for a dunker gearmotor? Really? I'm planning to use a handle and do the dunking myself, unless I can find a cheap winch motor, which is the only kind of motor I can imagine that's slow enough to gear down to dunk chickens.

 

[jaku]

Nice! Yeah, I was shocked at all the weird things he put on that plan- it was disappointing compared to the great plucker book. Although, if you're going to build anything and modify it, Kimball's book takes a lot of the experimentation out of it. But really, does anyone need a motorized dunker arm?

 

[uhuh555]

Look like it will workout well--besides have a good look to it.

We do it the way my grandparents did it 75 years ago.

We put a 120 gallon galvanized stock tank two cement blocks high (16") over a wood (coal) fire. The larger the volume of water the smaller the temperature fluctuation will be. We dunk as many as 6 at a time and still maintain temperature. We do have to start heating the water 2-4 hours before starting (depending on outside tempatures). Butchering 200 to 500 at a time it would take us forever with anything smaller. After your done let the fire go out, the water cool down, than remove drain plug to drain it. It is easy to clean, and when not in use as a scolder can be used for a number of other purposes. Cost less than $80 (including cement blocks).

 

[Whizbanger]

Hello,

I'm the guy who published the Whizbang chicken scalder plan book and I appreciate this discussion and the great pictures of jaku's homemade scalder. I just found my way here from a Google search. I'm in the process of preparing to reprint the plan book and was looking for feedback so I can update the new printing. I published the book in 2005. The feedback I've gotten over the years has been positive. The Whizbang scalder automatically maintains temperature remarkably well, for as long as you are processing, and that is the primary benefit. Besides that, the insulated water heater tank keeps the heat in very well. A little propane goes a long way with an insulated tank. This lack of tank insulation is one drawback to the ready-made scalders on the market. I've been told that they take a lot of fuel to maintain optimum temperature. As for the auto dunker, most people don't make their scalder with it because of the extra cost. I make it clear in the book that the dunker is an option and it is possible to make a manual dunker.

The Whizbang scalder itself is something of a luxury for anyone who raises "backyard" chickens but it's a godsend if you raise a lot of birds to sell. Same with the auto dunker. I will say that one person told me the skate wheel on their auto dunker wore out and they substituted an idler pulley. That was his only constructive feedback, besides pointing out that it is important to keep the baffle in the water heater chimney, but the book makes that clear.

As for my own scalder, the one I developed before publishing the book, I use it every year and it continues to do the job very nicely. I simply roll it out of storage, fill it with water and turn it on. It heats up faster than an electric scalder and maintains temperature with no help from me. If you are interested in seeing more pictures of the Whizbang scalder, I invite you to read my online essay about it at this link: http://whizbangplucker.blogspot.com/2010/04/introducing-my-deluxe-whizbang-chicken.html

Also, for those of you who scald your birds with a turkey fryer pot or galvanized can, you will find a link in that essay to another essay in which I fully explain how to get the perfect scald on your birds, every time, no matter what kind of scalding equipment you use.

Thanks again for the great discussion and inspiring pictures.

Best Whizbang wishes,

Herrick Kimball

 

[bigredfeather]

A big BYC welcome Mr Whizbang!

Your name is used in this section on a very regular basis. I'm surprised it took you this long to find us. It would be hard to estimate how many birds have been plucked by people using some variation of your design by people who participate in this section. I'm guessing 10's of thousands. I would like to commend you on the ease of building a Whizbang plucker per the instructions in your book. I have had a few problems with mine, but overall it is the best thing since sliced bread for the back yard poultry enthusiest raising meat birds. I just build mine this past Spring, and have already plucked over 500 birds.

Hope you find the information on this sight helpful.

 

[Whizbanger]

bigredfeather-

Thanks for the welcome. I have been aware of this web site for awhile and actually joined it a year ago but have not had a chance to really look it over. The whole Whizbang "thing" has been incredibly time consuming, especially over the past couple of years, but I'm not complaining. I can tell you the plucker book has just been reprinted and several pages of additional information have been added to the back (but the basic plan is unchanged). Well over 20,000 copies of the book have been sold and I'm sure that by now every rural community in the country has at least one Whizbang or Whizbang-inspired plucker. What is amazing is that the Whizbang plucker is also in so many foreign countries too.

My goal is to get a Whizbang plucker in every garage in America. And I think this country would be all the better if that were the case.

If you or anyone else has some minor problems with your homemade Whizbang plucker, I recommend two online resources. First is the FAQ essay I provide at this link: http://whizbangplucker.blogspot.com/2010/04/frequently-asked-questions-about.html The other resource is WhizbangChickenPluckers at Yahoo (2,800+ whizbang plucker builders): http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/whizbangchickenpluckers/ Then again, I suspect this site has been very useful for answering questions.

One thing I continually run into is people asking technical questions about the Whizbang plucker because they want to make one themselves and it is obvious that they do not have a copy of the plan book. I'm all about saving money but the idea behind the book is that it is a complete how-to guide. I spent a lot of money in the development stages figuring out what worked and didn't as I made different prototypes, and I'll bet that used copies of the book can be had for the asking here or on other online groups for less than the $19.95 I charge. The point being, if you want to build a plucker, the book is worth having. It is exactly what I needed ten years ago when there were no clear plans out there for making a tub plucker.

Thanks again for the welcome. This is a great web site.

Best wishes,

Herrick Kimball

 

[Sundown_Farmer]

Herrick,
Just finished reading "Deliberate Agrarian". I read it aloud and giggled with my wife and kids. Please put together more writing. Referencing a blog is nice and all but I can share your writing with a wider audience if I have a copy in hand. Or 10 copies to hand out.

 

[decoursm]

ATD,

Do you have issues keeping the requisite temperature? Did you modify the thermostat to give you the requisite scalding temperature?

It looks really nice!

R,

Matt

 

[wsmoak]

Matt, welcome to BYC! You've commented on an old thread from 2010, and I don't think the user 'atd' is still around. (In fact, the post above looks like his only one.)

Just didn't want you to think everyone was ignoring you, but you many not get a response on that query.

You might try sending him a private message (click his username above and select 'Send PM') and see if he'll come back to update us on his scalded.

-Wendy