New chicken plucker, rainig all the time!!

[Sabz]

I finally finished building a chicken plucker.. and it's raining everyday!!

My chickens are running out of food.. the distributor is opened only during weekends and I thought I'd butcher monday..

I guess I'll have to modify to plucker to go in the rain. Anyone did this? I can cover the motor, but I'm worried about the electrical cable plugged into the exterior outlet. I have no idea how I would protect that part from rain.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Doesn't the exterior outlet have a flip cover to keep rain out and a GFI outlet? If not a GFI then use a GFI outlet from batroom or kitchen and run the extension cord out the window. If you don't have a canopy make one with tarp, poles and rope.

 

[blucoondawg]

Yes use a gfci and the electricity and water can't harm anything the worse that can happen if the gfci will trip. If you don't have a gfci in your home you should be able to buy a cord or 3 way cord with it built in

 

[Sabz]

Yeah.. it is gfci! I was just not sure how safe it was. I remember when I was young my dad tried it and threw an extension cord in the pool. It worked.. I'm not that brave though.

For tarps, I wasn't sure how to attach the tarp to the side of my house so it would protect the outlet. I would have to tape it super securely..but with the rain..
It is a "door" that opens sideways when I plug something in it. I wonder why those thing don't open from the top, to form a sort of roof.

I think I will plug it inside the house, leave the door a bit opened for the cord, then put the plucker inside my garage. Only the extension cord will be in the rain.

Chickens ate feed + mashed eggs yesterday. Poor guys, they were eating outside on the lawn when it started POORING rain. There was a traffic jam in the coop door lol. Two would go in, sit down, shake away the water.. then proceed to enter. I watched until everyone was inside, it was quite funny to watch (I wanted to make sure a poor guy wouldn't be left behind in the rain.. but no!).

 

[blucoondawg]

That is only a cover on your outlet, you can buy a new weather proof cover at any building store which remains weatherproof even while cords are plugged in they have a plastic bubble type hood over the whole outlet it's just a couple screws to take it off and replace it

 

[Sabz]

I didn't even know that!!!! Thanks.

I don't know, never occured that I absolutely had to work an electrical machine in the rain, I usually wait it out.. but poor chicken are at 10 pounds now, it's time! Thanks.