Pin Feathers

[jaku]

I hate pin feathers! I plucked this weekend and it took FOREVER to get them all. It doesn't seem like I would need pliers, tweezers, and 45 minutes to pluck a chicken. I scalded for 30-40 seconds in 130 degree water. What am I missing?

 

[jaku]

Anything? After reading some of the posts here, was 130 degrees not hot enough possibly?

 

[tuskajones]

Hi Jaku--I am new to this as well. I butchered 12 of my chickens last week over a period of 5 days. It too took me FOREVER to pluck them. I tried scalding with 130 degree water but found the 150 degree water to work much better--not perfect but better. I took a group of 8 birds to a local guy and he dipped them in water that was about 180 degrees and the feathers just stripped right off for him. I didn't do that since I was worried about cooking the meat but he just had them in and out real quick.

I got most of the feathers off, did the evisceration, a good cleansing squirt and into the cooler. I later picked off the pin feathers after they were cool and I wasn't so tired.

I am going to write up some "chicken butchering" notes to myself for the next time I do this so I don't forget!

Kelly

 

[greyfields]

You need a propane torch, like the kind chef's use to make creme brulee or the kind plumber's use with a trigger on it. You just quickly pass the flame over the skin and they burn up. I find it works very well even after you have chilled them a couple hours, as the feathers are easier to see then.

 

[bheila]

I am one of those folks who uses needle nose pliers or rubber gloves to rub the feathers off. Seems to work just fine for me. I would like to try the torch method on our next batch of chickens when we butcher tomorrow.

 

[Half-a-dozen]

Quote:
??? what do you just rub the rubber against the feathers??? then what?....They just come off?

 

[jaku]

Quote:
For the pin feathers or the hairs? Doesn't seem like the torch would get the deep feather shafts, unless I'm confused about what pin feathers actually are???

 

[annaserv]

About how many weeks old were the chickens with the serious pin feathers problems? I remember years ago when we butchered a lot of chickens over the course of several weeks. It started off easy, then eventually they hit the major pin feather stage, then it was slow going.

Oh I was so hoping to avoid it.

 

[jaku]

Quote:
They were 8 week old Cornish X's.

 

[bheila]

Quote:
??? what do you just rub the rubber against the feathers??? then what?....They just come off?

Yup! It's kind of like a plucker with the rubber fingers. Of coarse you do get some feathers that you have to squeeze out. My husband likes to refer to those ones like popping pimples.