Plucking(by hand) was SIMPLE!!!!!!!

[chooniecat]

I had an older roo that some stupid human abandoned when they moved(brought to me by realtor) and he was very gentle and didn't make a sound while here but can NOT have another roo so opted to eat him. Have only skinned my previous birds and was reluctant because of how time consuming plucking is(so I had heard) WELL- the feathers came out easily and everything went beautifully(thank you Lord) and he's in the crock pot now. so proud.thanks to all that guided me.

 

[duckluv]

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[Buster52]

To the OP, congrats!!! Hand plucking isn't so bad if you just have a couple of birds to do.

But when you have to 50...

 

[chooniecat]

Oh no-I understand the need to have something automated(or maybe 1 person per bird!!) if you have lots but the impression I got from family(plucking in the old days was harder?????) was how long it would take. it was a live and learn thing and believe NONE of what you hear. I still prefer skinning but the past older birds I've done took forever to skin. and this bird had a good week living with me(I am obviously NOT a vegetarian) but I DO believe the critters need to have a good life and end it quick when it ends.

 

[TeamChaos]

I have yet to process a single bird but I am thrilled to hear that it can and is possible to do a good job defeathering by hand. I've gotten the same feedback from family members "Uh, it's so much work! Pay someone else to do it" or "you need one of those whiz-bang things to do it right" and I'm in the same boat as you- when the day comes, the numbers won't be high enough to justify the $$ output either way. Thanks for posting this!

 

[Wolfwoman]

I plucked all (except about 10) of mine by hand this summer, it really is fairly simple. I had about 35 birds total.

 

[Judy]

I've done a fair number over the years and never even heard of a mechanical plucker til joining this forum.

My son absolutely hates getting all those pinfeathers out, but it does not bother me, so we divide the labor accordingly and everybody is happy. He will do anything but pluck -- well, he will pluck if he runs out of other chores, but certainly avoids it. I wonder how much of people saying it is hard is simply preference, or maybe impatience.

I would not consider a mechanical plucker unless I was in a commercial operation. I have never skinned one (except the one we scalded too hot) but everyone here likes to eat the skin....

Skinning is hard, too -- in the sense of hard work, hard to pull. Personal preference, I guess.

 

[Buster52]

It isn't so much hard as time consuming. When you have a lot of birds and only so much time, a mechanical plucker (whether table top, tub style, or home made drill bit) is just practical, especially if you are selling them.

A bird here and there for the table, though, that's not really a big deal.

Preference is a factor though. I've skinned, hand plucked, and used both table top and tub. I much prefer skinning for my own use.