question about plucking cornish crosses

[bonelesswhitemeat]

hi,
I understand hot water to loosen the feathers ( and clean the bird?)
do i use detergent ( like dawn? ) and how much?
also wouldnt dunking it in cold water afterwards constrict the skin (feather follicles)
back up?
thanks...........

 

[bigredfeather]

I use just a few drops in 20 gallons of water. As for cold water constricting, not sure. I'm guessing you read that in Frugals butchering sticky. I did that when I first starting processing to prevent the skin from tearing in the plucker. Since then I have found that if you lower the water temp a few degrees and scald another 10 seconds or so, skin tearing is not an issue, so I no longer do that.

 

[bonelesswhitemeat]

Thank you..
So how long DO I keep it in the hot water?
thanks again

 

[Dogfish]

In my 3 gallon pot I use for quick culls it gets heated to 150 degrees, and less than a teaspoon of lemon Joy. It doesn't take much. Soap acts as a "surfactant", which lowers the surface tension and makes it easier to "wet" things, like feathers. 60-75 seconds for the scald works well for us.

I haven't found a reason to cool a bird after scalding and prior to plucking. We'll rinse with warm water and pluck any hanger's on. Only after gutting to they get a chill.

 

[Beekissed]

That's something you just have to play by ear...dunk, try the feathers, repeat if necessary. I usually dunk and swish for about 20 seconds but that varies as the water temp fluctuates.

 

[bonelesswhitemeat]

ok

thank you