Scalding-plucking and other questions

[fresheggs4u]

I have 6 roosters that are about 9 months old that weather permitting i plan to slaughter on Saturday. What temperature should the scald water be? My mother suggested that i add baking soda to the water. Do I?

Also i purxchased a couple of years ago a chicken plucker the wheel type. Any suggestions on using it. It really didn't come with any instructions.

I have slaughtered before but the birds did not look very "pretty." the last few times I skinned them instead of plucking. I really want full birds to roast.

I plan to take them from the roost on Friday evening and crate them individally until the Saturday.

Any suggestions or helpful advise?

Thanks! The roosters are Black Copper Marans and I Plymouth Barred Rock (he a litle agressive.)

 

[Buster52]

Water temps 145 to 155 degrees. I've heard dish washing liquid helps, but have never heard of anyone using baking soda. Not saying it isn't true, though.

The wheel type is actually called a table top plucker. Because it has four legs and a flat surface like a table, not because it sits on a table. I have one of these. I put a storage container under it to catch the feathers. Because mine is old and has no on/off switch, I plug it in to a power strip with a switch on it. Works great. Just lower the bird slowly onto the spinning rubber fingers until they start taking the feathers off. I start with the back, then do the breast and belly, finishing up with the winds. The large wing and tail feathers I pluck by hand.

Might take a while to get the hang of it, and you might tear the skin in a few places, but once you do it is really quite simple.

 

[fresheggs4u]

thanks for your comments. I have heard of dishwashing detergent too. How long or how many times should i dip the bird to scald?

Thanks~!

 

[booker81]

I wrote up a page on my BYC page on processing, you can click on the link under my avatar, and then click to the page "how-to-process-chickens" or something like that.

I use 150 degree water with a squirt of dishsoap in there. I like to give a good rinse off on the birds before plucking so I'm not loading the scald water with blood and dirt (stinky!!!), and so I get a quicker soak of hot water to the bird. Swish him around for a few, and then test if he's ready to come out by pulling on a long wing feather. When it comes out with a light tug, he's done scalding.

I've not used a plucker before, but a good scald goes a long way in making it easy to pluck by hand.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

I never measure the water temp, I just boil it and put it in a bucket to take it outside. When the leg scales start to peel off I take the bird out and pluck away. Sometimes the birds need to be re-dunked. I've never heard of adding anything to the water, though. It couldn't hurt.

 

[bigredfeather]

I use 145-150 degree water for 30-45 seconds. I do put dish detergent in the water. You can tell they're ready by when you can easily put out the tail and wing feathers.

 

[Buster52]

Quote:
I swish the bird around and up and down for about 8 to 10 seconds, pull it out, then repeat. I do it 3 times or so. This gets the water into the hard to reach areas.