Whats better? Debraining/dry plucking or scalding?

[lightfoot]

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an ice pick is not used. i agree the same effect does happen but without the slinging of blood all over the place from thrashing of wings. also tightens feathers.

 

[Salt and Light]

For what it's worth, I'm skeptical of the argument that pithing makes plucking easier. I'm no brain surgeon but there is just no neurological explanation for why pithing versus decapitation improves feather removal. Just my OPINION. And you know what they say about opinions, right?

 

[lightfoot]

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I was as skeptical as anyone else until I tried it. We tried both ways and the pithed ones were easier to pluck. Watching the chickens puff up their feathers when cold and then relax them when they were warm indicates muscle control of their feathers. when they head is cut off the bird is in tramma, muscles tight and hard with no brain control. With pithing, as eyes close, I watch the body and wings relax, meaning feather muscles are relaxed. We both have opinions, right or wrong.

 

[vyieort]

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Johny,

While historically utilized, there is one main reason that makes severing the spinal cord problematic: it stops the heart pumping immediately. You want the heart to continue pumping to help exsanguinate your bird. I'm sure you know this, but bleeding from the jugulars will kill the bird by a loss of blood to the brain. Pithing will disconnect the brain from the nervous system but will maintain involuntary action in the body, e.g. the heart's pumping. Therefore, the combination of pithing followed by jugular bleeding, or vice versa, will produce the best bleed out. Furthermore, tests have been done with commodity chickens (Cornish X) that show spinal severing will produce muscular contractions resulting in tightening of feather follicles and toughening meat. Sure, the feathers can be removed with scalding, but the meat loses a minor bit of tenderness which is probably exacerbated if used in combination with a mechanical plucker.

 

[Bossroo]

Having first hand experience at the University laboratory, etc. , simply put ... I can assure you that the heart will continue to pump after the spinal chord is severed by head being decappitated untill there is a minute amount of blood left in the blood vesels when being bled out and it no longer can deliver oxygen to the heart to continue to function to pump.

 

[vyieort]

Bossroo,

Do you have any evidence of this other than your own experience? I'd certainly like to readjust my understanding if it's incorrect. Sincerely. From my experience, and from the research of many industry and educational establishments, severing the spinal cord prevents an ideal bleed out for just the reason I mentioned. That's not to say that blood won't continue flowing out of the body, just that exsanguination is improved by keeping the heart active.

Thanks for your info, in advance.

 

[Dbchapman]

I remember from a poultry class I took at Oregon State in the late 50's that a way to kill chickens and have them release their feathers was to take a sharp pointed knife and open the mouth of the chicken at place to tip of the knife into the back of the mouth and inject the blade in and turn it one quarter of a turn which will kill the chicken and release the feather follicles making it easy to remove the feathers. I have searched the web but have not found any information about that method