6 Responses to “Chicken Plucking / Picking”

1. on 05 Aug 2008 at 1monica

   Do you need one this big: 50 chickens at a time seems like lots of chicken! I used to work at a place that processed meat–be careful with how you hold the chicken, loose clothing, etc. I envison arms getting wrapped around the spindle very easily. The company probably won’t like what I have said about their product without even seeing it work, but I have seen lots of missing limbs.

2. on 05 Aug 2008 at 2mom

   sometimes setting up and using a plucker is much more work than simply dipping and hand plucking. Unless you have someone that is really good at it like your grandpa, and he’s not available. It’s not easy to do it. We did 50 chickens with Betsy, Susie and I doing eveything except killing in about 3 hours. I’d say save your money and do it the old fashioned way.

3. on 05 Aug 2008 at 3farm mom

   I’ve never used a large one. In fact, last month, Eric built us one of the tub varieties. (I have posts on it if you’re interested.) It only cost us $130 to make, but Eric had most of the stuff on hand. As handy as you and your man are, you may be able to make a smaller, less dangerous model yourselves. We ended up processing over 30 birds between ours and my parents flocks…….I sure wouldn’t want to go back to hand plucking!!

4. on 05 Aug 2008 at 4Dad

   I agree with your mom!! If you have a large pot of water heated to about 160 degrees, you dip for between 8 and 10 seconds. Then hand pluck. It doesn’t take that long. Grandpa used the plucker because we did up to 60 at a time and he was trying to get the whole job done (killing, dipping, plucking, cutting and into a cool tub) in about 60 minutes. We did it, but, it was moving!!

   If you don’t use the plucker correctly, it will tear the skin and the result won’t/may not be pretty. Plucking doesn’t take much longer.

   Hope this helps!! Love you…….Dad

5. on 05 Aug 2008 at 5Megera

   Hmm, several cautions and one endorsement ….maybe we should try it without the mechanical plucker this year and see how it goes? If your mom & family did 50 in 3 hrs, then maybe the six of us can pull it off in one day even with hand plucking and doing the head chopping. I was picturing it taking a lot longer.

6. on 11 Aug 2008 at 6Roberta

   Have you seen this? The author of this blog has written a book on how to build his low-cost Whizbang Chicken Plucker. You can also go to Youtube to see how one of these contraptions works… pretty slick. (Search for Whizbang Chicken Plucker)

   http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.com/2006/09/whizbang-plucker-story.html
   http://www.butcherachicken.blogspot.com/

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