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chicken pluckers

Started by Dan_Shade, August 16, 2006, 09:14:03 PM

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Dan_Shade

I've seen that the drum type works pretty good, has anyone used a table top mounted style?  how well do they work?

i'm considering making one using 4" PVC for the drum, some fingers, and making a stainless steel cage, and powered by a foot treadle.

the victims will be chickens and some heirloom turkeys.

comments?
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

bitternut

Mine has 8 fingers and 2 thumbs  :D  :D

Actually I can't help you out other than to say that I use to take my chickens to a woman that killed and dressed them. She had a big drum and that thing worked real well. They came out really nice.

brdmkr

Dan

I've got a friend that has one.  His has a flat wheel on the bottom with some fingers.  The wheel turns inside a drum that has fingers on the side.  I've not seen it work but he says it is fast.  I can't remember the RPMs of the wheel or how many fingers or even where they are.  I do remember that the wheel is aluminum.  If you are interested in one of that design, I'll see if I can get him to get some pictures or see if I can get you some more details.
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

Dan_Shade

that's the drum/tub style.  I have heard they work pretty well, the problem is they take up a lot of room and are a bit more "complicated than what I want....

the thing i'm talking about sits on the table, has a drum that spins horizontal, and you hold onto the birds feet and turn it over to get the feathers off.

I figure I can make one for maybe $50, not sure what I would have in a drum type, if I can do that for the same sort of cost, maybe I should make one of those instead.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

iain

Holding them upside down in a drum sounds a bit difficult, what with all that flapping and clucking about they do

iain

PawNature

Never heard of such a thing. Sure could have used one growing up though.
GOVERMENT HAS WAY TO MUCH CONTROL OVER OUR LIVES!!!!

hiya

I have to leave for Pa. shortly. If I have time when I get home tonight I'll Post about one someone made that they turn it with a drill.I have some fingers left from when I made my drum plucker.
Richard
RichardinMd.

tcsmpsi

Easier and better chicken to skin them. 
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

Patty

Yes it is easier to skin them than to pluck them, for sure. However I think you lose alot of the flavor when you discard the skin, especially for things like chicken noodle soup or fried chicken. We skin ours, simply because I hate to pluck them, but if we had a chicken plucker (besides me & Norm) I would definetly prefer that method.
Women are Angels.
And when someone breaks our wings....
We simply continue to fly ........
on a broomstick.....
We are flexible like that.

Modat22

I skin them myself, the smell of wet feathers started getting to me and made me hate chicken for awhile.
remember man that thy are dust.

tcsmpsi

Over the years, I have had to indulge my taste less and be more disciplined to the 'bottom line', if you will.  How it makes me feel and how it passes has become priority over my taste buds.   8)

But, actually, that has turned out quite well, as I found my taste buds weren't being nearly as pleased as I had thought.  A lot of the things I thought were goooooood, I grimace and stomp my foot if I get them in my foot now.

Hog, deer and fish (most of which is bartered from customers) pretty much makes up that part of the food chain any more.  Do a bit of bartering with one of the customers for a bit of chicken and eggs from time to time (whole lot easier for me than raising them)(I don't miss the crowing as I thought I would either).  ;D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

brdmkr

Quote from: iain on August 17, 2006, 04:08:35 AM
Holding them upside down in a drum sounds a bit difficult, what with all that flapping and clucking about they do

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

beenthere

Quote from: tcsmpsi on August 17, 2006, 07:29:41 AM
Easier and better chicken to skin them. 

That is a matter of opinion.  ;D

But I skin the wild turkeys, as pulling those feathers is major work when can't get a pot of hot water big enough to hold the turkey. As compared to the chickens that takes all of two minutes after dipping in near boiling hot water and using the 8 finger 2 thumb method mentioned earlier.  :)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

sawguy21

Modat22, I remember that smell all too well. I want nothing to do with chickens unless they are on my plate with fixin's
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

GareyD

A friend and I built this one...only had about $125 in it after we bought the book, fingers and done some dumpster diving...

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends, if they're okay, then it's you.

hiya

GaretD, That guy git ahold of me and coppied his plucker after the one I made. Only mine has a steel frame. The only cost I had was fingers and a motor. All the rest was in the scrap pile.
I know of a guy that took a pvc end cap  drilled holes around for fingers and drilled a hole in the center stuck a bolt through for the drill. He fastens the drill to a bench and holds the chickens against takes about 45 sec. Of course with my  tub plucker I can do 2or3 at a time in 30 - 45 sec.
Richard
RichardinMd.

wiam

hiya how fast does your plate turn?

Will

iain

Quote from: wiam on August 17, 2006, 11:09:51 PM
hiya how fast does your plate turn?

Will


How fast can you eat?


iain

hiya

will, It turns at about 180 rpms.If the belt gets wet and starts to slip it doesn't do a good job. Another thing the scauld has to be about right. Too cool and the feathers don't come out, too hot and the skin will tear up. about 145-150 deg. f.
Richard
RichardinMd.

wiam

hiya I think mine is a little faster than that and I already slowed it down some.  I try for about 145 degrees for 1.5 minutes.  I use an old electric water heater that I cut in half and left the bottome element in it.  The thermostat is not very accurate so I just use a thermometer and turn a switch on and off.  I think farmtek has a themostat but I have not ordered one yet.

Will

junkyard

Try these plans  http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/1_2006.htm#article3 probably lots more on the net.
                   Junkyard
If it's free, It's for me. If for pay, leave it lay.

Dan_Shade

I saw a reference to a study done by a university in a book that I have that says that mechanically picked chickens were 2.5 times tougher than a hand picked chicken.  have any of you mechanical plucker users noticed any difference?

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

hiya

I don;t think that how they are picked makes any difference how tough they are. The biggest difference in toughtness is how they are cooked.The way we cook today we don't take time to cook right. Any food cooked slow will be more intender than cooking fast. We will put 1 or 2 chickens in the oven about 9-9:30 go to church, come home about 1:00. the meat is falling off the bones.And as tender as you want. My wifes not here right now so I don't know the oven temp.

Will, my scolder is the same.                   
RichardinMd.

Gary_C

There were two old bachelors that lived near me and they raised and dressed a lot of chickens. They had one of those horizonal drum type feather pluckers. If it was in the winter time, they just brought that plucker right into the kitchen in their old house and set it right beside the wood stove with a pot of hot water on the stove. When they were done there were feathers plastered on the wall and even up on the ceiling.  :D :D

They never saw anything wrong with their method and couldn't understand people thought it was wrong. Guess that is why neither one ever got married.  ;D ;D
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Dan_Shade

i suffer a bit of that problem myself, gary!

I really can't see me plucking a chicken in the house, unless it's really cold!

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

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