Our Hobbyist and Professional-Grade Chicken Plucker Machine Selection
Speed up the plucking of backyard chicken processing with a chicken plucker that can handle four or five birds at one time. The plucker scalds the feathers off of the chicken carcass, providing you with a hands-free and sanitary plucking method. Our larger poultry plucker options can handle turkeys, well suited for birds bred for Thanksgiving feasts.
Stromberg’s also offers poultry plucker machines for professional and industrial operations. These machines scald 75 pounds of birds at one time. Our selection includes models by Eco and Featherman that guarantee a properly scalded bird.
Processing When Using Pluckers
Whether you’re hoping to prepare chicken breast, wings, or a hearty soup, you must undertake a specific process to prepare a live chicken to become chicken meat. The following three main processes happen during backyard chicken processing:
Harvesting
Harvesting involves preparing the chicken for consumption by separating its head. This step can be a bit messy, but it's essential to handle it carefully. One crucial tip to keep in mind is to ensure the chicken is securely held during this process. This calms the chicken and makes the process easier and more efficient.
Scalding
Scalding is the dipping of chicken in hot water. Scalding is essential as it makes plucking the chicken's feathers easier. Here’s how you should do it:
- Prepare hot water. Heat water to a temperature range between 130°F and 170°F.
- Scald the chicken. Dip the chicken in the prepared hot water. Soak the chicken for one to two minutes.
Two things will likely happen if you don't do the scalding right. If the chicken stays longer in hot water or is dipped in exceedingly hot water, the skin of the chicken might come out, which is contrary to how you want to process your chicken.
On the other hand, if the chicken is dipped in water that has not reached the appropriate temperature, it might be challenging to pluck out all the feathers. The same is true when it isn't dipped long enough.
For hobbyists and chicken farmers, there are stainless steel scalding machines that can make the process easier. An excellent example is the 14.5 Gallon Scalder which can scald up to five chickens at a time.
Feather Removal
Plucking is the last step before you get to portioning the chicken—removing the featherings. The process can be done by hand, but it’s laborious. That is why a plucker, such as the Stainless Steel Plucker, can save a lot of time and labor by plucking multiple chickens at a time. Larger pluckers, such as the XL Stainless Steel Plucker, can pluck up to nine chickens.
The Efficiency of a Chicken Plucker
Our stainless steel poultry pluckers at Stromberg's Chickens are designed to ensure the plucking is clean and no pin feathers are left on the chicken. Chicken pluckers are also designed to work on different types of birds, including turkeys and ducks, as long as the volume of the machine can accommodate the bird's size.
Is It Better to Skin or Pluck a Chicken?
Skinning or plucking is a matter of preference. However, a plucked chicken produces more delicious chicken soup as the skin adds to the nutrition and taste of the chicken meat.
Stromberg’s Poultry Pluckers for Chickens and Turkeys
At Stromberg’s, we take pride in selecting a chicken plucker that helps poultry enthusiasts or hobbyists streamline the process of getting chickens, turkeys, and other poultry products ready for sale. Place your order today and get free shipping with orders of $150 or more.