Our 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 chicken 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. Our chicken plucker machines can 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 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 bird’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 bird: Dip the chicken in the prepared hot water. Soak it for one to two minutes.
If you don't do the scalding right, two things will likely happen. If the chicken stays longer in hot water or is dipped in exceedingly hot water, the skin might come out, which is contrary to how you want to process your bird.
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. A properly scalded bird will allow the chicken plucker to work more effectively, ensuring a clean bird.
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 chicken 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 bird.
These chicken plucker machines 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.
Whether you're processing chickens for a small family or a large farm, a chicken plucker is an essential tool to make the task easier.
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. A chicken plucker ensures that you can enjoy this full flavor without the tedious manual labor of hand-plucking.
Stromberg’s Poultry Pluckers for Chickens and Other Poultry
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.
Whether you’re processing a few birds or hundreds, our range of chicken plucker machines is designed to meet your needs, ensuring you get the best results every time.