Plucking chickens doesn't have to be time consuming.
More people are growing their own food these days, and many are raising their own chickens, both for eggs and for meat. Plucking has always been a major deterrent to raising meat chickens, but you can build a simple chicken plucker to help. By dipping the carcass in boiling water for a few seconds and then using the plucker, you can have a bird almost ready for the freezer in only a couple minutes.
Instructions
Getting Started
1. Put on your protective gear. Lay down the 2-by-8 board. Align the carpet on the end of the board you want to hold the fan motor and attach it with the 1/2-inch staples.
2. Drill a 1/2-inch hole in the 6-by-6 piece of plywood. Drill the four mounting bolt holes in preparation of mounting the motor. Attach the plywood to the side of the 2-by-8 piece of wood. Mount the motor.
3. Cut the 6-by-7-inch piece of plywood at a 45-degree angle. This will be a gusset. Attach to the 2-by-8 piece of wood. Attach the two plywood pieces together using the 3/4-by-3/4-inch piece of wood.
4. Mount the electrical box to the top of the 2-by-8 wood on the opposite side from the motor. Wire the motor, cord and switch together.
Prepare and Attach the Plucking Fingers
5. Drill 15 23/64-inch holes around the outside of the 2 inch PVC cap. The holes will be very close together since this cap is small. Space them in a pattern so two are next to each other in one row, then one is in the center for the next row. Repeat all the way around the cap. Insert the small rubber fingers through the holes from the inside out.
6. Drill a 1/2-inch hole in the end of the PVC cap. Make sure it is centered so it will spin well.
7. Weld the threaded rod to one end of the fan motor mounting collar.
8. Mount the collar on the motor. Fasten the PVC cap to the end of the rod with two 1/2-inch nuts.
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