Lets Build a drum plucker

[Home Grown Poultry]

Its been a long time coming but it is now time for me to build a drum plucker. My pedestal plucker well is more a PITA than anything. Lizzie can get 3 birds butchered into parts before I give her a whole plucked chicken. I decided Im not going to disassemble it but instead I will take off the straps I used and replace with whatever plucker fingers I have left over after building the drum.

So I bought 100 fingers from Amazon,



They are about 3 1/2" or so, and fit a 3/4" hole. Total cost was $75.23 USD which was about $100 CAD, So a buck a finger but these are the good ones!

Now sure theres lots of different plans on the net and ways to do it but Id like to see what you guys have come up with. I saw a washing machine plucker on FB... That was cool! I wish I had a broken washing machine but I fix them... its usually a $35 piece of plastic that breaks and is easily fixed. My FIL may have one... not sure. I already have a few drums cut in half so thats probably what Im going to use especially since they have holes drilled in them so in other words pretty much useless unless I want to plant something in them.

So what have you got? WWW you have a nice one dont you? who else??? SHARE YOUR PICS! haha i need some inspiration! What did you use for the rotating plate? a heavy duty pizza pan? do they make those? I have to look through my FILs scrap and see if I can find a nice stainless steel round plate. Im thinking 1/2 aluminum would be much easier to work with and should be cheaper.

Does it have to be a round plate? No I dont think so... it could be a cross or something like that... hmmmmmm

[TomK]

Al...im thinking of building one this spring...an aluminum plate is the way to go i think...after all, its the thing that moves the carcass round inside the drum and theres a pattern of fingers that seems optimal and may not be possible on a cross...plastic barrel in a wood frame...thinking bronze bushing bearings would be enough in an occasional use unit...cheaper and easier to find should one be needing to be replaced...press one into the alum plate and another into the pulley on the shaft...i have several motors that will do the job...have to find out the optimal spin speed and get appropriate pulley sizes for the vbelt...will look to get the deal on the fingers...plan on processing 50-100 birds in 2016... Cant see myself hand plucking that many...

[ross]

watching with anticipation . Al keep an eye out for me at your FIL s scrap yd for an old school locker with top shelf , lockable door in decent shape . Tx

[JimW]

I don't have anything cof use to add to this thread, but will be following with great interest.

JimW

[siberienz]

I think I would use the plastic drum with an aluminum plate. that arrangement seems to work well on the ones I have seen.

Al, I have a washing machine you can have, if you want it. it still worked when I put it in my scrap pile a couple years ago.

[Robbie]

Good luck with building your new plucker! I can't fathom how they work- feathered chicken goes in,naked chicken comes out....... wot?

[Home Grown Poultry]

thanks for the boost in confidence, I love how you all have such faith in me HAHAHA! im supposed to get the fingers by Jan 20 so I have a lot of planning and scrounging time. I will just use the barrel I have but im guna visit the restore for most of the other parts. whatever I cant find there ill pick up at princess auto.

so heres the parts I need...

1.5-2' round finger plate.
2" - drive pully... probably have one just need to find it
12" - pully... i have one of these as well but its steel and rusty... wire brush n paint fix that.
axle - size dependent on pully bore.
Belt - I have a few but not sure if they are long enough.
electric motor - I used a 1/4hp on the pedestal plucker and its plenty strong enough so nothing less than that. restore for around $15.
2 - greasable bearings/bushings to fit axle bore.
1 - half of 50 gallon barrel. - CHECK
plumbing - I want a ring around the top to spray water automatically and a hook up for a 5' length of garden hose with nozel. CHECK

Guess I should write the parts down and givem to my FIL. I bet he has all or most of what I need. Ross he dosent have any EMPTY school lockers! not the tall ones anyways. Iv tried to get some for my guns and he wouldnt budge LOL. I saw a bunch on kijiji a while back for like $30 a door... look under the sarnia one, a guy out by the beehive kurkura? has a lot of all kinds of different stuff and thats where they were.

Robbie the pluckers work by friction. the spinning rubber fingers simply pull out the feathers by friction, kinda like how when you drag a rubber glove across a table and it gets pulled off.

[Home Grown Poultry]

just like this one Ross sent me from YouTube...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D8W0B74WT3s

[ross]

Putting my order in for one Al smaller would be ok . Of course after done yours .Ive got a drum

[Home Grown Poultry]

Sure thing Ross! these fingers are going to make a world of difference.