The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: LeJambon on March 22, 2012, 07:37:59 am
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Hi,
I am rearing 30 geese this for christmas and am hoping to take them to a small scale abbatoir/slaughterman who can kill them and pluck them for me. Does anyone know of any in the west country, Wiltshire/Somerset border in particular? Does anyone have experience of this?
We have kept 12 or so up until now and it is a lot of hard work dealing with them at Christmas as most people want them delivered fresh all at the same time! So 30 will probably be too much for us to do on top of everything else.
Any help would be much appreciated
Cheers,
Ed
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youll be lucky... round here norfolk there used to be 3 or 4 that would pluck and dress them but over the years as the old boys packed it in noone wants to do them now.
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you will just need to develop these hand muscles :farmer:
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I tried to find someone who would do 20 chickens and drew a complete blank. Even the big producers here ship all their birds out for slaughter and processing. Thre are no small producers. Thought about buying my own plucking machine but even the small ones are expensive and still leave a lot of hand finishing.
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You could ask the lovely peeps at Kimbers Farm in Charlton Musgrove, they do loads of birds in the run up to Christmas. If they can't do it , I bet they would know someone who could.
http://www.kimbersfarmshop.co.uk/ (http://www.kimbersfarmshop.co.uk/)
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where in wilts? there is a goose supplier that may add your birds to his kind of thing out wooton basset way
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Thought about buying my own plucking machine but even the small ones are expensive and still leave a lot of hand finishing.
has anyone tried those pluckers that u attach to a power tool? r they any good?
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we have one if you want to buy it :farmer:
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I have heard the power tool pluckers aren't that good. Why are you selling yours Robert?
Chicken pluckers are expensive. This summer I am planning to build my own electric powered one. I have the plans which are easy to follow and the parts are easily available. Not sure they would godo for geese but the author of the plans is very approachable and he would be able to comment.
At the moment the biggest hurdle is finding one of those blue plastic drums that most builders and allotment holders seem to have but I can't find for love nor money (although - I have to admit - I haven't really looked that hard yet.
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well Suzie it is one of those things Lillian wanted it and against my better judgment i bought it
i have this terrible burden to carry about always being right and once again i was proved right :D :farmer:
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well Suzie it is one of those things Lillian wanted it and against my better judgment i bought it
I have this terrible burden to carry about always being right and once again I was proved right
Oh God Robert - I so identify with Lillian there ;D ;D..........
.......but I did listen to my husband about the drill plucker
The site for the motorised chicken plucker is here:
http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.co.uk/2006/09/whizbang-plucker-story.html (http://thedeliberateagrarian.blogspot.co.uk/2006/09/whizbang-plucker-story.html)
The plans are excellent, easy to understand and the author responds to emails promptly and helpfully.
A video of its use is here:
Whizbang Chicken Plucker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-pbRxIlpuw#)
It's probably a load of snake oil but I am going to try it when I can get a suitable builder's barrel
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If you are in Somerset any time, drop by and I can get you one of those barrels for a fiver ;D
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yes but will it work with turkeys now i have Lillian saying you could make one of them
don't think so i was brought up with strong health and safety ideas and the first is water and electricity don't mix and that is electrocution just waiting to happen :farmer:
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I forgot to say that the plans are not free on the website and the plucker would still cost a bit to make but..... it looks like a fun project.
I think as far as the electric is concerned - the barrel part is somewhat separate from the motor - no different from - say - a food processor or juicer or - do you remember those orange squash dispensing machines in cafes with the two oranges going round and round???
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Yeah Robert water and electricity don't mix, I've introduced you to the washing machine, dishwasher, kettle and still you have not bother your arse to see how they work, oh sorry i made you switch the kettle on for me when i was working slicing and dicing the pig, it would be nice to hear you say I WILL PUT THE DIRTY DISHES IN THE DISHWASHER huh fat chance of that you don't even know where the f---ing handle is. ??? >:( :o
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If you are in Somerset any time, drop by and I can get you one of those barrels for a fiver ;D
Do you have many? I could do with a couple as water barrells in the veg patch and am finding them hard to get a hold of.
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Yeah Robert water and electricity don't mix, I've introduced you to the washing machine, dishwasher, kettle and still you have not bother your arse to see how they work, oh sorry i made you switch the kettle on for me when i was working slicing and dicing the pig, it would be nice to hear you say I WILL PUT THE DIRTY DISHES IN THE DISHWASHER huh fat chance of that you don't even know where the f---ing handle is. ??? >:( :o
yeah robert!!! ;) ;D
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Thanks everyone for your comments, colliewoman - I have checked out Kimbers Farm shop, I will give them a call and find out. I have also found a place in somerset but its an hour and a half. I need to speak to them anyway as they may know someone else.
I am based near Westbury, right on the border of Wiltshire and somerset. Wootton bassett is probably an hour away, do you have any details for the person over there?
I expect you are right when you say all the small scale guys have given up, looking at old forum entries on other sites there are a few listed but they don't exist anymore. I am not keen on spending £400 on a plucking machine, there goes the profit and I would rather have them done by a pro. I don't mind drawing them etc. once plucked but hand plucking 30 might just kill me off!
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i have an industrial plucker on a stand havent used it yet but why bother i now either just cut the good bits off or skin them no plucking..... i know the skin is nice but it depends s on how you want to cook them if you want a raost then pluck a couple if not skin them...it takes 2 mins
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If you are in Somerset any time, drop by and I can get you one of those barrels for a fiver ;D
Do you have many? I could do with a couple as water barrells in the veg patch and am finding them hard to get a hold of.
They aren't mine, but a fella up the road sells them. He's usually got loads!
Pop by sometime and we'll go get some :thumbsup:
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We've got several lying around here but they belong to the builders. I asked the foreman if he could get hold of one for me and he gave me one of his :D :love:
There's a reason for giving them all that tea and cake (probably more than a fiver's worth!)
They are very useful bits of kit.
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If the Sherborne area isn't too far for your to travel, it might be worth trying Charlie Goodlan at C&S Meats / Holnest.
They are a small family run, good animal welfare slaughter house. Charlie is a lovely chap, I don't know if they deal with geese but it would be certainly worth asking.
xx