The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Equipment => Topic started by: oor wullie on October 26, 2015, 06:25:53 pm

Title: Plucking Machine
Post by: oor wullie on October 26, 2015, 06:25:53 pm

I was reminded the other day how much I dislike plucking and how much time it takes and so am thinking about buying some mechanical help.

I do a few chickens now and again and expect to do 6 or 8 geese this year.  I am also planning to extract a terrible revenge on the pheasant population for what they did to the tattie patch this year.  (Normally I just cut the breasts out but if it was easier to pluck them I would make better use of them).

I am tending towards a dry plucker.

Does anyone have any experience of the Pluka one?  Does it make geese any easier?

Any other recommendations?

Title: Re: Plucking Machine
Post by: Dan on October 26, 2015, 07:04:07 pm

There's always the Whizbang if you want to DIY and save a few quid:

http://whizbangplucker.blogspot.co.uk/ (http://whizbangplucker.blogspot.co.uk/)

Title: Re: Plucking Machine
Post by: greenbeast on October 27, 2015, 12:31:40 pm

my step-bro made a whizz bang and we've had hundreds of chickens through it. brilliant bit of kit coupled with a burco boiler for scalding

Title: Re: Plucking Machine
Post by: Caroline1 on October 27, 2015, 01:10:56 pm

Ooh I might have to look into that more  :innocent:

Title: Re: Plucking Machine
Post by: oor wullie on October 28, 2015, 05:22:20 am

Does anyone know how a whizbang copes with geese?

Title: Re: Plucking Machine
Post by: greenbeast on October 28, 2015, 10:21:43 am

hmm good question, we had geese at the time but i don't remember putting any through it, but we did do turkeys so it would probably be fine. The long neck might get a bit damaged, but obv that'll be taking off anyway

Title: Re: Plucking Machine
Post by: Caroline1 on October 28, 2015, 10:57:21 am

When I was reading their website it said yes to geese but to cut their feet off first. I assume to make them a bit smaller so they can tumble. Very tempted to get the other half to build one of these and give it a go.

A number of people online also said they converted an old washing machine to do a similar job  :thumbsup: