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Author Topic: Wax Plucking  (Read 9188 times)

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Wax Plucking
« on: December 02, 2014, 09:17:27 pm »
I was talking to somebody a while ago about how to pluck with wax - dip the bird and then the feathers all come off easily, apparently. Do any of you do this? If so, is there a specific 'machine' to buy that you'd recommend? Fed up of plucking and dressing taking so long!

H

artscott

  • Joined Nov 2011
  • Methlick, Aberdeenshire
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2014, 01:16:58 pm »
I've not tried it yet but I have 5kg of wax it just purchased so I can tidy up my turkeys after normal hand plucking this year.  I don't mind the big feathers is those small ones my fingers won't grip.

Hevxxx99

  • Joined Sep 2012
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2014, 10:48:45 pm »
I use rosin that a friend brought over from France for me. Brilliant stuff for ducks and geese.  You simply rub the stuff into the feathers, dunk in very hot water then cold water and simply strip the feathers, down and all.

I wouldn't bother using it on turkeys though as they are simple enough to pluck (wet or dry) without the fuss.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2014, 12:35:54 pm »
What type of wax have you got Artscott? Paraffin? And any idea where to get rosin (resin?) in the UK for this use Hevxxx99? I only think about it in violin terms! No idea whether it's the same stuff.

H

Hevxxx99

  • Joined Sep 2012
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2014, 09:18:52 pm »
As far as I'm aware, no one stocks it in the UK.  It is spesifically for plucking birds (not violins) and is used all the time in France.


« Last Edit: December 06, 2014, 09:21:48 pm by Hevxxx99 »

Hevxxx99

  • Joined Sep 2012
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2014, 09:24:43 pm »

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2014, 06:55:59 am »
On special offer here at the moment so a little cheaper. Apparently it needs 40-50g per bird so that works out at about £1 each if you buy the 600g pack. Sounds like it is worth trying, because we struggle with plucking as well.


One thing that does concern me. When plucking a chicken we have found that pulling too many feathers out at a time tears the skin. So how does this wax prevent that?
« Last Edit: December 07, 2014, 08:09:08 am by chrismahon »

Hevxxx99

  • Joined Sep 2012
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2014, 05:37:43 pm »
I don't think it does, especially. If you put too much on an pull out big lumps, it will still damage the skin, but like wet plucking, it loosens everything.

 In fact, I made a right pig's ear of the last duck I plucked because I didn't wait long enough for the suncutenous fat to solidify before I started plucking so the skin tore very easily, so definitely worth taking your time.  The big advantage with ducks and geese is that it gets all the down out without any trouble at all. Chickens and turkeys aren't much bother comparatively.

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2014, 09:15:43 am »
The applications listed include pigs and boar, but the poultry list which includes ducks, geese and guinea fowl does not include chickens. I would therefore say this Saniterpen product isn't suitable HesterF, probably because it does result in tearing the skin. So it's back to hand plucking for us.


I had looked at one of those 'rubber teat' plucking machines. Seen a few videos on YouTube of homemade devices using a washing machine drum I think. But we don't process enough cockerels to justify the expense and the time to build one at the moment.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2014, 10:56:34 am »
Yep, I looked at some plucking machines and reckoned I couldn't justify it - but the blisters were saying otherwise! It is the ducks that are a pain but I've only got three more drakes to go this season so I should probably just suck it up. Doing the turkeys by hand next week so really hoping they're as easy as folks say.....

I'll check with GrahamJ too who used to be on here because he was one that mentioned the wax - he sold me the turkeys - reckons it saves him a lot of time.

H

Hevxxx99

  • Joined Sep 2012
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #10 on: December 08, 2014, 07:05:34 pm »
I've had a go with a homemade fingery thing: very rough on the birds and they tend to end up rather battered!

Hot plucking makes the job far easier with both chickens and turkeys: dunk in really hot water (70ish C as I remember), swish about for about 30 seconds, check a big flight feather comes out easily, haul the bird out and pluck.  If you get it right, you can almost wipe most of the feathers out, but if you leave it in too long, you end up with slightly cooked looking skin.

artscott

  • Joined Nov 2011
  • Methlick, Aberdeenshire
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #11 on: December 09, 2014, 01:48:59 pm »
The wax I got was paraffin wax, brought off e-bay for  a touch over £20 for 5Kg.  Like everybody says turkeys are easy (or at least the first one is) by the second one my fingers hurt, by the third I’m back to thinking my rabbits are a better idea for meat!  I dry plucked my turkeys last year but by the time I had finished my fingers wouldn’t grip the little feathers anymore and I wished I had brought some wax just to finish them off for a professional look.  They were such lovely free range, traditional bronzes that I felt they just needed that perfect finishing touch.
 
I’ve also got some rubber finger things in my shed that I was planning to build a plucker out of but unfortunately I haven’t got around to it yet due to my wife insisting that I finish building the dining room in time for Christmas. (She has no sense of adventure, I thought the bare stone walls looked OK with the fairly lights last year!).   When I finally get round to it I will attach them to a spun pipe and then hold the scalded bird against it rather than do the whole massive drum type plucker.
 
On the subject of scalding I think you need to be careful about timing and temperature, I have done it a few times but a couple of times with ducks my temperature was a big of guesswork and the skin was like leather when cooked.  A bit of fairly liquid in water for ducks and geese helps too, as it helps water wet the feathers.

bloomer

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • leslie, fife
  • i have chickens, sheep and opinions!!!
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #12 on: December 09, 2014, 02:00:32 pm »
I need to add the fairy for my marans, I found dunking hubbards worked fine, the maran cockerels the water just ran off and they were a pain to pluck dry!

demonfarmer2630

  • Joined May 2011
  • kennoway
  • soor plooms
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #13 on: December 16, 2014, 04:35:43 pm »
weirdly i had a idea to use leg wax strips for this and they work really well cost a few £££ but brilliant

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Wax Plucking
« Reply #14 on: December 18, 2014, 12:03:59 am »
Turkeys were all dry plucked and easier to pluck than anything else I've done. I use the disposable gloves I use for beekeeping too and they really help with grip which makes a huge difference. Waxing strips sounds like a good plan, actually. The stuff I read suggested it wasn't a good idea to wet pluck turkeys if you were going to hang them but I tend not to hang ducks - they just sit in a fridge for a  day or two- so that might work too.

H

 

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