Feather removal machines and scalding machines for geese, ducks, broiler chickens, turkeys, quails

On any poultry farm or household that works with a large number of birds, the question always arises of how to quickly and easily pluck the birds.

On any poultry farm or household that works with a large number of birds, the question always arises of how to quickly and easily pluck the birds. Of course, if the number does not exceed a dozen birds, it is quite possible to do this manually. But in a large farm you cannot do without a feather removal machine. It makes it possible to pluck birds many times faster, and to do this on an industrial scale.

Advantages and disadvantages of feather removal machines

Like any other, this method has its pros and cons compared to hand plucking. The main advantages are:

• A large number of processed carcasses at a time. In different models of drum machines, in one run you can pluck a couple of dozen quails, 5-6 broiler chickens, one goose or a medium-sized duck.
• Very high performance. If manual cleaning of feathers from a medium-sized bird carcass can take up to half an hour, then in feather photography this, depending on the model, takes from 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Cleanliness of work. After removal from the car, if successful, the bird looks impeccably smooth - exactly the way we are used to seeing them on store shelves.

Of the minuses, perhaps, we can only note the complete lack of autonomy of such devices, as well as some risk of damage to the bird from strong rotation and the impact of whipping attachments.

Manufacturing of plucking devices

All pen removal machines can be easily made with your own hands in any garage of a private home. Of course, some tools and scrap materials are needed here. The most commonly made centrifuge units are those that can operate without human intervention. You just need to load the bird carcass into the tank, turn on the device and watch what is happening.

Before creating these necessary devices for everyday life, you need to make sure you have rubber strikers. And if they are not on sale, they are made from silicone themselves.

It’s not difficult to make kick fingers with your own hands . First, they make a plaster mold for pouring. Then the silicone mass is squeezed out of the tube into it and sent to the dryer for 5 - 6 days. After the time has passed, the fingers are removed and boiled in salt water for 40 minutes. Then they are processed with a knife and brought to normal condition. This completes the work.

What are kicking fingers, and what types are they?

These are the main active elements of feather removal machines, due to which feathers and down are removed from the carcass after scalding. This is a consumable item that you will replace repeatedly as you use the machines. They are usually made of food-grade rubber, which does not peel off and does not leave any discharge on the carcasses even when exposed to high temperatures.

At the same time, it is important to know that the striking fingers are not at all the same, and differ from each other in such parameters as diameter, the presence and shape of notches, and rigidity. All this is very important to take into account before you start plucking, because if you don’t do this, you risk hopelessly damaging the carcass, or simply plucking it poorly. So, there are:

• Nozzles for large birds. They are suitable for ducks, guinea fowl, chickens. Their length reaches 98 mm.
• Nozzles for small birds. Can be used for quails, partridges, chickens. Their length reaches 60 mm, usually a horizontal notch is used.
• Universal. They have a medium level of hardness, horizontal notches, and are suitable for working with any type of poultry.

The general rule is that the shorter the striker, the smaller the bird it is intended for. Most models come with spare attachments suitable for plucking different carcasses. This material can also be ordered online.

Plucking machines

Feather-plucking machines operate on the principle of depilatories, that is, they pull out feathers without mechanical impact on the skin of the bird. The operator must work with the carcass individually, manually bringing it to rotating disks that grab and pull out the feather.

The advantage of feather-plucking machines is, first of all, the high quality of plucking (in rare cases there may be small tears in the skin in weak areas), good presentation of the product, there is no need to pre-loosen the feather, and long shelf life. Feather-plucking machines do not require adjustment to size and weight and are suitable for all types of poultry, both waterfowl and land birds.

Also, for some farms it would be useful to preserve the down and feathers of poultry, and the possibility of partially plucking live birds during the molting period.

For farms involved in breeding waterfowl, especially geese, information on down and feather raw materials may be useful.

Our store presents several models of drum plucking machines; you can see their detailed descriptions and prices here

Table 1 Calculation of the planned amount of feather and down raw materials per 1 family of the parent flock.

Table 2 Calculation of the planned quantity of feather and down raw materials at the factory.

Thus, the planned amount of feather and down raw materials at the factory will be:

400.92 kg × 3 (three molts per season) = 1202.76 kg

The selling price of feather and down raw materials in 2013, depending on the down content in it, ranged from 300.0 to 500.0 rubles. for 1 kg. By simple calculations, it can be determined that the company could additionally earn from 360,828.0 to 601,380.0 rubles this year.

The tables are compiled using data kindly provided by Karigus.

The disadvantages of these machines include low productivity of no more than 30-40 birds per hour, as well as the need for practical skills to operate the machine.

Types of feather removal machines

The choice of a feather removal machine, as a rule, is made between two main types - disk and drum (cyclomatic).

• Drum machines. Most of all, in their design, they resemble washing machines. By the way, ordinary washing machines are sometimes used when they want to make a feather removal machine themselves. Here, unlike disc models, the bird carcass itself moves, and the beating fingers are static and located along the inner radius of the drum. The centrifugal force caused by the rotation causes the carcass to hit the beating fingers, which leave feathers on them. This is a rougher processing method that is more often used in households. Due to strong rotation, quite often the bird is damaged, its skin breaks, and bruises occur.
• Disk machines. They are used for so-called dry plucking - that is, without the use of water. In such devices, the bird itself remains static, and plucking is carried out by disks with beating attachments rotating around the carcass. They have very great advantages over drum ones. Firstly, this is the impeccable preservation of the presentation. Disc feather pickers are very often used for industrial purposes, in large professional poultry farms, where careful cleaning of birds from feathers is needed.
• Homemade portable options. The author's engineering thought sometimes amazes with the simplicity and originality of some solutions. Today on sale you can find special attachments for a drill or screwdriver that can be used for plucking birds. Of course, their performance cannot be compared with professional machines. However, they allow you to clean the birds from feathers much faster than with your own hands. Structurally, they consist of exactly the same punching fingers mounted on a cylinder, made of plastic or rubber. Often the kit comes with additional removable attachments for different types of birds.

Classification and principle of operation of machines

The very first such machine appeared at the beginning of the last century from one inventive peasant. And only in the 60s, after a slight modification, they began to be used in large poultry factories, and since 2006 they have been mass-produced by small firms for farms. All of them are classified according to the plucking method:

1. 
   Machine tools. They function together with the operator, whose job is to prepare the carcass for feather removal. The worker soaks the slaughtered birds in hot water for 2-3 minutes, then lowers them into the container of the machine. In it, with the help of a rotating centrifuge and beating fingers, rapid plucking occurs. In one minute you can process up to 4-5 carcasses. Machine tools are used in large and medium-sized poultry farms.

2. Household machines. These are special attachments designed for drills and screwdrivers. They are used by hunters, as well as owners when slaughtering poultry on their personal farmsteads.
3. Centrifugal. These are autonomous cars. They operate from a 220 volt network. Water is supplied to them to wet the feathers of the slaughtered bird. There is a rotating bottom with hammer fingers. These cars are the most popular among the population. Therefore, they are most often homemade, made by the owners themselves according to drawings from the Internet.
4. Rotary machines. Here the carcass is carefully brought to the rotating drum with fingers and lightly pressed. In this case, the worker turns the bird on either untreated side. Plucking time is half a minute. Carcasses of different sizes can be processed. Before plucking, the bird must be soaked in boiling water.

Tips for choosing

Let's say a few words about how to choose the right feather removal machine and not regret the purchase. Be sure to consider when choosing:

• The volume of the drum, if we are talking about a drum machine. Large-capacity units typically cost significantly more, but can accommodate up to 10-12 chickens, which is very useful in a poultry farm with intensive production. In turn, small devices are perfect for use in personal households.
• The density of the fingertips. The smaller the step between them, the better the cleaning will be.
• Model dimensions. This is of particular importance for private households, in which the car has to be pulled out every time.
• Performance. 100 or 400 cleaned carcasses at a time is a big difference that should definitely be taken into account when choosing.

It is also worth asking the seller about the wear resistance of the pins. They are expressed in the number of birds processed before the attachment has to be replaced. For inexpensive Chinese models it may not exceed hundreds, for high-quality European ones it can reach 1.5 and 2 thousand.

conclusions

The choice of car should reflect your preferences and goals, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is impossible to say unequivocally which of them is better or worse, if speed and ease of use are important to you, then it is better to choose feather picking machines, but if you require versatility and a higher level of quality, with low productivity, choose feather plucking machines.

Our organization offers a wide range of any feather-picking and feather-plucking machines; if you cannot make a choice, you can consult with our specialists either directly on this page or on the page of the product you are interested in.

Advantages of a homemade car

Advantages of a device created at home:

1. Performance similar to commercial equivalents.
2. No need to create a drawing.
3. Simple and clear assembly algorithm.
4. Low cost of construction. The reason is the use of unnecessary parts from old devices. The only part required to be purchased is the hammer-type fingers (they have a low cost).
5. No need for special training. To assemble the device, a minimum set of skills is required.
6. Processing a large number of carcasses (40 units in 1 hour).
7. No need to participate in the process (the bird does not need to be held with your hands).
8. Preserving the integrity of the poultry's limbs and skin.
9. Uniform processing on all sides.
10. The feathers do not fly away, but come out from below through a pre-created hole.
11. Easy replacement of fingertips (if necessary). This part is secured with bolts that can be easily unscrewed.
12. The ability to regulate the rotation speed of the centrifuge (by increasing or decreasing engine power).

The only minor drawback is the unsightly appearance (can be corrected by painting the structure).

Advantages of plucking devices

The main advantage of the products in question is the ability to quickly and easily obtain finished carcasses without feathers. Such devices do not have a negative effect on meat, so they can be used for any type of poultry.

There is no need to specifically buy a drill or screwdriver if you need to remove feathers from poultry. Any rotating mechanism, such as an electric motor, is suitable for such purposes. The disadvantage of using an electric motor is that it cannot be moved. This disadvantage is also an advantage, since during operation the plucked carcass can be held with both hands.

Stationary type of plucker with electric motor

Making a pinching device is not difficult. If such a task is set, then you need to start implementing it by ordering a certain number of nails. It is recommended to order fingers with a reserve so that during operation of the nozzle they can be replaced if necessary.

Required Parts

The most expensive element for creating a feather removal machine will be the beaters. These parts cannot be replaced with anything, so you will have to order them from a hardware store or specialized enterprises. When ordering these parts, you should decide in advance which carcasses will be processed; the size of the purchased beaters depends on this (larger ones for turkeys, smaller ones for chickens).

The second important element is the washing machine. It must be working. In this case, there is no need to purchase expensive equipment, because it is quite possible to buy a used machine.

Several changes are made to the washing machine; the engine and electrical circuit located at the bottom of the washing tank are placed outside the body of the machine. This is done according to this plan:

• the engine is removed,
• you get the drive and activator,
• The entire electrical circuit is dismantled and placed nearby so that it can be reinstalled later.

After preparing the washing machine, you should select a rubber hose and equip it with a shower head. This device will be needed during the operation of the feather removal machine.

You also need to stock up on a number of tools:

• open-end and adjustable wrenches,
• ratchet heads,
• Bulgarian,
• drill,
• hammer,
• measuring instruments,
• simple pencil.

Types of structures

Feather removal machines can have several designs:

1. Centrifuge. A round container is used, in which there is a hole for loading poultry carcasses. Beats placed on the bottom and sides of the structure help remove feathers during the rotation of the container. During operation of the device, water enters it, which increases the productivity of the process. This option is ideal for removing feathers from small birds, ducks at most.
2. Drum. A drum equipped with “tentacles” is used - it rotates thanks to a motor. The carcass is brought closer to the rotating device and pressed. This design is designed for large bird species.
3. Electric tool. Such a device with a nozzle does not require large financial investments from a person. Simply put an attachment equipped with “tentacles” onto the rotating device. He is brought closer to the pre-scalded bird. The disadvantage of this method is the appearance of fatigue in the hands.