Do you live on the ground, that is, outside the city, in your own house and keep chickens, ducks, geese and other representatives of the feathered family? Then sooner or later you are faced with the question: how to pluck the carcasses of a freshly slaughtered bird. It is advisable to do this as quickly as possible and without much effort. If we are talking about one chicken and several quails, then, as they say, there is no point in bothering about this: a pan of boiling water and a couple of working hands solve this problem within 15 minutes.
And if you are a small farmer or a wealthy peasant and you urgently need to prepare for sale, for example, a batch of ten chickens, thirty ducks and forty turkeys, then if there is nothing at hand except a pan of boiling water, the work of plucking the carcasses will last for a few days and it will turn into real hell. To prevent this from happening, a decent homestead will have a special device called a feather picker or chicken plucker.
Machines of this kind are produced on an industrial scale, but only for large poultry factories, and such devices are not suitable for small peasant farms. The price of one such device will outweigh the capitalization of the entire household farm as a whole. And they are designed to process at least a thousand carcasses in one go.
It is much more rational to make a feather removal machine yourself, in accordance with your goals and objectives. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of money for this, since almost all the necessary components and parts can be found either on your farm or in a landfill.
Main types
All feather removal machines, both industrial and home-made can be divided into three types:
- Attachment for power tools. The easiest to manufacture and the cheapest option. The disadvantage of such a plucking device: it is inconvenient to work with, since you have to simultaneously hold the bird carcass being processed in one hand and an electric drill or screwdriver with an attachment in the other.
- Drum type. The device is a long rotor-drum connected at one end by a belt drive to an electric motor. Special rubber attachments are inserted into the rotor. The advantage of this design: you can pluck birds of almost any size.
- Centrifuge type. It is made in the form of a volumetric container with fixed walls and a movable bottom. Inside the container there are rubber nozzles for processing the carcass, and outside there is an electric motor that rotates the bottom of the container. The advantage of this design: a very high plucking speed and the ability to pluck several carcasses at once.
Knock fingers
The only detail that is present in the designs of all types of feather removal machines without exception and that you will have to spend money on are the so-called beaters or simply “beaters”.
The beaters are rubber, cone-shaped pins with notches on the ends. The beaters are made from environmentally friendly, food-grade rubber and have different sizes depending on the size of the carcass. The smaller the bird, the smaller the beating fingers are required to process it. Conversely, if you have geese or turkeys, then the beating fingers should be of the maximum size. There is no need to try to make hammer fingers at home from improvised materials, since they are inexpensive and their assortment is huge, so it is much easier to order them by mail.
Power tool attachment
A homemade feather removal attachment for a drill is not yet a machine, but in general, such an attachment copes with its task quite well if the number of carcasses is not very large and you are forced to do this not so often. A drawing is not needed for this chicken plucker. Everything is already intuitive.
Step-by-step instruction
In this case, the driving force is an electric drill or a screwdriver. The shape of the structure resembles a tin can. But it must be made from a more durable material: either thick-walled light-alloy metal or a plastic water pipe with a diameter of 10-15 cm with plugs at the ends. So, The manufacturing stages are as follows:
All. A simple device is ready. The pin is inserted into the chuck of a drill or screwdriver and firmly fixed there. Take the bird carcass in one hand, pre-soaked for several seconds or minutes in boiling water (processing time depends on the size of the bird). For quail carcasses, a few seconds in boiling water is enough. And if these are geese or turkeys, then two to three minutes are needed. In your second hand, take a screwdriver with an attachment and the plucking process can begin.
To make work more comfortable and productive, Can this device be improved a little?: secure the power tool itself to the edge of the table using a clamp. In this case, you will get a small pinching machine. Both hands will be free, which will allow you to work faster and more efficiently.
Drum type machine
Plucking machine for geese, ducks and other large birds. The principle of the device and operation is similar to the attachment on a drill. Essentially, this is the same nozzle, only bigger size. Accordingly, in order to operate such a device, the power of the electric drill motor is not enough.
Manufacturing stages
The instructions for making it yourself are as follows:
- To make a drum, you will need the same water pipe, only of greater length and diameter. Length - 50-70 cm, diameter - 15-30 cm.
- The driving unit is a small electric motor, which is mounted on a specially made frame. The frame is welded from metal corners.
- Using a pulley, the engine is connected to the working drum.
- Holes corresponding to the striking fingers are drilled in the drum, but the diameter of the holes should be 2-3 mm smaller than the diameter of the fingers themselves. Otherwise, it will be impossible to firmly secure the fingers in the holes.
- Then you should attach a special feather catcher in the form of a voluminous plastic bag to the bottom of the frame. If this is not done, then after processing a dozen chicken carcasses, the entire surrounding space within a radius of several meters will be covered with a thick layer of feathers and fluff.
Device based on the centrifuge principle
A do-it-yourself feather removal machine at home is made from an old activator-type washing machine with vertical loading. For example, such as “Oka -16” or similar units. A special feature of these machines is the presence in their design of a so-called activator.
The activator is a plastic or metal circle with blades built into the bottom. It is driven by a special electric motor.
The bottom in such machines can be either inclined or horizontal. The activator is positioned accordingly. Most suitable option— horizontal activator large diameter.
In this case, the processing process itself will be minimal. It consists of several stages:
Currently attracting a lot of public attention healthy eating. Everyone wants to have quality food on the table without any questionable additives. Those who have unlimited funds can afford to buy very expensive organic food. For those who cannot afford this price level, they solve this issue by growing similar products on their own plot, avoiding the use of chemicals.
This category includes owners of household plots and farmers who spend the whole summer working growing and fattening a variety of livestock. One of the simplest and effective methods Obtaining environmentally friendly dietary meat is keeping birds. The most popular and in demand on the market are the following representatives of the poultry yard:
These are the first suppliers of eggs, meat and derivatives of these products to the table. Not to mention environmentally friendly raw materials for soil fertilization.
The whole growing process is not as burdensome and difficult as it seems, if not for the tedious operation of plucking the bird after slaughter. It requires a lot of time and effort, physical and moral. It is especially difficult to pluck large carcasses of geese and turkeys, which have tightly attached feathers. Usually women do this. But if anyone has ever tried to do such a procedure themselves, they are unlikely to agree with this opinion.
Well, this is only a homestead farm, but if it comes to a novice farmer, then the mass slaughter of poultry for sale is an emergency job, involving all the staff, young and old. Such an unproductive operation should be facilitated at a minimum or automated, as in large enterprises.
DIY feather removal machine
Before making a feather removal machine, you need to find out how many poultry to process it will be intended for.
Depends on choice of design type:
- mobile
- stationary
Homemade feather removal machine: mobile version
If there is a small amount of various birds available, say, no more than 50 birds, then it is not economically feasible to start manufacturing something serious and monumental. Under such conditions, a do-it-yourself feather removal machine can be made in a few hours from scrap materials.
It seems too pretentious to call such a device a machine, but it’s like a small machine for plucking feathers. It is a mobile unit that is installed in the chuck clamp of a conventional electric drill. Structurally, the device looks like this.
A piece of metal pipe with a diameter of 100 to 150 mm with a welded bottom. An axis extending outwards is installed in its center. Holes are drilled in the walls of the pipe and the punching pins are mounted in them in the radial direction to the outside of the pipe.
Operation procedure with a pinching machine is as follows:
- We attach the drill using brackets to a fixed base, which can serve as a table, a mechanic’s or carpentry workbench, options are possible
- We fix the axis of the machine in the chuck of an electric drill
- start the drill and fix it in the on state
- we take the bird carcass in our hands and bring it to the plane of rotation of our fingers alternately from all sides, performing the plucking process
This machine is convenient to work with small quantities small quail carcasses, broiler chickens, chickens. If the question is about procuring a couple of birds for current needs, then this option is quite optimal.
Making it yourself is not difficult. We select a piece of metal pipe about 100 mm long. Its diameter depends on what kind of bird will be processed. The smaller the carcass, for example, a quail, the smaller the diameter. And vice versa, if it is a large broiler, then the circumference is naturally larger. The thickness of the pipe wall must correspond to the width of the installation groove of the striker pin. This guarantees a reliable connection between the fingers and the pipe.
We mark the pipe for the holes for the punching fingers. We ensure their arrangement in a checkerboard pattern with an interaxial distance 30–50 mm depending on diameter. We drill holes in the pipe of a size equal to the diameter of the mounting groove of the pin. We prepare and weld the bottom to the pipe. In the center of the bottom we drill a hole for the axle with a diameter of about 10 mm.
At the end of the axle we cut a thread with a diameter of 10 mm and a length of about 20 mm. Screw the nut onto the axle thread until it stops and install the axle into the bottom hole, securing it with the second nut. For reliable protection from disassembling this connection, we core the nut or install a spring washer, or apply a fixing sealant, preferably a collapsible type, to the threads.
It is possible to weld the axle to the bottom of the structure.
After treating the holes in the pipe with automotive lubricant, install the pins. The car is ready.
Do-it-yourself plucking machine from a washing machine
If your home farm has a fairly large variety of birds, more than 100 pcs., then it makes sense to think about a significantly serious unit.
For achievement minimum costs for production with a small amount of labor required for modification, we choose an old top-loading washing machine as a basis. Making a feather removal machine from a washing machine is even easier than inventing something new.
When choosing a car you need to pay attention to activator location. In older units like RIGA 17, the bottom of the metal tank is inclined and, accordingly, the activator is too. This will create additional difficulties during the revision process. But more modern Fairy type machines have a horizontal arrangement of the activator with a fairly large diameter, which is more attractive for the further transformation of the washing machine into a feather removal machine.
All that needs to be changed in the Fairy's design is to install the kicking fingers. An additional disk is attached to the top of the activator using bolts, repeating its diameter. First you need to mark it for your fingers based on a center-to-center distance of about 65 mm, and drill holes. The diameter of the drillings must correspond to the design of the finger used. Then we mount the hammer fingers into the holes of the disk.
After installing the disk, mark on the wall of the washing machine tank the horizontal location of the lower row of fixed fingers, focusing on the upper level of the fingers movable disk. You need to pay attention to ensure that your fingers do not touch when operating the pinching machine.
Having decided on the horizontal, we mark the centers of the location of the side holes, ensuring that they are arranged in a checkerboard pattern with a distance between them of 65 mm. The number of horizontal rows will be 4 pieces. We drill holes and install the pins.
In the lower part of the side wall of the tank at the level of its bottom, we make a window 30 by 150 mm to remove carcass processing waste.
Features of choosing kick fingers
It’s not difficult to make nail fingers with your own hands, you just need choose the right material, which is very difficult. You will have to buy them, so they will be the most expensive part of the design. The range of fingers on the market is huge. As a result, when purchasing, you must keep in mind that the design options are quite varied and there are differences in the material used for manufacturing. Having decided to make a machine for a specific type of bird, you need to select the appropriate fingers.
When creating a feather removal machine for quails with your own hands, you need to use fingers of small diameter and very elastic, so as not to damage the quail carcass itself. For large geese or turkeys, you will need larger diameter and more rigid material. Making a universal unit for different types, we are looking for a compromise version.
The proposed design options are basic basis for the manufacture of a feather removal machine. Using these examples, you can build a lot of modifications of similar devices. The main thing is that the farm has the availability of suitable materials, components and assemblies. There is a field of activity to choose from. But the second option is more preferable, since it completely eliminates contact during operation human hands with clubbed fingers. The carcass is placed in a container and there it is processed to condition.
If you plan to make completely original design, it is advisable to first create drawings that take into account all the features of the parts used, their location and interaction.
Attention, TODAY only!
Owners of private houses almost always maintain farmsteads and especially love to raise poultry. But from the moment when tiny yellow balls run around the yard, causing tenderness, to a huge dish with an appetizingly fried chicken, some time passes, filled with the hassle of caring for and raising and, by the way, in this interval there is a period when the bird has to be slaughtered and pluck. Some subtle natures This process almost makes you faint, but, nevertheless, you cannot do without it.
Plucking with your own hands, even for villagers accustomed to any kind of work, is not only an unpleasant task, but also quite lengthy and tedious. If you have to process two or three carcasses, then that’s all right, but if you need to slaughter a dozen or two chickens to load into freezer or take you to the market, it may take all night to get to work. And if we talk about farms where you have to process hundreds of carcasses, then there can be no talk of manual labor at all. And the industry, of course, took care of automating the plucking process and launched special feather picking machines on the market.
Such devices make it possible to speed up the removal of feathers from a slaughtered bird tens of times, while the quality of work is quite high: the carcass is completely free of feathers and fluff, is not damaged and has an excellent presentation.
We are sure that every private poultry farmer would like to have such a device for plucking birds at home, but its cost is quite high, and not everyone can afford it, and its payback, on a small farm, can take years. We suggest not to be upset about this, but once again to be smart and build such a device yourself.
Let's first take a look at what a feather removal machine actually is. This device, operating on the principle of a centrifuge, consists of a drum, the entire inner surface which, as well as the bottom, are studded with rubber beaters. The bottom of the feather removal machine is not rigidly connected to the drum and is a separate moving part. There is an output tray at the bottom through which the removed pen comes out. The device operates from a single-phase one and a half kilowatt motor.
When plugged into the network, the bottom of the device begins to rotate quickly, constantly turning the carcass over, rubber fingers hook the feather and pull it out, the water pouring from above washes it out through the exit tray. In just a minute, one or two chickens will be cleanly plucked and ready for cutting.
Punching fingers for a homemade pen removal machine
As you can see, the main working elements of the device are the striking fingers. It is impossible to make them yourself, so our feather removal machine will begin to be built by purchasing them.
The machine may require up to 120 pcs. such elements. They are also not cheap - for one dollar you are unlikely to be able to buy more than 3-4 rubber fingers, but do not be discouraged ahead of time - in fact, this will be almost the only major investment in this project, everything else can be found on your own farm.
When ordering beaters, keep in mind that they come in different sizes and are selected depending on the type of bird. So, when you are planning to pluck broilers, make sure that you do not receive old fingers intended for quail.
Assembling a poultry plucking device
As a container, that is, a drum for a pen-picking machine, you can use a plastic or metal round container, the height of which should be approximately 80-90 cm and the width 70 cm. The plastic should be very durable, and the metal should be at least 1.2 mm thick . The walls should not bend or crack under the influence of carcass impacts, and the rubber fingers should be secured very firmly. Since the drum is still separated from the bottom, it can easily be built from the body of an old round washing machine.
Along the bottom of the drum, up to about half or 1/3, and along the bottom, which is a circle with a diameter similar to the container, holes for the beaters are drilled with a wide drill, at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. The diameter of the holes should be such that the narrow part intended for installation, the fingers fit snugly in the sockets.
Installing the hammer fingers is quite a task, you will break a sweat and spew several megabytes of profanity into the air while getting everything in place. Dipping the elements into some kind of slip-promoting liquid, such as oil or detergent, can make the job somewhat easier.
We make a wooden base for the drum and fix it on it. The base must be not only strong, but also very stable, since the operation of the feather removal machine is associated with a fairly strong torsional vibration, capable of collapsing the device on its side in no time.
Particular attention should be paid to the arrangement of the bottom. The photo clearly shows that it is two-layer.
The lower circle not only supports the beaters from below, but also consists of a rigid coupling with the transmission device.
The transmission is connected to a motor, which is recommended to be installed slightly to the side.
Since the operation of the feather removal machine will involve the use of water, and the splashing can reach several meters, it is strongly recommended to protect the electric motor with a plastic apron that looks like an inverted basin or something like that.
That's it, making the feather removal machine with your own hands is finished, all that remains is to test it. Turn it on and throw the pre-scalded chicken into the drum.
And after 30 seconds we get an excellent result.
So, in 40 minutes we managed to get rid of the feathers of 17 pieces. broilers
Let's see!
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Do-it-yourself feather removal machine - why is it needed? When you come to the store, you buy a ready-made chicken or duck carcass without feathers, but for the time being you don’t think about how they were removed. And only when you become the owner of your own bird population do you come face to face with the question: how can you quickly but delicately pluck a bird? It is quite acceptable to make a special device with my own hands, using an unnecessary plastic barrel and spare parts from an old washing machine.
Today we will tell you how to make a feather removal machine with your own hands, list what is needed for this, and offer step by step instructions, illustrating the entire process.
Despite the fact that bird carcasses are usually sold already plucked, it happens that the bird reaches the table still with feathers - for example, a trophy from a hunt, and it needs to be plucked before cooking. Yes, it’s not a problem to handle one piece, but what if you need to process several dozen carcasses for sale?
For this purpose there is a special device called a feather removal machine. It fully automates the process and eliminates the need for manual plucking. And the operation takes less than three minutes. This means that even a hundred chickens can be plucked in about 3-4 hours. It is very comfortable. You can simply buy a functional device, but it is not cheap - from 8 thousand rubles or more.
The devices presented in stores operate using an electric motor powered from a regular outlet. Automatic plucking technology is based on the use of friction: feathers and fluff are removed due to the action of special rotating attachments - beaters. They are long rubber pins that tear off the feather cover without damaging the skin.
You can find mobile and desktop versions in stores. The first are removable attachments for electric tools (drills or screwdrivers). They are compact and inexpensive, but not very functional: they allow you to process one carcass over a certain period of time. But you can take them with you, for example, on a hunt.
If chickens or ducks are bred for mass slaughter for meat, then the farm should have a large centrifuge-type machine, in which the beaters are located inside a large central tank. Such devices have different size and, accordingly, allow you to process a larger or smaller number of carcasses per unit of time. They also differ in the power of the electric motor and the rotation speed of the drum. The bird is placed in a tank, the bottom of which rotates, covered with beaters, and additionally the chicken or duck hits the walls with the same attachments. No human action is required.
Advantages of homemade pen removal devices
With minimal skills and abilities, it is quite possible to assemble a plucking device that is not inferior in performance to purchased analogues. And you don’t even need a drawing for this, because the assembly is carried out according to a simple and understandable algorithm. Sample instructions can be found below.
If you use spare parts from old household appliances and an unnecessary plastic barrel from construction mixtures or feed, then the cost of the device will be a maximum of a couple of thousand rubles. You will have to spend most of your money on buying beaters, which you cannot do without. And such a feather removal machine will work no worse than a purchased one. The only difference is that it is not the most aesthetic appearance, although this defect can be corrected by painting.
Where to buy hitting fingers and which ones to choose
The leading element, mandatory for any feather removal unit, is elastic rubber nozzles. They are rubber or silicone products that rub against the feathers and thus separate them from the skin. It’s impossible to make them yourself, so you’ll just have to buy them. These elements are sold in all agricultural supply stores, and they can also be easily ordered online. For a homemade machine you need about 100 pieces. The price of one “finger” is from 15 to 40 rubles.
Beats come in different lengths, hardness levels, diameters, and shapes. Each type is designed to perform a specific task. The “fingers” must be well secured to the base surface, otherwise they will not effectively separate the feather cover. Therefore, they are mounted on thin walls using washers. In general, all blows can be divided into two large groups: ring (have horizontal notches) and ball (distinguished by a pimpled surface). The first ones are intended for soft, delicate plucking of down, the second ones are for removing harder feathers.
Table 1. Criteria for selecting beating attachments for a homemade machine
| Purpose | Options |
|---|---|
| For plucking small birds | Most small size- 45-55 mm long and 10.5 mm in diameter. They have horizontal notches. Used for skinning quails, partridges, etc. |
| For plucking chickens and ducks | For delicate processing and complete removal of not only feathers, but also fluff. Does not damage the skin. They have a length of 97 mm. |
| Universal | Suitable for removing feathers from geese and turkeys. They are distinguished by an optimal level of rigidity and have large relief notches. Rod length - 93 mm. |
| For industrial equipment | They are made of high-strength rubber and are installed on professional linear rotary devices. They are distinguished by their solid length - 140 mm and large diameter - 19.5 mm. |
| For raking out feathers | They are installed on the rotating disk of a centrifuge and help effectively get rid of plucked feathers. |
What kind of plucking machine can you make with your own hands?
For home use It is possible to make both a mobile and a stationary machine. The first option is easier to implement. It can be used as a spare in case of unforeseen situations or if there are few birds on the farm and they are killed rarely.
Use portable device Needed together with a drill or screwdriver. The basis for the nozzle is a piece of thick pipe or the frame of a large diameter tin can. It is necessary to weld the bottom to the workpiece, if there is none, and put a pin in the middle, corresponding in thickness to the drill chuck. Holes are punched in the walls of the pipe, where pins-beaters are mounted. They should be oriented outward, and their bases should be secured from the inside. A power tool with such an attachment is brought to the suspended bird carcass and sequentially processed.
An enlarged version of the previous device is a drum-type machine. It has a similar design, but a much larger diameter and length. Therefore, it is not held in hands, but installed on a frame and attached to rotary engine. A container for collecting feathers is also hung below.
The most convenient is a centrifuge type apparatus. It is a little more difficult to make, but all the effort more than pays off. The central reservoir is a plastic barrel or container from an old washing machine. Basic spare parts are also taken from it. In such a device, the bottom is made movable - it rotates at a good speed, due to which a friction force is created. An electric motor is connected to the bottom of the machine, which ensures rotation. Holes are made in the bottom to drain water and rake out feathers.
Advantages of a homemade feather removal device such as a centrifuge
- This machine can easily process carcasses of different sizes.
- It is used to pluck all large breeds birds: chickens, broilers, geese, turkeys, ducks.
- Several pieces can be placed into the tank at once.
- Approximately 30-40 carcasses are processed per hour.
- The bird does not need to be held with your hands and generally participate in the process in any way. Everything happens automatically.
- The carcass is processed evenly on all sides.
- The skin and limbs are not damaged.
- The removed feathers do not scatter around, but are collected at the bottom and exit through a hole previously left in the bottom. The remaining ones can be easily cleaned out later.
- The pins can be replaced as needed: they are not tightly secured, but are fixed with bolts.
- The rotation frequency and rotation speed can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the motor power.
What materials and tools will be needed for the work?
A thrifty owner can find all the spare parts in his own garage or shed. But if something is missing, it’s easy to buy additional parts in building materials or agricultural equipment stores. The main elements that you need to take care of purchasing first are the electric motor and the striking pins - they have already been mentioned above.
As for the motor, a regular rotor with a drive belt with a power of 2-3 kW will do. You can take a used one or buy a new one. If you use parts from an old but working washing machine, you can adapt the motor from it.
You will also need:
- steel pipes for the frame;
- a large plastic barrel with good thick walls;
- steel plates;
- nuts and bolts for fastening;
- switch for drive;
- a little paint.
Required tools:
- pliers;
- hammer;
- Bulgarian;
- drill;
- screwdrivers and wrenches.
- welding machine;
Step-by-step instructions for making a feather removal machine
Table 2. Step-by-step instructions
| Illustration | Description |
|---|---|
 | We select all the necessary details. |
 | The base is a plastic barrel with a cut bottom. |
 | For the rotating lower part we use a disk from a washing machine centrifuge. We separate it from the walls and drill holes for the beaters. |
 | We insert the rubber fingers and secure them with screws and nuts. |
 | Elements must be distributed evenly over the entire surface. It is better to make a checkerboard arrangement. Approximate quantity - 30-35 pieces. |
 | We install the disk with the beaters on a stationary metal base, which can also be borrowed from an old washing machine. |
 | We secure the structure with bolts. |
 | Cut a small hole in the bottom to drain water. |
 | Now you need to weld a rectangular frame from scrap metal pipes. The size must match the diameter of the bottom of the machine so that it does not fall through. |
 | We place the bottom with beaters on the frame. |
 | We secure the part using nuts and bots. |
 | We mount the motor on the side, we also fix it using a bolt-nut connection. You need to tighten it properly so that the rotor does not fly off due to constant vibration. |
 | We install the transmission belt. |
 | We attach the switch. |
 | Place a hollow barrel on top. |
 | We securely fasten it to the disk using nuts and bolts. The structure must be monolithic, because a heavy bird carcass will fly inside at high speed, hitting the walls with force. |
 | We drill holes for the beaters in the barrel and install the first row. |
 | We make another row of feather fingers. |
 | We paint the frame. This is necessary because water will constantly drain from the bottom, and painting will help prevent rapid rusting. |
 | Let's try the device in action: put a chicken carcass inside and turn it on. The bird must first be scalded with boiling water to make the feathers easier to remove. Finally, water is poured into the machine from a hose to get rid of debris (it will flow out of the bottom hole along with the water). |
 | We take the completely plucked bird out of the car. |
Conclusion
A feather removal machine is very useful on a farm where they keep a lot of poultry for slaughter. You will definitely have to pluck it, and doing it with your hands is long and inconvenient. A special device makes the task much easier, and a minimum of time is spent on processing one ear.
Buying such equipment is not affordable for everyone, but you can find a way out: make the device yourself. For work, you can adapt spare parts from an old washing machine, plastic barrels and other scrap materials that are probably piling up in the garage. No drawings are needed if you strictly follow the detailed instructions.
Video - How to make a poultry plucking machine at home
The question of how to make a nozzle for plucking poultry with your own hands most often arises among owners of small farms, who often have to deal with such a routine procedure as freeing bird carcasses from feathers and down. This work is especially tedious in cases where it is not large chickens or turkeys that need to be plucked, but quails.
The problem of tedious poultry plucking can be solved by purchasing or self-production special device
On modern market There are several types of devices specifically designed for plucking poultry. They demonstrate high efficiency if poultry carcasses, which need to be cleaned of feathers and fluff, are first scalded with boiling water.
The principle of operation of most of these devices is based on the fact that the bird being plucked is affected by special pins - rubber pins, on the surface of which a specially shaped notch is applied. It is these pins that, when plucking chickens, quails or any other bird, grab the feather and pull it out of the skin.
Poultry fingers are soft to reduce damage to the carcass. Firmer fingers designed for waterfowl and game birds
As mentioned above, today several types of plucking equipment are offered, each of which is worth dwelling on in more detail.
Centrifuge-based plucking devices
A device for plucking poultry, operating on the principle of a centrifuge, is a predominantly round container, on the inner side surface and bottom of which the beating fingers are fixed. The bottom of such a container rotates at high speed during the plucking process, which ensures constant contact of loaded poultry carcasses with the beating fingers. As a result, the bird quickly frees itself from the feather. In order for such a device to work more efficiently, during the plucking process it inner part water is supplied, which, in addition, washes away already plucked feathers and protects bird carcasses from damage.
Depending on the dimensions and technical characteristics centrifuge plucker, this device can be used to process poultry carcasses of various sizes. Thus, small devices are suitable for plucking chickens, quails and ducks, while larger pluckers, which consume more electricity, are used for processing geese and turkey carcasses.
It is advisable to purchase machines that operate on the principle of a centrifuge for small farms, and other types of devices are used to mechanize the plucking of poultry carcasses at home.
Drum pluckers
Common devices (including for home use) are drum-type pluckers. They are a precisely centered drum, on the outer surface of which the beaters are fixed. During the plucking process, the poultry carcass is brought to a rotating drum, which can have different lengths. It should be noted that using drum devices for plucking small poultry is not entirely convenient.
Budget device option of this type is a drum attachment for a drill for plucking poultry. Such attachments, although universal, are not very convenient to use. To process a poultry carcass using such a device, you have to hold it with one hand and use the power tool with the other to rotate the nozzle.
A simple plucking attachment consists of an aluminum body with holes for fingers and a shaft for mounting in a drill or screwdriver chuck.
It should be borne in mind that the drum-type feather removal attachment allows you to pluck only one poultry carcass at a time, so for farms where it is necessary to pluck several birds at once, it is better to purchase devices of other types. These are, in particular, feather removal machines operating on the principle of a centrifuge, or larger and more productive drum devices driven not by a power tool, but by a separate drive.
An even more budget-friendly device for this purpose is a drill attachment for plucking, the working part of which is not a drum with pins, but a sponge with a reinforced washing surface. Although this attachment looks primitive, it allows you to pluck poultry or wild birds quite effectively.
Serial feather removal equipment and special devices designed for plucking poultry are purchased primarily by farms and private entrepreneurs who regularly sell their products on the market or in retail chains. Many of those who breed poultry only for their own needs make such devices with their own hands from scrap materials, using only factory-made beating fingers, which today can be purchased at a low price. You can make your pen picker reliable only if you purchase high-quality pins that will last much longer than those made by yourself.
Homemade pen removal attachments for power tools
The DIY drill attachment, which can also be used in conjunction with a screwdriver or sharpening machine, is easy to make. The main element of such a device is the drum, which must have sufficiently high rigidity. To make your own nozzle for plucking poultry, you can use the following algorithm.
- A bottom is attached to a piece made of light metal using screws or welding, in the central part of which a hole is pre-drilled.
- A pin is inserted into the hole in the bottom of the drum and secured with two nuts. When selecting the diameter of such a pin, it should be taken into account that it must be securely fixed in the chuck of the power tool used to operate the pen removal attachment.
- Several rows of holes are drilled on the side surface of the drum along its entire circumference. They should be performed at the same distance from each other.
- Rubber strikers are inserted into the resulting holes.
If you have a suitable engine lying around on the farm, then it can be used to create a more powerful plucking device.
Such a feather plucking attachment, despite the simplicity of its design, can be used to process chickens, quails, ducks, geese and even turkeys. This attachment is also useful for plucking poultry and hunters, who are also often faced with the need to process large quantity bird carcasses.
The simplest nozzle for plucking poultry can be made with your own hands from a piece of polyethylene pipe with a diameter of 100–120 mm. The two bottoms for such a nozzle can be made not of metal, but of hard plastic or plywood. In the center of both bottoms, holes are drilled through which a pin will be passed, intended not only for installing the attachment on a power tool, but also for tying the entire structure. As in the previous model of a homemade nozzle, on the surface of the pipe of this device Holes are drilled into which rubber strikers are inserted.
How to make your own feather drum
The feather removal drum operates on the same principle as the poultry plucking nozzle, but differs in its longer length and, accordingly, the presence of a support axis at the free end. This plucking drum is driven by an electric motor and a belt drive.
Making a drum for plucking poultry is easy. For this you will need:
- a drum of any length with two axes (on the side surface of such a drum it is necessary to drill holes in which the rubber strikers will be fixed);
- a bed or frame on which the feather removal drum will be installed;
- low power electric motor;
- belt drive elements - pulleys and belt;
- a bag for collecting plucked feathers, which is suspended on the bottom of the device frame.
A similar plucking machine can be used to process poultry carcasses such as chicken, quail, goose, turkey, etc.
Making a feather removal device from an old washing machine
You can make an effective feather removal device with your own hands from an old activator-type washing machine. The convenience of using an old washing machine to make a plucking device is that its lower part already has a drive that can be successfully used to transmit rotation to the bottom of the feather removal unit. In addition, the tanks are old washing machines, as a rule, are made of high quality of stainless steel, which is also a big plus.
To turn the tank of an old washing machine into an effective feather removal unit, it is necessary to mount a rotating type bottom above its main bottom, which is connected to the activator shaft. Such a bottom can be made from an aluminum sheet or other light sheet metal of the required rigidity. It is important to take into account that the diameter of the rotating part should be 5 cm less than cross dimension the tank itself.
It is not recommended to make a larger gap, since the limbs of chickens and other poultry carcasses or even whole quails can get into it. Before attaching the rotating bottom to the axis of rotation, it is necessary to drill holes in it in which the hammer pins will be fixed. The same holes are drilled on the side walls of the tank.
Inside the homemade product there is a stainless steel circle and factory rubber fingers.
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