# chicken plucker



## kdalton324 (Jun 20, 2015)

So I have been staring on plans to build my very own chicken plucker. I have until September to finish this, because that's when our birds will be big enough to butcher. I understand the process, killing draining scalding and then plucking. my question is how many rpms do I want the plucker wheel to turn. I salvaged a motor from an old air compressor, and its 3400 rpms. I thought that I would want rpms in the plucker to be from 120-176. no website I have found tells me the specidic instructions. 

Thank you Kyle Dalton


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

I built a "whiz-bang" plucker. Ordered the plans and some of the parts from that guy. 


If I recall, the plate rpm is in the 150 range, and with a 1750rpm motor, it still takes a LARGE pulley (like 15-16"). I don't think a 3400rpm motor would work, the pulley would have to be huge.

You can see the pulley at the bottom of mine:


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## kdalton324 (Jun 20, 2015)

Well a 16 inch pulley scales down the 1750 rpm to 218-219 rpms. And I'm gong to use a two belt system to bring the rpms down.


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## Lookin4GoodLife (Oct 14, 2013)

Would you be able to slow the motor down with a dimmer or speed control type deal?


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## Guest (May 17, 2016)

How many are you going to butcher? I'm going to try making one of those plucker attachments for my drill, but I don't butcher very many at a time.


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## thericeguy (Jan 3, 2016)

Well, I dont know if you have access to cheap or free pulleys, motors, shaft material, and bearings, but if not you might be approaching the cost of a stainless steel commercial unit. They were on sale recently for $395.

I plan to buy a neighbors commercial unit. He raises quail. He bought a chicken plucker. It makes shredded quail.


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## Lookin4GoodLife (Oct 14, 2013)

thericeguy said:


> Well, I dont know if you have access to cheap or free pulleys, motors, shaft material, and bearings, but if not you might be approaching the cost of a stainless steel commercial unit. They were on sale recently for $395.


I was wondering that myself. I was looking at the price of parts on the whizbang guy's web site and thought good googley! You could buy one for what the parts cost. I'm not saying his parts are overpriced, I just thought that by the time you bought $400-500 worth of parts and then had to scrounge all the rest of the materials, you may as well pony up for one already built. Where were the units for $395 riceguy?


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## thericeguy (Jan 3, 2016)

They are no longer on sale for $170 off like last fall, but 

http://www.cconly.com/processing/feather_plucker


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## kdalton324 (Jun 20, 2015)

thericeguy said:


> They are no longer on sale for $170 off like last fall, but
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.cconly.com/processing/feather_plucker



That's all well and good but your talking 4-5 hundred for the machine then almost another two hundred for shipping. I don't have access to the cheapest equipment but I should be able to make it for less than 300


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## kdalton324 (Jun 20, 2015)

ladycat said:


> How many are you going to butcher? I'm going to try making one of those plucker attachments for my drill, but I don't butcher very many at a time.



I had looked into buying one of those drill attachments. But a friend of mine who process a lot of birds said they make a huge mess. That's why I decided to not get one.


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## kdalton324 (Jun 20, 2015)

TnAndy said:


> I built a "whiz-bang" plucker. Ordered the plans and some of the parts from that guy.
> 
> 
> If I recall, the plate rpm is in the 150 range, and with a 1750rpm motor, it still takes a LARGE pulley (like 15-16"). I don't think a 3400rpm motor would work, the pulley would have to be huge.
> ...



What is the pulley size on your motor. With the two pulley sizes and the motor Rpms I can figure out how to do mine.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

I don't recall....it was the smallest one I could find......probably 2-3".

Since you likely can't find one much smaller than 2", (time you subtract the shaft and leave some meat FOR the pulley) the ratio for a 3400rpm motor works out to:

Motor rpm: 3400 
Pulley size: 2"

Final rpm: 200 
Pulley size:* 34"

*http://www.culvermotor.com/Engineering-Formulas/Pulley-and-RPM-Calculator.html*

*200rpm is about the outside limit for a plucker, and I kinda doubt you can make a 34" pulley work under it, assuming you can even find one......so guess what ? 

We're back to what I said.....a 3400rpm motor isn't likely to work.


You then said: "And I'm gong to use a two belt system to bring the rpms down."

Not sure how you plan to do that, unless by a "two belt system" you mean a second set of pulleys and jack shaft, to act as a step down transmission, which sounds like a rather complex solution for a simple problem.....go find a 1750rpm motor.


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## kdalton324 (Jun 20, 2015)

Using the calculator you provided a 2 inch pulley with a 1750 rpm motor still has a drum speed of 218 when using a 16 inch pulley. Which is why I have been targeting 200 RPMS. and yes using a jack shaft with a second set of pulleys is a little more complicated, but its alot easier than going and spending $150 on a new motor to use. I have been unable to find a used one, and i have the compressor motor at home for free.


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## marusempai (Sep 16, 2007)

ladycat said:


> How many are you going to butcher? I'm going to try making one of those plucker attachments for my drill, but I don't butcher very many at a time.


We built a plucker drill attachment, usually do about ten at a time, there's a learning curve on the things but it works well enough for us. We're reaching the point where we'd like to do more at a time (so we can do fewer batches) and the limit for how many we can do in a day without killing ourselves, using the drill plucker, seems to be about twelve ducks or we haven't pushed it with chickens but I'd figure maybe fifteen, since they are easier to pluck generally. My husband desperately wants a drum plucker but is as yet unwilling to pony up the money. They do make a mess, but no more so than a drum plucker does (we've helped a friend with his), just the mess is a different shape. All the feathers tend to go one direction, you learn real fast where not to put your face!


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## thericeguy (Jan 3, 2016)

kdalton324 said:


> That's all well and good but your talking 4-5 hundred for the machine then almost another two hundred for shipping. I don't have access to the cheapest equipment but I should be able to make it for less than 300


Fair enough. I know you have a motor, but just for giggles, what is the HP requirement? 1/2?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I built my Wiz bang , at the time the cheapest commercial unit I could find was like 1200 dollars so it made sense to put a few hundred into parts 

I only have a 1/2 hp 1750 motor but I had it on hand so that cut my cost some 

I ordered the plucker fingers , the book , the hdpe board pre drilled , the pullies , shaft , bearings and tentioner from whiz bang

if I was doing many more birds I would upgrade the motor , i built this when a friend and I were doing runs of 100 birds at a time , but that didn't last long getting out families together for processing day , well we had labor issues 

I sold most of my half of that run of chickens and came up a little short for paying off the pucker I had paid for an built the plucker so I kept the plucker his wife had no interest in ever butchering chickens again he can use it when he wants so far he has never asked to use it again

I use it for a run of a dozen just for my family from time to time 

if you have to buy a motor go 3/4 hp mine needs about 15-20 seconds to wind up when i hear the capacitor start kick out I drop the chickens 2 at a time in about 30 seconds they are clean I turn off the power then the water 

If I ever got back into large runs of birds I would upgrade the motor


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

TNANDY mine also has wheels , but it has a potato salad bucket that covers the motor , I like your wooden enclosure 

mine also wears a delta shower head that was left over form a bathroom remodel , it keeps a nice amount of water on the birds and carrying the feathers out 


wheels are a very good idea for anyone planning to build one they are not that easy to move not that heavy but very awkward for one person to move


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## thericeguy (Jan 3, 2016)

Thanks. There is a considerable price difference between 1/2 and 3/4 HP. I was going to suggest the OP compare the cost difference between a $60 1150 rpm motor and two sheaves, the driven sheave being smaller and cheaper due to 1150 motor, and the 4 sheaves needed with dual belts and the headaches of slippage that come with that. 

If the extra sheaves cost $60, they can get the 1/2 HP motor for the same investment and use only 1 belt.


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## flewism (Apr 2, 2007)

Replace the motor and keep it simple, 3/4 hp 1140 rpm $80 at the surplus center


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> TNANDY mine also has wheels , but it has a potato salad bucket that covers the motor , I like your wooden enclosure
> 
> mine also wears a delta shower head that was left over form a bathroom remodel , it keeps a nice amount of water on the birds and carrying the feathers out
> 
> ...




Yeah, I added the wheels (and a handle not shown) after dragging it around the first time . I take it thru the garage, and out on a back deck where I set it up along with the turkey cooker/pot, which is my scalder.

I used a 3/4hp motor, because it was what I had laying around....only do one bird at a time in the plucker, and it has no problem doing that. For water, I just use a hose. 

The original plucker plans call for an open bottom, and the feathers fall under the plate. I liked the idea more of a closed bottom, and a chute for the feathers, so that's how I built mine.

Cut a slot in the bottom:











Then made a chute out of scrap aluminum coil, bolted to the bottom:











To help 'sweep' the feathers out the bottom, I installed a row of the fingers pointing down on the bottom side of the plate.











Works good.....all the water/feathers come out the chute, and catch in a bucket with holes drilled in it for drainage.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

kdalton324 said:


> Using the calculator you provided a 2 inch pulley with a 1750 rpm motor still has a drum speed of 218 when using a 16 inch pulley. Which is why I have been targeting 200 RPMS. and yes using a jack shaft with a second set of pulleys is a little more complicated, but its alot easier than going and spending $150 on a new motor to use. I have been unable to find a used one, and i have the compressor motor at home for free.


OK...post some pics when you get it done.

But as flewism said, Surplus center has a 3/4hp for $70 (though with metric shaft), or a full 1hp Dayton for $90. Unless you already have 3 correct size pulleys (1 motor/shaft, 2 shaft to second shaft), plus shaft, plus bearings for each end, looks like a motor is cheaper, not to mention less to rig up.

http://www.surpluscenter.com/Electr...-Motors-Base-Mount/?page_no=1&fq=ATR_RPM:1140


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## thericeguy (Jan 3, 2016)

One of my favorite sayings; dont step over a dollar to pick up a nickel.


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

My son built mine using the whiz bang directions and bought the rubber fingers and whirling board. He stole my 5-horse chipper-shredder motor for the first motor, then when that wore out, replaced it with a Harbor Freight electric motor. The chipper-shredder was $5 off CL, and I had to get a new one because I use it to shred apples to squish apple juice. He figured he ended up with around $300 in the first chicken plucker, but it's done hundreds of chickens, and it's just super. I really like the idea of having a couple of the rubber fingers turned down to clean out feathers. I'll have to talk to him about that.


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