How to Build a Poultry Plucker

Using paraffin wax and cold water is the cheapest and quickest way to de-feather a fowl. Large factories use a similar version of this procedure but using large industrial equipment.

Things You'll Need

• 2 large metal pots (each larger than chicken)
• 1 chunk of paraffin wax
• Room temperature water
• Cold water
• Ice
• Rubber gloves
• Long tongs

Instructions

1. Melt a chunk of paraffin wax in some room temperature water in a large metal pot on the stove.

2. Add cold water and ice to the second metal pot.

3. Put on rubber gloves and drop your chicken into the metal pot with the paraffin wax. Use the tongs to submerge it into the melted wax and swish it around.

4. Pull the chicken out of the pot with the large tongs and dunk it into the pot with the ice cold water. Complete submerge and swish the chicken around for a few minutes.

5. Pull the chicken out of the water with your gloved hands and peel the feathers off the skin.

Tips & Warnings

• You may wish to repeat the process twice–first to remove the large feathers and a second time to remove the tiny feathers that may or may not still remain stuck to the skin.

• This is not for the faint-hearted. If you’re not used to seeing where your meat comes from and handling it, you may find this job distasteful.

References

• Backyard Chickens