Butchering chickens is not a pleasant task, as anyone who has tried it can tell you. And plucking the birds is a time consuming chore. So before butchering season this fall, we decided it was time to get a mechanical feather plucker. After looking around for an inexpensive unit and trying to decide which of the different designs would work best, we decided to make our own. This is what we came up with.

This small-scale chicken plucker can be made for about $10, using recycled materials.

Materials List:
1 electric fan motor single speed (1,550 rpm and matching metal fan)
1 - 2" x 8" x 18" board
1 - 3/4" x 3/4" x 4" wood
1 - 1/4" plywood 6" x 6"
1 - 1/4" plywood 6" x 7"
1 - 7-1/2" x 12" carpet

Don't want to build your own plucker? See below for processing equipment and suppliers.

1 - 2" PVC outside cap
15 rubber plucking fingers
1 electric switch box
1 light switch
1 light switch cover
1 - 4' electric cord with male end attached
2 wire nuts
1 - 1/2" threaded rod 2" long
2 - 1/2" nuts
14 - 1" deck screws
12 - 1/2" staples?

We salvaged all of our materials from our we-might-need-this-someday pile of treasures, with the exception of the rubber plucking fingers.

The idea was a simple one: mount the motor to a solid surface and spin some rubber fingers in a circle to remove the feathers. It seems a lot of manufacturers want well over $100 for their versions of a feather plucker. This one cost $9.95 plus tax for the rubber fingers.

On butchering day the plucker was put to the test (left) and came through with flying colors.

Assembling the Unit:

1. We laid the 2 x 8 board down and attached the carpet with 1/2" staples. This will help reduce the vibration from the fan motor.

2. The two 1/4" plywood pieces were cut to hold the motor and a 1-1/2" hole was drilled in the 6 x 6 piece. The four motor mounting bolt holes were also drilled at this time. Next the plywood was attached to the side of the 2 x 8, and we mounted the motor.

3. The 6 x 7 piece was cut at a 45 degree angle to serve as a gusset, and attached to the 2 x 8. The 3/4 x 3/4 piece was used to secure the two plywood pieces together.?

4. The electrical box was mounted to the top of the 2 x 8 opposite the motor, and the motor, plug-in cord, and switch were wired together.

5. Fifteen 23/64" holes were drilled around the outside of the 2" PVC cap. We placed two rubber fingers side by side, then a space and one finger in the center. This pattern was evenly spaced all the way around, and the fingers pulled through each hole from the inside out.

6. A 1/2" hole was drilled in the end of the PVC cap, so it could be secured to the motor shaft.

7. The fan-to-motor mounting collar was cut off the fan blades, and the 1/2" threaded rod welded to one end of the collar.

8. The collar was mounted to the motor and the PVC cap fastened to the end with two 1/2" nuts.

This project took less time to assemble than it took to gather the materials!

This is only one example of a low-cost chicken plucker. With a little imagination you can build one, too.

Reprinted from Countryside & Small Stock Journal, Jan./Feb., 2006 (www.countrysidemag.com).