Anyone Can Build AWhizbang Chicken Plucker

It's The Most Famous Chicken Plucker in the World... And For Good Reason

2010-04-21T15:09:00.002-07:00

Updated: 5 March 2012

whizbang: Noun. One that is conspicuous for speed, excellence, or startling effect.

Herrick Kimball, inventor of the Whizbang Plucker, with a couple of just-plucked chickens

Necessity is the mother of invention. I know this because, back in 1999, I needed a chicken plucking machine but couldn't justify the high cost of an already-made plucker.

I had used a tub plucker and knew that was exactly what I wanted. With a tub plucker, you just flip a switch, drop your birds in the tub, and watch while the machine takes all the feathers off. It all happens in a matter of seconds (15 to 20), and it's an amazing sight to behold—especially if you've spent any time hand-plucking the feathers off a chicken.

So I invested a lot of effort and some money and, in time, I developed my own simple, inexpensive, homemade tub plucker. The thing worked so doggone good that I named it the Whizbang plucker.

Then I self-published 100 copies of a 60-page plucker plan book that told and showed other backyard and small-farm poultry producers how to easily make their own Whizbang Plucker.

Since then, the book has sold over 20,000 copies. Thousands of homemade Whizbangs are now dependably plucking chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese all across America, and in at least ten other countries around the globe.

It turns out that my humble plucker has been (and continues to be) an integral part of the grassroots movement back to personal and localized food production. It's a beautiful thing.

I still use the Whizbang plucker that started this whole phenomenon. For more than a decade, it has dependably plucked the meat birds my family raises for ourselves each year. And it has plucked literally thousands of other birds, as I freely loan the machine to numerous friends and neighbors when they need it.

After all those years and all those birds, my old original Whizbang doesn't look as "pretty" as when it was new, but it still plucks chickens as well as the day I made it. If you follow my plans, your homemade Whizbang plucker will do the same for you.

This web site is chock-full of Whizbang plucker information and inspiration. You'll also find information about the Whizbang chicken scalder, chicken tractors, and more. You can access all the pages and information by scrolling down the right side of the page and clicking on the different pictures.

You can also purchase the plucker book and Whizbang plucker parts here with easy online order buttons.

Thanks for stopping by.

Herrick Kimball

hckimball@bci.net

Whizbang Plucker Page

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Coming Soon

Whizbang Plucker Parts List

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The following list of materials are what you need to build the Whizbang plucker and it corresponds with the checklist found on page 60 of my book, Anyone Can Build A Tub-Style Mechanical Chicken Plucker.

The items highlighted in red are included in the Whizbang Shebang Plucker Parts Package, which is available from me at THIS LINK.

Plucker Tub
—Recycled plastic barrel
or 1/8” x 20” HDPE plastic sheet from Whizbang (1)
—Rubber Plucker Fingers (125)
—#8 x 1” Pan Head Screw (8)

Featherplate & Shaft
—2ft x 2ft material to make featherplate
(or premade featherplate from Whizbang) (1)
—1” x 15-1/2” steel rod with 3” x 3” x 1/4” steel plate

(or premade flanged shaft from Whizbang) (1)
—3/8” x 1” machine bolt (4)
—3/8” lock washer (4)
—3/8” hex nut (4)

Motor
—1725rpm Farm Duty motor, 3/4 HP (1)

Bearings
—Flange-mount pillow block for 1” shaft (2)
—3/8” x 2-1/2” machine bolt (4)
—3/8” flat washer (4)
—3/8” lock washer (4)
—3/8” hex nut (4)

V-Belt & Pulleys
—2-1/2” drive pulley (1)
—15” or 16” driven pulley (1)
—1/2” wide V-Belt (1)
(length to be determined)

Electrical
—12 Ga. 3-wire SJT cord (20 ft)
—3-prong plug end (1)
—WP switch box (1)
—WP switch & cover (1)
—cord grip connectors (3)
—crenelated lock nut

Plucker Frame
—2x4 x 8ft pine (4)
—2-1/2” drywall screws (1 lb)
—3-1/2” x 5/16” lag screw (16)
—3-1/2” x 5/16” carriage bolt (16)
—5/16” lock washers (16)
—5/16” hex nuts (16)
—tube of paintable caulk (1)
—wood preservative (1 Qt)

Bearing Frame & Motor Mount
—2x6 x 12ft pine (1)
—3-1/2” x 5/16” carriage bolt (8)
—5/16” lock washer (8)
—5/16” hex nut (8)
—5/16” x 3-1/2” lag screw
—3/8” x 2” carriage bolt (4)
—3/8” hex nut (4)
—3/8” lock washer (4)

Belt Tensioner
—3-1/2” x 1/2” machine bolt (1)
—1/2” hex nut (1)
—1/2” ID flat washer (1)
—1/2” lock washer (1)
—2-5/8” flat face idler pulley (1)
—5/8” x 1/2” shoulder bushing
—2” x 6-32 machine screw (4)
—#6 hex nut (4)
—#6 lock washer (4)
—2” hinge (1)
—eye screw (2)
—spring (1)
—wire (1)

Get Your Whizbang Plucker Book Here(And the Whizbang Chicken Scalder book too)

2010-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

If you want to build your own Whizbang Plucker, it starts with this book. It's all in the book. Step by step. You just take it a step at a time. Same goes for the Whizbang Chicken Scalder.

Anyone Can Build A
Tub-Style Mechanical Chicken Plucker

Description:

8.5" x 11", Paperback, 66 pages, 60 illustrations

Availibility:

In Stock

Price:

$19.95 (postage paid)

Anyone Can Build A
Whizbang Chicken Scalder

My chicken scalder plan-book tells you how to build a deluxe chicken scalder. The Whizbang scalder allows you to easily set the precise water temperature you want. An electronic temperature controller will then automatically maintain a 4-degree temperature range. A digital temperature display provides for easy temperature monitoring. The insulated water tank holds water temperature remarkably well, thus conserving energy. With the automatic dunker feature, you can scald three chickens at once which translates to 120 chicken-per-hour scalding capacity. The Whizbang chicken scalder has wheels and is easily transported. A portable propane tank (like used on a gas grill) fuels the scalder for many hours and is convenient to use.

You can get all the details about the Whizbang scalder, and see lots of pictures, at this link: Introducing My Deluxe Automatic Whizbang Chicken Scalder

Description:

8.5" x 11", Paperback, 65 pages, 82 illustrations

Availability:

In Stock

Price:

$23.95

Blank Page

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This is a blank Page

Make A Simple Drill-Powered Plucker

2010-04-21T14:58:00.003-07:00

Coming Soon

Plucker Fingers & Other Parts To Canada

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If you live in Canada and want to purchase plucker fingers or other parts, please use the convenient online ordering buttons below. The prices given include the cost of shipping.

If you don't want to use the PayPal buttons, you can send a money order, payable in US dollars (the address is at the bottom of this page). Include your e-mail and I will notify you when I get your order.

I ship only by US Postal Service International Priority mail to Canada. I've been doing this for several years with no problems. Delivery time is supposed to be 6 to 10 business days. That is usually the case. But sometimes it takes a bit longer.

The prices for plucker parts listed below have postage to Canada figured into them.

_____________________

The Whizbang Plucker Parts
Shebang Package

You can save money and get some great bonus items with this Whizbang offer.

Pertinent details and pictures of each of the following parts can be found at this link. Here is what you’ll get in the Whizbang Plucker Parts Shebang:
.

Whizbang Aluminum Featherplate
With Flanged Drive Shaft
...

Idler Arm Hardware Kit
...

125 Kent C-25 Plucker Fingers

...

16” Whizbang Pulley
...
2 Shaft Bearings

In addition to those parts, I’ll also send you these three “bonus” items...

The Whizbang Plucker Plan Book
(or another Whizbang book of your choice)

I will include a Plucker Plan Book with your Shebang package. But if you already have the plucker plan book, I can send you a copy of the Chicken Scalder Plan Book, or any one of my other books instead. All my Whizbang books can be found at the Whizbang Books web site. Important: if you want a book other than the plucker plan book, please let me know within two hours of placing your order. Just send me an e-mail at: hckimball@bci.net

Two Planet Whizbang

Stationery Tablets

These deluxe 50-sheet pads sport the stylish new Planet Whizbang logo and have a pleasant lime-green grid for writing on. Some people might call these "note pads," but they are so nice that I prefer to call them stationery. I use them for all kinds of communication purposes—and you can too.

The Whizbang Plucker Stickers

No Whizbang Plucker is complete without a CAUTION sticker. And the Whizbang Plucker bumper sticker looks great on your auto or your plucker. One of each is included in this package offer.

AVAILABILITY: In stock and ready to ship

PRICE: $470.00 (postage paid to Canada)

WHIZBANG HDPE TUB PLASTIC

You can make your own tub with this 1/8” thick by 20” wide HDPE plastic sheeting. I’ll send you a 7-foot length. That’s enough to make a tub for up to a 24” diameter featherplate. Just overlap the ends and use some small round-head bolts with washers to secure the tub at the diameter you need. Then screw to the plucker frame as explained in the plan book.

AVAILABILITY: Sorry but I no longer ship tub plastic to Canada.

PLUCKER FINGERS

If you purchase the Shebang above, you're getting 125 plucker fingers. If you you just want some plucker fingers for a Whizbang Plucker, you’ll need 70 plucker fingers for the featherplate and 50 fingers for inside the tub. Click Here to order just fingers at my pluckerfingers.com web site.

Questions?

Send me an e-mail

hckimball@bci.net

Send Mail-in Orders To:
Whizbang Books
PO Box 1117
Moravia, NY 13118
USA

Free Chicken Feed

2010-04-21T14:57:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Grow Huge Red Mangle Beets(for your chickens)

2010-04-21T14:56:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Whizbang Plucker Feedback

2010-04-21T14:55:00.003-07:00

Coming Soon

Whizbang Plucker on You-Tube

2010-04-21T14:55:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Me & My Turkeys

2010-04-21T14:53:00.003-07:00

Coming Soon

Turkeys in Tractors & Comfrey For Feed

2010-04-21T14:53:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Getting Started With Turkeys

2010-04-21T14:52:00.005-07:00

Coming Soon

My Chicken Tractor: Part 2

2010-04-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

Introducing My Deluxe Whizbang Chicken Scalder

2010-04-21T14:48:00.001-07:00

Bug-eyed scalder inventor and waving chicken

Before you can pluck a chicken, you have to scald it, which means, you have to dunk it in hot water. Scalding loosens the feathers, thus allowing for fast, easy, efficient plucking.

For several years I scalded my family's chickens using a big pot of water heated over a propane burner. I purchased the pot and burner together as a turkey deep-fry outfit. A thermometer came with the equipment too.

A pot of water, heated in the back yard, does a decent job of scalding birds. But you must keep a close eye on the temperature using the thermometer. If you scald too hot, the bird’s skin will tear when you pluck it. If you scald too cold, the feathers will not come out like you want them to. There is a bit of a trick to getting the best scald and I reveal the trick in THIS ESSAY.

With the pot-on-burner scalding system, you maintain optimum temperature by manually turning the burner on and off. Or, if it gets too hot, by adding some cold water. Because the pot is relatively small and you lose some water in the dunking process, you also have to add water frequently. So scalding in a simple pot over a flame is not easy or carefree.

That being the case, you can buy a poultry scalder, but good ones are expensive. There are small, relatively cheap electric scalders but I understand they take a long time to heat up and are not well suited to scalding a lot of birds. A larger scalder with more capacity and better temperature controls will cost over $1,000.

As a tightwad shade-tree inventor I made it my objective to develop a homemade scalder design that would automatically maintain a selected water temperature. In addition to that, I wanted my scalder to heat up quickly and have an insulated water tank. Portability was another feature I wanted. And I hoped to somehow incorporate an automatic bird dunker into the unit too.

It took me two years of tinkering but, in the end, I came up with a design that I was very pleased with. In the spring of 2005 I published the plan book, Anyone Can Build A Whizbang Chicken Scalder.

Since publishing the book, I have used my chicken scalder every year to process my family's flock of meat birds and I can tell you the unit continues to work flawlessly. No serious problems have developed. It is a remarkably useful tool.

The rest of this essay will introduce you to my unique scalder and give you some specific details about its construction. I’ll also tell you about the single little design flaw I’ve discovered and how to remedy it.

Before I launch into the details of this wonderful device, I want to make it clear that while I feel the Whizbang Plucker is a virtual necessity for backyard poultry processing, the Whizbang Scalder is more of a luxury. If, however, you are processing a lot of chickens as a home business, this scalder can really save you time and trouble. Let’s start with a front view of the unit...

What you’re looking at is the scalding tank, made from a propane hot water heater with the top cut off. The tank is attached with a ratcheting nylon strap to a wood framework, which I call the “dunking frame.” The frame serves three functions:

1) it stabilizes the tank. Without the frame, the tank is more “tipsy” and that is not a good thing when you’re dealing with scalding-hot water.

2) the frame holds the dunking mechanism which I’ll have more to say about shortly.

3) the frame provides a place to attach the dunking and scalding controls.

The red band around the tank is a ratcheting nylon strap that secures the tank to the frame. The bicycle style wheels on either side of the frame make for easy portability. Tip the frame (with empty tank attached) back and it easily rolls where you need to go. The plywood pieces under one side are to level the unit up on my unlevel back yard. The handle on the side of the tank is completely unnecessary.

Here’s a top-down view of the unit....

Take note of the “dunking gondola” which is part of the unit’s auto-dunker. Birds are attached to the gondola which is suspended over the center of the hot water tank by a cable. The cable runs up to pulleys in an overhanging arm and back down to a revolving arm (visible in the photo). The gondola fits around, and slides over, the chimney that is positioned in the center of all propane water heaters.

The revolving arm is attached to a gear motor on the back side of the frame. The revolutions translate to a dunking action. 10 dunks per minute. I want to make it clear that the auto dunker is an option. You don't need it, but it sure is nice to have.

The refillable propane tank in the picture is what fuels the burner under the tank. I settled on propane over electricity because propane heats a given volume of water faster (I also think propane is safer than electricity, especially around water). A full tank of cold well water (around 20 gallons) will heat up to 145 degrees in an hour. The propane burner is 33,000 btu. The foam insulation around the tank does an excellent job of preventing heat loss and saving energy. The inside of the tank is coated with porcelain enamel, which is a durable and easy surface to keep clean. A layer of concrete in the bottom of the tank brings the bottom up to the level of the tank’s drain plug, thus facilitating easy washout.

Here is a picture of me clipping chickens into place on the dunking gondola...

The center flue pipe in the tank gets very hot so there is a heat shield on the gondola. Even still, if left there too long, it gets hot enough to cook the bird where it touches the pipe. By the way, I am incorrectly attaching the birds in the above picture. The tender meat of the breast should not be in contact with the hot pipe.

Here is a top-down view of the chickens being dunked all the way down into the water...

Here is a good place to discuss tank capacity. The dunking tank will accommodate chickens but not bigger birds like turkeys. I have dunked chickens that dressed out at 6.5 pounds and there was still room for a bigger chicken. I think it is safe to say that the tank will accommodate any size chicken.

To handle bigger birds, you would have to build a larger tank, then use the propane burner and temperature controls (which I’ll be showing you next). I don’t tell you how to build a turkey-size scalder in my book, but I do have a chapter with some ideas and advice along these lines.

That said, it turns out there is a way to easily modify a propane water heater so the tank will accommodate bigger birds. One poultry processor told me he made room for the bigger birds by using a torch to heat up the bottom of the tank. That softened the steel up enough for him to push the chimney all the way over to one side. Thus modified, he says the tank will scald big birds just fine, and he processes many hundreds of birds with his scalder every year.

Obviously, the gondola and auto dunker will not function with a crooked chimney, so hand dunking would, therefore, be necessary.

The above picture shows the back of the dunker frame. The motor on the shelf is a gear motor that turns at 10 rpm. The switch on the right turns the motor on and off. You turn the dunker off when the birds are sufficiently scalded. How, you may be wondering, do you know when they are sufficiently scalded? That’s easy. You simply do a wing and tail-feather pull test. When those big feathers pull out effortlessly, the birds are sufficiently scalded.

You can scald three chickens at once and it typically takes less than a minute of dunking. So that translates to 120 chickens per hour (CPH). I don't know any backyard or small-farm processor that needs more capacity than that.

By the way, the gondola and dunking mechanism can be operated manually, thus saving the cost of an expensive gearmotor. All you have to do is put a handle on the end of the cable that connects to the gear motor arm.

Next picture please....

The above photo shows a transformer at the top (under the gear motor shelf). The transformer converts 120 volt household current to 24 volts, which is what the temperature controls work on.

And speaking of temperature controls, directly under the transformer is a wonderful piece of technology known as an electronic temperature controller (ETC). The ETC has a digital temperature readout. It tells you the temperature of your tank water at all times. A very nice feature!

Better yet, with a simple push-button procedure, you can program the ETC, telling it the temperature of scald water you want. The ETC then controls the gas valve which is the box-like thing in the bottom of the photo. The ETC tells the valve when to allow propane to the burner (if the water is cooler than desired) and when to shut the gas down (because the target water temperature has been reached).

The ETC on this Whizbang scalder works perfectly! The scald water temperature is automatically maintained within a 4 degree temperature range. It just doesn’t get much better than that.

The above picture shows the back of the dunker frame underneath the gas valve. A gas supply line and a gas pilot line run from the valve to the water heater burner down under the water tank.

The circular thing near the center of the tank is where the water heater’s factory-issue temperature control and valve were once threaded in. Since the factory controls do not permit pinpoint temperature selection or a close range of temperature control, those parts were discarded. A temperature sensor is threaded into the opening where the factory controller was and a wire runs from there to the ETC.

The tank’s drain with a full-port ball valve is visible on the right side.

You will also notice a metal shaft barely visible in the bottom right of the picture. That is the axle for the two bicycle-style tires on either side of the dunker frame. Now let me explain the one design flaw I mentioned earlier....

The goofy looking guy in the picture above is yours truly. But that’s not the design flaw. It just looks that way (my right eye isn't really "buggy"). But maybe I look just like you'd expect a chicken scalder inventor to look. Anyway, notice that the chicken is hanging from one leg? That’s the flaw. My son James said to me, “Look Dad. The chicken is waving.” I thought that was funny (maybe that’s why I have a smile on my face). That leg slipped out of the broom-holder leg clip on the gondola. That's what happens occasionally and it is an annoyance. It is, however, easy enough to prevent....

The photo above shows the solution to waving chicken legs. Simply put a u-shaped piece of stiff wire into the clips as shown above. The wire locks the feet in place. It is easy to put in and take out. Problem solved. (By the way, the chickens in this picture are clipped in the right way—with their back ends against the hot pipe.)

So there you have it—the Whizbang Chicken Scalder.

With all the wires and hoses on the backside, it may look a little like “rocket science,” but it is really a very basic device. And it’s remarkably easy to build because my book gives you all the information you need to make your own Whizbang Chicken Scalder—one step at a time. I tell you where to get the harder-to-find parts and how to hook up the temperature controls and all of that. It’s all in the book.

==========

The one question I’m sure most everyone who reads this will have is: “How much does one of those things cost?” Here are some answers (based on early 2005 prices):

A brand new water heater will set you back around $300. Brand new is, however, not necessary, as I explain in the book. Many propane water heaters are scrapped because the controls are shot. But the tank is still sound. You don’t even want the factory temperature controls—just the tank and burner. Many plumbers and places that sell water heaters are more than happy to give you the junkers. All you gotta do is ask.

Materials for the dunker frame (all new) will set you back around $125.

The Deluxe temperature controls will cost around $250. (and you’ll agree they’re worth every penny of that once you see how well they maintain the temperature—automatically)

Parts to build the auto dunker will be around $400.

If you’re a good scrounger, I’ll bet you could build the basic scalder with automatic and precise temperature control (not including the auto dunker) for around $400.

As I mentioned earlier, brand new, already made, gas-fired scalders (without a dunker mechanism) will cost you over $1,000.

If you compare the features and benefits and costs associated with any readymade scalder on the market to the humble homemade Whizbang, I think you’ll find the Whizbang comes out ahead. That is, of course, a slightly biased opinion on my part. ;-)

==========

Here are links to some other poultry processing essays I've written:

Backyard Poultry Processing With My 11-year-Old Son

My Whizbang Plucker Story

My Chicken Plucker Parts Business

The Best Place to Buy Plucker Fingers

Talkin’ Bout My Chicken Tractors

Talkin' Bout My Chicken Tractor (Part 2)

How To Butcher A Chicken

Getting Started With Turkeys

Turkeys in Tractors & Comfrey For Feed

FREE Chicken Feed

How To Properly Scald A Chicken

2010-04-21T14:47:00.005-07:00

Coming Soon

How To Properly Whizbang-Pluck A Chicken

2010-04-21T14:47:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon

The Whizbang Shebang Plucker Parts Package

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--------------------------------------------------------------
Plucker Shebangs to Canada
Online Ordering
CLICK HERE for details
-------------------------------------------------------------

The time and cost involved in packaging and shipping individual plucker parts has prompted me to offer this reduced-price package (shipped all in one box) containing all the key plucker parts I offer.

When purchased here (the order button is below) as a Whizbang Shebang, you save $36.90.

Better yet...

I’m including some very nice additional incentives (worth over $30).

Pertinent details and pictures of each of the following parts can be found at this link. Here is what you’ll get in the Whizbang Plucker Parts Shebang:

Whizbang Aluminum Featherplate
With Flanged Drive Shaft
...

Idler Arm Hardware Kit
...

125 Kent C-25 Plucker Fingers

...

16” Whizbang Pulley
...
2 Shaft Bearings

In addition to those parts, I’ll also send you these three “bonus” items...

The Whizbang Plucker Plan Book
(or another Whizbang book of your choice)
.

Two Planet Whizbang

Stationery Tablets
.

The Whizbang Plucker Stickers
.

No Whizbang Plucker is complete without a CAUTION sticker. And the Whizbang Plucker bumper sticker looks great on your auto or your plucker. One of each is included in this package offer.

The total cost for this Whizbang Shebang is $385.00. That price includes UPS Ground shipping to any of the lower 48 United States. To order, simply click on the BUY NOW button below.

If the shiopping cart button above does not work for you, please send me an email (hckimball@bci.net) For some unknown reason the button works for some people and not others. I think I have it fixed but need to know if not. Thanks.

###

Whizbang Books
P.O. Box 1117
Moravia, NY 13118

Plucker Parts Mail-In Order Form

2010-04-21T12:37:00.001-07:00

If you would like to order books and parts by mail with a check, just print a copy of this page, check or circle the items you are ordering, make notes in the margins if needed, and send it along to:

Whizbang Books
P.O. Box 1117
Moravia, N.Y. 13118

Sales Tax

If you are a New York state resident, please include 8% sales tax. If your purchase is tax exempt, include the exemption paperwork with your order.

Shipping Information

If you live in the continental United States, there is NO ADDED COST FOR SHIPPING. All prices below include shipping. Project parts are shipped via UPS Ground.

CLICK HERE for information about shipping to Canada, Hawaii, Alaska, and the rest of the world.

Your Address Please...

Give me your postal address if you are ordering just books. If you are ordering project parts, I ship by UPS, so I’ll need your street address.

NAME:____________________________________

ADDRESS:_________________________________

TOWN:_________________________________

STATE:_________________

ZIP:____________________

PHONE:_________________

E-MAIL_________________

Whizbang Books

Note: All books are signed by the author, Herrick Kimball.

[ ] $21.95--Whizbang Cider Plan Book

[ ] $19.95--Whizbang Plucker Plan Book

[ ] $23.95--Whizbang Chicken Scalder Plan Book

[ ] $14.95--Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Garden Cart

[ ] $ 7.95--Making Great Garlic Powder

[ ] $16.95--Garlic Powder Profits

[ ] $12.95--Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian

Whizbang Plucker Parts

[ ] $174.00--Aluminum Featherplate with Flanged Shaft

[ ] $55.00--Flanged Shaft Only (without featherplate)
[ ] $125.00--Featherplate Only (without Flanged Shaft)
[ ] $32.95--Two 1" Shaft Bearings

[ ] $37.95--Idler Arm Hardware Kit

[ ] $69.00--16” Diameter Pulley

[ ] $55.00--HDPE Tub Plastic

[ ] $108.00--125 Kent C-25 Plucker Fingers

Whizbang Stickers

[ ] $3.00--One CAUTION & one Whizbang Plucker Bumper Sticker

Whizbang Chicken Scalder Parts

[ ] $50.00--Dunker Arm

Questions?

Please e-mail me if you have any questions about products, pricing, or ordering any of the items on this order form: hckimball@bci.net

Get Your Whizbang Plucker Parts Here & Now

2010-04-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

.
Yes. We Sell Kent C-25 Plucker Fingers!

(scroll down for details)

--------------------------------------------------------------

Fingers & Plucker Parts to Canada

Online Ordering

CLICK HERE for details

-------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't set out to sell plucker parts when I first published the Whizbang plucker plan book. But I soon realized that I could help all the aspiring plucker-makers out there and make some money for myself in the process. Thus, you will find many of the harder-to-make and difficult-to-find plucker components below.

____________

NEW

The Whizbang Plucker Parts Shebang Package

You can save a lot of money and get some great bonus items
with this Whizbang offer

Click Here For Details

_______________________

WHIZBANG FEATHERPLATES

As of September 15, 2010 I am now selling aluminum featherplates, as pictured above. I have switched from HDPE plastic featherplates because so many people were having a hard time pulling the fingers through the HDPE. Besides that, the price of HDPE rose enough that I could have aluminum plates made for the same price. And it so happens the aluminum plates are lighter than HDPE, which means it doesn't cost as much to ship. So I’m actually selling these featherplates for a little less than what I was charging for the HDPE. It’s all good.

These Whizbang featherplates are 3/16” thick and 20-1/2” diameter. They have 66 finger holes (3/4” diameter). The back side of each finger hole is chamfered so the fingers pull in easily.

20-1/2” is the only diameter featherplate I sell. It will pluck one to three chickens at once (I usually pluck two at a time) or one turkey up to 40 pounds. These plates are 1/4” smaller in diameter than the size I show in my plan book. If you use a 55-gallon plastic barrel for your plucker tub, the featherplate should work (I haven't heard of them not working but I don’t guarantee that they always will). As an alternative to the barrel-for-a-tub, you can always use a piece of the HDPE plastic sheeting I sell (see below).

The nice thing about these featherplates is that they have a 1/4” diameter hole drilled smack dab in the center. This hole will accept the 1/4” pin on the Whizbang drive shafts I sell (the picture above shows the center hole with the shaft pin in it). Or, if you opt to make your own shaft, you can use the hole in the featherplate to help get your shaft centered.
AVAILIBILITY: Back in stock & ready to ship

PRICE: $125.00 (postage paid)

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WHIZBANG FEATHERPLATE SHAFT

If you want to make your own featherplate, you can purchase just a flanged shaft from me. The shaft is made of sturdy, wobble-free, 1-inch diameter carbon steel. The flange is 3” by 3” and is solidly welded in place. The flange has four 3/8” diameter holes drilled in the corners. The top surface of all shafts are machined so they are precisely 90-degrees to the shaft, which translates into a smoother running featherplate.

As the picture above shows, these shafts also come equipped with a 1/4” diameter hardened steel pin exactly in the center of the shaft. The pin sticks out about 1/4" and can be used to center your shaft on your featherplate.

AVAILIBILITY: Back in stock & ready to ship.

PRICE: $55.00 (postage paid)

WHIZBANG FEATHERPLATE & SHAFT

If you purchase both a featherplate and shaft from me using the add-to-cart button below you can save five dollars. But, more than that, I’ll drill the 3/8” holes you need in the featherplate to bolt it to the shaft flange. And I’ll even include the bolts, washers, and nuts to put the two parts together.

AVAILIBILITY: In Stock & Ready To Ship

PRICE: $174.00 (postage paid)

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Flange Bearings For The Plucker Shaft

The shaft bearing supplier I used to recommend no longer sells bearings. So I found a wholesale distributor. I can't sell them as cheap as he did, but I can come close (especially when you figure in the cost of shipping).

You need two bearings like shown in the photo above to make your Whizbang chicken plucker (see page 12 in the plan book). Two hex screws in each bearing tighten down onto the featherplate shaft.

It is possible to spend a LOT of money on a 1” diameter flange bearing, but there is no need to spend $50 or $60 for a single bearing when you’re making a chicken plucker. A relatively inexpensive bearing from a Pacific Rim manufacturer will do the job just fine. My own Whizbang plucker, made with such bearings, is ten years old and they are holding up just fine.

The bearings I’m selling here (pictured above) are made in China. They are a very decent bearing for the cost. If you grease your bearings (there is a grease zerk on each one) every time after you use the plucker, or after every 75 to 100 birds (whichever comes first), these bearings will give you trouble-free service for many, many years.
AVAILIBILITY: Back in stock & ready to ship

PRICE For Two Bearings: $33.95 (postage paid)

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WHIZBANG IDLER ARM HARDWARE KIT

This kit contains all the hardware you need to make your idler arm and attach the arm to your plucker (as shown on page 18 of the book). That means you get a flat face idler pulley with reducer bushing, machine bolt, nut, lock washer, large flat washer, hinge, machine screws, lockwashers & nuts for the machine screws, 2 eye screws, extension spring, 7ft of vinyl coated cable (vinyl coating protects from rust and 7ft is enough to use for measuring average barrel diameter--- see page 23 of the book), and two cable clamps. Everything you need to make the arm, except the wood, is in this hardware kit.

The idler is a top-quality pulley made in the U.S. by Fenner Drives. It is 3-1/2” diameter and made of a tough, durable fiberglass and nylon composite, which means it will never rust.

I've read commentary from some plucker builders on the internet who assert that the idler pulley is not needed. They say their plucker runs just fine without it. Well, that may be the case when the plucker is just made and you adjust the belt really tight. But I can tell you that I sell a lot of these kits to people who thought they didn't need the idler and found out different.

Without the idler, as the belt relaxes with use, it has to be continually readjusted to make it tight again (because the belt is slipping). An idler pulley eliminates belt tightening. Fact is, a slack belt, with idler tension gives you more "wrap" around the motor pulley. It's not a lot but it's enough to make a difference in power transmission. I strongly recommend the idler pulley on your Whizbang plucker— right from the start.

AVAILIBILITY: Back in stock & ready to ship

PRICE: $37.95 (postage paid)

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WHIZBANG 16” PULLEY

This pulley is ideal for the driven pulley on your plucker. It has a 1-inch bore, two shaft set screws, and will accommodate a 4L (1/2 inch) V-belt.

I have these pulleys made-to-order at a US pulley manufacturing company and have sold hundreds of them in the past few years. My Whizbang pulleys are flywheel heavy and VERY WELL MADE. The 1” larger outside diameter will slow the featherplate speed down a bit more than a 15” pulley. But the slower speed is no problem at all.In fact, I tend to think the slightly-slower speed plucks better.

AVAILABILITY: Back in stock & ready to ship

PRICE: $69.00 (postage paid)

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WHIZBANG HDPE TUB PLASTIC

AVAILABILITY: Back in stock and ready to ship

PRICE: $55.00 (postage paid)

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PLUCKER FINGERS

If you’re making a Whizbang Plucker, you’ll need 70 plucker fingers for the featherplate and 50 fingers for inside the tub. These top-quality, Made-in-the-USA, Kent C-25 medium-durometer-hardness rubber plucker fingers are the best fingers on the market. They have proven themselves over decades of use to be very effective at removing chicken, turkey, duck and goose feathers. They are designed to fit into a 3/4” hole.

The C-25 design was developed by Kent Tomlinson in the 1940’s. Kent fingers have a unique elliptical-taper-shape with a distinctive raised crisscross in the tips. Not only do these fingers pick feathers remarkably well, they have a reputation for durability and longevity. This is due in large part to the high-quality, natural-rubber formulation Kent uses.

I recently read the comments of a man on the internet who said that the fingers on his six-year-old poultry plucker were breaking and he needed to replace them. They were NOT Kent fingers. The Kent C-25 fingers in the tub plucker I built over 11 years ago are all original, and not one has broken. They have plucked many thousands of birds, and look like they have a lot of years left in them.

Also, Kent C-25 plucker fingers are USDA approved for use in food processing equipment (documentation can be sent upon request).

Kent fingers have been made in the USA by the same small family business since 1944. Kent is the oldest and most renowned plucker finger manufacturer in the world.

I have been contacted by other people who want me to sell their plucker fingers. They tell me that I can buy their fingers for less. But I'm not interested in selling cheaper fingers. I'm satisfied selling a reasonably priced finger with a 50 year old reputation for durability and efficiency. You will be satisfied with these fingers too.

I sell 125 fingers for $108, Priority mail postage paid, anywhere in the U.S. The price goes down when you purchase more fingers, as the drop-down menu below shows.

Fingers to Canada & the rest of the world: Yes, we ship plucker fingers just about everywhere in the world. CLICK HERE FOR INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING DETAILS

AVAILABILITY: Back in stock & ready to ship!

PRICE: $108.00 for 125 (postage paid)

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WHIZBANG STICKERS

All plucker parts Shebang Packages are sent out with a Ask Me About My Whizbang Chicken Plucker bumper sticker and a bright yellow CAUTION sticker as shown in the picture above. You can also purchase the stickers separately. These are high-quality vinyl stickers with UV-resistant exterior printing.

AVAILIBILITY: IN STOCK & READY TO SHIP

PRICE: $3.00 (for one each of the two stickers) (postage paid)

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The Whizbang Plucker Story

2010-04-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

The Ecstasy And Agony Of Raising Meat Birds

Way back in 1998 my wife and I decided to try raising our own chickens on pasture (our front lawn). We were motivated to do this by a strong desire to have meat that was as healthful and flavorful as it could possibly be.

So I ordered 25 day-old Cornish meat birds from a hatchery. We raised those cute little chicks into not-so-cute, but wonderfully plump, broilers. We found that being small-scale chicken “farmers” was easy to do and a lot of fun. Then it came time to “process” the fatted fowls.

“Fun” is not a word I would use to describe that first experience of butchering poultry.

The worst part of it was, by far, hand-plucking all those steaming-wet, stinking feathers (after scalding the birds). Hand-plucking was messy. Hand-plucking was tedious. Hand-plucking was time consuming. Hand-plucking was, in short, nasty, discouraging work. There had to be a better way.

There Is A Better Way....

No sane person enjoys hand-plucking chickens. That being the case, machines have been developed to do the onerous task. There are currently two different types of plucking machines on the market.
.

One type of machine is the tabletop plucker. It consists of a rotating drum studded with rubber picker fingers. A flat table is positioned in front of the drum. To use a tabletop plucker, you hold your scalded bird up to the spinning fingers and manually move it around while the fingers flail the feathers off.

Once you become skilled at using a tabletop plucker, you can pluck one chicken about every 30 seconds. This is certainly an improvement over hand-plucking but there are several drawbacks to these machines:
.

1) You can only pluck one bird at a time

2) you still have to get your hands into the work

3) it takes practice to do a good and fast job

4) if you don’t hold onto your bird tight, the fingers will
yank that critter right out of your hands.

Here Is The Absolute Best Way To Pluck Chickens!

Tabletop pluckers are okay but they can’t begin to compare to tub-style pluckers. A tub plucker consists of a tub that you simply drop one or more scalded birds into. At the bottom of the tub is a round “featherplate,” studded with rubber plucker fingers. The plate spins, the birds tumble around. In about 15 seconds the chickens are bare naked and squeaky clean. That’s right, I said 15 seconds!

Nothing could be easier (and more fun) than dropping your scalded critters into a tub and watching the machine do all the dirty work. If you’ve never seen a tub plucker in action, this may all sound too good to be true. If that’s the case, let me take a moment to assure you that it is an absolute fact.

The secret to getting the best pick is to properly scald the birds. Once that is done (and it isn’t hard to do) the machine will remove virtually every feather, including pin feathers. There will usually be a couple odd stubs remaining, and maybe a large feather or two will be left on their tail or wing tips. Such feathers can be pulled right out in no time at all. The skin does not break when plucking (unless your scald is too hot) and bruising never occurs.

When I first saw a tub plucker in action, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I knew I had to have one.

The Only Problem With Tub Pluckers

Ready-made tub pluckers are expensive. The cheapest machine I could find at the time was around $2,000. That was a bit high for this thrifty, part-time chicken farmer to justify.

I Create The Whizbang Plucker

Necessity is the mother of invention. And so is poverty. Having seen a tub-plucker up close and personal, I realized they are really very basic machines. In fact, they are so basic that I figured I could just make one myself and thereby save myself a bundle of money.

The plucker wasn’t quite as easy to develop as I thought it would be. I had to work several months building and refining my prototype plucker until it functioned like those expensive, already-made units. But when I was finished, the device worked so amazingly good that I gave it a special name: The Whizbang Plucker. Whizbang is a dictionary word that means, conspicuous for speed, excellence, or startling effect. It is a perfectly appropriate name.

Better yet, I spent less than $500 on parts to build my Whizbang. That was using all new parts. If I had, for example, a used motor that would have worked, the final cost would have been less than $400.

But I Did Not Invent The Plucker

Some people mistakenly believe I invented the tub-style chicken plucker. What I actually did was figure out a simple design for making a sturdy and effective plucker using basic materials like 2x4 lumber and a recycled plastic 55 gallon drum. While a few other innovative backyard builders around the country had cobbled together their own homemade units, I was the first to come up with an attractive, standardized, easy-to-build plan.

Then I Write The Book

I figured there must be a lot of other people like me out there— people who needed a simple, inexpensive, yet well-built and effective, plucker. So it was with that in mind that I wrote the Whizbang Plucker Planbook. It is officially titled, Anyone Can Build A Tub-Style Mechanical Chicken Plucker.

The book has now sold over 20,000 copies. It has 60 pages and 60 drawings. It tells you EVERYTHING you need to know to build your own Whizbang plucker. Everything.

Yes, You Can Build A Whizbang!!

You don’t need to be an engineer to understand my plans and put together your own Whizbang plucking machine. And you don’t have to be a welder or machinist either. If you have basic carpentry tools and skills, you can do it.

The book also provides you with information about where to get all the needed components for your plucker. Once you’ve rounded up all the parts, you should be able to have your Whizbang assembled and working in a weekend.

You’ll find the Whizbang is a dependable unit. And since it is so simple in design, very little can go wrong with it. But if, perchance, something does go wrong, you’ll be able to fix it because, after all, you will have built it!

If properly cared for, your Whizbang will dependably pluck thousands of birds for years to come. And it will pluck chickens for all your chicken farming friends and relatives too! Some people even rent their Whizbang pluckers out.

Chickens ... And Beyond!

The Whizbang Plucker will pluck turkeys, ducks and geese too. It will pluck turkeys almost as well as chickens. It does ducks fairly well. Geese are more of a challenge. But ducks and geese do not pick as well as chickens and turkeys in any mechanical plucker. This isn’t to say they don’t pluck well, they just don’t pluck AS well.

Welcome To The Whizbang Revolution

Homemade Whizbang Pluckers are now being used by backyard and small-farm poultry producers all across the United States. They are also in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and Canada. The planbook has been featured in BackHome magazine, Countryside magazine, Small Farm Today magazine, Mother Earth News, Farm Show, APPA GRIT!, NOFA NY, MOFGA, and several other publications.

The Yahoo discussion group, WhizbangChickenPluckers, has over 2,600 members. The group is free to join and, once there, you can see photos of several homemade whizbang-inspired pluckers from across the United States. You can also read A LOT of positive Whizbang feedback from readers and pluckerbuilders. The ongoing discussion (and archived past discussion) is a rich resource of information on poultry processing in general and pluckermaking in particular.

Here’s What Some People Have Said:
.

“Just a short note. I finally finished up our chicken plucker and on the 4th of July some friends came over to help us inaugurate it. We killed and scalded the first two birds, set them in the plucker, and I held my breath as I hit the switch. Total success! Feathers flying off, skin emerging. Fifteen to twenty seconds and we had naked birds ready to be eviscerated.

My friends, including a couple of engineers, were duly impressed. I (only half-jokingly) call it one of the Seven Mechanical Wonders of the World. Excellent design. Thanks for the hard work and clear writing and drawings in your book. We only did 8 or 9 birds that day, as the main purpose was celebration, but it took the time that one or two did in the old days.”

J. Dietzel

California
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“My Whizbang plucker processed 125 chickens this summer and I couldn’t be happier with the results.”

K. Jablinskey

Michigan
=

“This is a very late thank you for your plans. I built your chicken plucker over a year ago and am very happy with it. I lend it out to several other backyarders and all really love it. The first time we turned it on we had three broilers in there and we started laughing so hard we couldn’t switch it off. It was the best chicken wrestling match we had ever seen. Think we could probably sell tickets. Does a great job and all the parts we purchased directly from you were excellent and saved us money too. Many thanks.”

C. Wilson

Connecticut
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“My plucker works just the way you said it would. It’s a real WHIZBANG!”

B. Rieger

Montana
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“We did 225 chickens, 55 ducks, and 12 turkeys this year. It wouldn’t have been possible if not for the Whizbang. THANKS!!!!!”

C. Ewer

Wisconsin
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“Whiz Bang Chicken Plucker became operational today. Fifteen seconds later I was looking at three six-pounders with no feathers. My hat is off to you sir.”

D.A. Boyle

(unknown location)
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“I just had to write to tell you that my plucker works great! The plucker was a project for my 12-year-old son to complete.... Thank you SO MUCH for writing this book! It was so much fun to read, but not half as much fun as it was watching the chickens getting plucked. Your book made a chore into a fun experience.

D. Hogan

(unknown location)
=

The above unsolicited quotations are a very small sampling of the MANY positive responses I’ve received over the years from people who have used the Whizbang planbook to build their own plucker.

Here’s How To Buy A Copy Of The Book

The Whizbang Plucker Planbook is available from the following places...

Whizbang Books

Cumberland Books

BackHome magazine

Murray McMurray Hatchery

Frequently Asked Questions About The Whizbang Plucker

2010-04-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Many people have e-mailed me over the years with questions about the Whizbang Plucker. I have decided to assemble many of the questions, and my answers, here. If your Whizbang question is not answered here, please send me an e-mail (hckimball@bci.net). I will do my best to answer it.

How does the Whizbang plucker work?

The plucker consists of a tub with a disc-shaped, motor-driven plate in the bottom. The plate (called the “featherplate”) is studded with rubber “plucker fingers.” Turn the motor on, and the plate spins. Drop one or more scalded birds into the tub, while spraying them with a garden hose. The critters tumble around while the fingers flail the feathers off. In about 15 seconds the chickens will be plucked clean. It’s truly amazing. It’s one of those things you have to see to believe.

You can see the Whizbang Plucker in action on YouTube HERE and HERE.

Can the Whizbang Plucker really pluck all the feathers off a chicken in 15 seconds?

If you scald your chickens properly, the Whizbang will, indeed, pick the feathers off in 15 seconds (20 seconds at most). Scalding means to dunk the chicken in hot water. This loosens the feathers. It is not hard to do and This Essay tells you how.

Virtually all the bird’s plumage will be mechanically picked off. Pin feathers will be removed too. 99.9% of the feathers will be gone (see the YouTube video links above). The few odd feathers that don’t come off during plucking can be easily rubbed or pulled off with no trouble prior to eviscerating.

Better yet, a Whizbang tub plucker will pluck two, three, or even four chickens at once, just as quickly. In fact, you will get a better pluck if you pick at least two chickens at a time.

Are the bird’s dead when you pluck them in the Whizbang plucker?

Yes, very dead. All birds should be dead, bled, and scalded before going into the plucker. You should never pluck live birds.

Can you dry-pluck birds in a Whizbang plucker?

Nope. That doesn't work.

Don’t the birds bruise from all that tumbling and finger flailing?

No. There must be blood in the bird for bruising to occur. If you kill and bleed out the bird prior to plucking, there can be no bruising.

Do the birds ever bounce out of the tub when you are plucking them?

No. The plucking action does not bounce the birds. They tumble from side to side.

Where do the feathers go?

When the feathers are slapped off the bird’s carcass, they spin out to the sides of the tub and are washed down, through a space between the tub and featherplate, to the ground under the plucker. Then you rake the feathers up and put them on your compost pile. Poultry feathers are a great compost ingredient.

Did you invent the chicken plucker?

No. The first automatic chicken plucking machine was invented by Andrew Toti and Kent Tomlinson back in the 1940s. Commercial tub-style plucking machines have been in use for many years. The unpatented, expensive, stainless steel, commercial pluckers were my inspiration for building the Whizbang. There were other homemade pluckers out there but I was the first person to develop comprehensive plans for an inexpensive, remarkably effective, homemade poultry plucker that can be built with common materials and basic handyman skills.

Will the Whizbang pluck birds other than chickens?

Yes. Whizbang tub pluckers are being used to pluck turkeys, geese, and ducks too.

Turkeys up to 40lbs have been successfully plucked in a basic Whizbang (the exact unit I tell how to build in my plan book). Such large birds are plucked one at a time and they tumble better if the feet are cut off prior to plucking. Even still, you may have to manually help the big bird tumble in order to get the best pluck. Turkeys will take longer than 20 seconds to pluck, but not a lot longer (maybe 45 seconds)

Ducks and geese do not pluck as easily and completely as chickens and turkeys. But they pluck a whole lot better by machine than they do by hand.

Can you pluck quail in a Whizbang plucker?

The basic Whizbang will not pluck quail. However, the Whizbang can be easily modified to pluck small, thin-skinned, game birds. To do this, you will need to install MANY more plucker fingers in the “featherplate” (the spinning, disc-shaped, finger-studded plate in the bottom of the tub). You should also use very soft plucker fingers in any plucker that will be used for gamebirds.

If you are looking to build a quail plucker, I strongly recommend that you contact my chicken-plucking friend, David Schafer, maker of the Featherman Plucker. David makes a plucker specifically for game birds. He can answer questions specific to making a game bird plucker. You can also purchase the really soft plucker fingers from him.

What’s the difference between a homemade Whizbang plucker and David Schafer’s Featherman plucker?

Both machines do a fine job of plucking birds. The Whizbang will cost you less money.

How much does it cost to build a Whizbang plucker?

Using all new materials, you can build a Whizbang Plucker for around $500. But the Whizbang design is “salvage friendly,” which means you can easily utilize some salvaged components and save yourself a lot of money. For example, if you can find a second-hand electric motor that will work, you can save around $150. I’ve heard from people who built their whole Whizbang for as little as $150.

I Don’t have a lot of carpentry experience. How hard is it to build a Whizbang Plucker?

It is very easy to build your own plucker. Most people who read the book come to realize that it is something they can do. Many readers who are not “handy” have written to tell me they got the plucker made and they were very pleased with the results.

Some people have a more handy friend or relative help them with the project.

How long does it take to build a Whizbang Plucker?
If you purchase a pre-made, pre-drilled, HDPE featherplate with a pre-mounted-and-perfectly-centered driveshaft from me (see below for more info about this), and you have all your other parts on hand, you should be able to assemble the plucker in a day. Figure a couple days (maybe longer) if you make your own featherplate.

Does your book tell everything I need to know to build a Whizbang plucker?
Yes. EVERYTHING is in the book. Nothing is lacking. My plan book is also very easy to understand and follow.

Where can I get a copy of the Whizbang plucker planbook?
Lots of places…. Amazon.com, Cumberland Books, Back-40 Books, Acres USA, BackHome magazine, Mother Earth News, Strombergs Hatchery. Murray McMurray Hatchery, and online right now directly from me at the This Web Page.

Is there a Canadian source for purchasing the Whizbang plucker planbook?
Canadian folks can easily purchase a copy of the book from me at the above link.

Do you sell the plucker planbook to people in other countries?
Yes. I can ship a copy of the plucker planbook almost anywhere in the world using US Postal Service Flat Rate International Priority Mail. You can find details at the Whizbang Books Online Catalog.

Do you sell ready-to-assemble plucker kits?
No. Not at this time.

Do you sell any plucker parts?
Yes. I sell the harder to find parts needed to build a Whizbang Plucker. You can read all about the parts at this link: Plucker Parts from Whizbang.

If I buy the plucker parts you sell, what else will I need to get to make my plucker?

There are several other things you will need to get. CLICK HERE for a complete Whizbang Plucker parts list.

What kind of plucker fingers do you recommend? And where can I get them?
For general purpose plucking (not quail or gamebird plucking) I recommend only the Kent C-25, medium durometer rubber plucker finger. These fingers were designed by Kent Tomlinson back in the 1940s. They are widely used and highly regarded for their plucking ability and longevity.

You can purchase Kent C-25 fingers from Stromberg’s, Murray McMurray, or from me here at Whizbang. Deatails can be found at the Plucker Parts link I've provided in the previous answer.

Can I save money by substituting something other than rubber plucker fingers to do the work of plucking?
Not that I know of. There is no substitute for a good plucker finger.

Do black rubber plucker fingers leave black marks on the birds when you pluck them?
No. I’ve never seen it. This is an unfounded sales pitch made by a company that sells yellow plucker fingers. (BTW, I’ve heard that yellow plucker fingers leave yellow marks on the birds.

Where can I buy plastic HDPE to make my own featherplate?
Try The Cutting Board Factory

Can I use an old washing machine to build a tub plucker?
I used to tell people it can't be done. But then I saw This YouTube Video. So the answer is now "yes." But I don’t know how it’s done and I can’t imagine the finished result is nearly as simple and effective as a Whizbang Plucker made according to my plan book.

What kind of motor do I need to power a Whizbang plucker?
In my book I recommend a 3/4hp, 1725 rpm, Farm Duty motor.

Will a 1/2hp Farm Duty electric motor work?
Yes. But a 3/4 hp motor gives you a little more uuumph!, and I feel better recommending a motor like that.

Will a 1hp Farm Duty motor work?
Yes.

I already own an electric motor but it isn’t a “Farm Duty” motor. Will it be good enough?
It might be. I hope so. Give it a try before you buy a new motor. I’m no expert on electric motors. All I know is that you can’t go wrong with the power and features found in a Farm Duty motor (and I do discuss this in the plan book). There are, I’m sure, other motors that are comparable to the Farm Duty units.

Where can I get a “Farm Duty” motor?
Lots of places. Check out Surplus Center. And don’t forget to see what’s available on Ebay.

Where can I get the pillow block bearings you recommend in your plucker planbook?
You need to buy two of the bearings and they are available from Whizbang. Click HERE for complete details

The tub I intend to use for my plucker is bigger than the one shown on page 30 of your book. Will the 20-1/2” diameter featherplate you sell work in a bigger tub?
If you are using a 55-gallon plastic drum to make your plucker, the 20-1/2” featherplate I sell will probably work just fine. But I don’t guarantee it will. I suggest the featherplate gap (space between the outside of the spinning featherplate and the tub) be between 1” and 1-1/16”. Even a gap of 1-1/8” will work. But I’m hesitant to recommend a bigger space than that. With those measurements in mind, a tub with an inside diameter up to 22-3/4” will work. This is discussed in the book.

Wouldn’t it be better to have almost no gap between the featherplate and the tub? Won’t a bigger gap allow legs and wings to fall into the space?
Errant poultry appendages will, on occasion, slip down into the gap, no matter what size it is. If the gap is small, wings and legs will get pinched, stop tumbling, and the fingers will beat the chicken unmercifully (until you shut the machine off). This is a sure recipe for broken skin and bones.

On the other hand, if the gap is bigger, and part of the chicken happens to slip down into it, the spinning featherplate and fingers are more likely to slap the bird right back out.

My homemade Whizbang plucker lacks power. What’s wrong?
Chances are you are using too long of an extension cord and/or the cord is not heavy enough. I recommend an extension cord with 12-gauge wire, and try to keep the length under 50 feet. That should solve any lack of power problem. It will also ensure that your motor has a longer lifespan.

Also, if the motor you are using is not a Farm Duty or comparable motor, that could explain the lack of power. If, for example, you use a 3/4hp motor that is engineered to drive a fan, it will not have the power needed to drive a chicken plucker. All 3/4hp motors are not created equal. But all Farm Duty motors are pretty much the same.

I built a Whizbang plucker and have used it to pluck chickens. I’ve been getting a lot of broken wings and legs. What’s wrong?
Some leg and wing damage is normal and to be expected in any kind of a tub plucker. But if more than 4 percent of the chickens you pluck are coming out with broken bones, something is wrong. I wrote an entire essay on this subject and you can find it here: How To Properly Whizbang-Pluck A Chicken

I’m in a big hurry to build my plucker. Can you overnight parts to me?
Sorry but no. I typically ship plucker parts out the day after I get your order and I ship them via UPS Ground. Please do not procrastinate about ordering plucker parts.

If you have a question that was not answered here, please e-mail it to me at: hckimball(at)bci.net

Introducing... The Stachoviak Plucker Finger Puller

2010-04-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

Everyone who has built their own Whizbang chicken plucker knows that the plucker fingers are difficult to pull into place. In fact, for some folks, pulling the fingers into the featherplate is the hardest, most discouraging part of the project. Even though the plucker fingers are durable and flexible, the rubber is hard and recalcitrant.

Solutions to the “pulling problem” abound. Some people just grab the finger and muscle it through. Teenage boys with an abundance of testosterone are useful for this particular task. Flexing the finger back & forth while pulling helps to “walk” it into place. Many people have come up with ideas to help make the process of pulling easier. Here are a few:

1. Lubricate the base of the finger with vegetable oil or liquid detergent.

2. Soak the fingers in warm soapy water for some time before installation.

3. Use big Channellock pliers to grab and lever the fingers into place (the bigger the better)

4. Grasp the base of the fingers with ViseGrip pliers (held parallel to the featherplate) and lever the pliers over a piece of wood to pull them through.

Every one of those ideas will help but none of them are as easy as pulling fingers into place with the simple, scrap wood pulling device that Jim Stachoviak of Wausau, Wisconsin has invented.

Jim e-mailed me some pictures of his plucker finger puller, along with an explanation. He told me his 11-year-old grandson can easily pull fingers into a featherplate with his finger puller invention. All you do is set it over a finger and lift the handle. He told me “you should hear/feel a pop when it seats.”

So I made one of Jim’s plucker finger pullers. And I tried it. And it worked just like Jim Stachoviak said it would. And I thought to myself...

That Jim Stachoviak of Wausau Wisconsin is a chicken plucker finger pullin’ genius!

Beyond that, he’s a nice guy because he has given me permission to show you his puller and, best of all, tell you how to make one of your own. If you can build a chicken plucker, you can surely build one of these handy plucker finger pullers which, I have decided to officially name...

The Stachoviak Plucker Finger Puller

Here’s a picture of Jim's amazing finger puller being placed over a finger that needs to be pulled up through the 3/4" hole in the featherplate.

As you can see, it’s not a fancy tool. It is a just plain simple tool. Here (below) is a picture of the puller in place over the finger. The finger is about to get pinched by the handle and lifted up into place.

Now here is a picture showing the handle being lifted and the finger being pulled.

Once the handle is lifted, the whole contraption acts like a big lever, with the pivot point being the front of the puller. Here’s a picture of the finger pulled all the way into place. You can see the notch in the base of the finger has pulled through. And, yes, you can hear/feel a pop when the flared base of the finger emerges out of the hole.

The Stachoviak Plucker Finger Puller really stretches those hard rubber fingers right out. I wondered if the finger might break if I stretched it too far?

Well, that answers that question. As you can see it the above picture, the finger will not break, even when stretched as far at the Stachoviak Plucker Finger Puller will take it.

By the way, that’s a Kent C-25 plucker finger (medium durometer hardness) in the picture. Kent fingers are the most well-respected plucker fingers in the world (which is why I sell them) and that demonstration of “pullability” showcases the Kent finger’s premium natural-rubber formulation. I don’t know if other brands of plucker fingers can take that sort of abuse or not.

In the final analysis, the Stachoviak Plucker Finger Puller not only pulls fingers into place very easily, it also does the job without causing surface damage to the rubber finger, as is so often done when using pliers or vise grips.

If you can make a Whizbang chicken plucker, you can certainly make your own Stachoviak Plucker Finger Puller. The tool consists of only four pieces of wood, as you can see in this next picture.

The handle is 2-1/4” by 12”. The two sides of the front end are both 3” x 5”. The center piece of the front measures 3-1/2” by 3-1/2”.

Here’s a picture of the three pieces as they are supposed to go together.

Join the three front-section pieces with screws. The handle can be attached with one screw but I just drilled a hole and inserted a nail. This single nail (or screw) allows the handle to pivot up and pinch the top of the plucker finger.

There you have it. That’s the Stachoviak Plucker Finger Puller for you.

Thank you Jim Stachoviak!