A chicken plucker ! OMG that thing must be great. I remember dad killing, gutting and plucking the chickens, and the turkeys, by hand! Way better than anything you can buy in the store, though. Chicken from the store does not even taste like it anymore. (we stopped eating it last summer when the dog got sick from it - chicken allergy - probably from all the filth they feed and inject the poor beasts)
haven't bought that stuff in many years. Till about 2 years ago, we had some local, small-farm chicken, but it was of course higher in price. I wonder if that is why the store no longer sells it. 3 months ago, after lots of trouble with intestines, I completely stopped eating meat, rightfully blaming it. Have not had problems since!
I know 2 people like that - husband and son of a friend. And one girl who had an autoimmune disease and managed to get rid of it by eating no meat. I didn't know the name of this condition. I might try to eat some turkey again. Thanks!
Hillary way back when was on their Board of Directors and turned 10 thousand into 100 thousand if my memory serves me right. Gates of course did better with RNA and go it back 20x’s!
I know from my late grandmothers that harvesting livestock of any kind is not for the faint of heart, but quite necessary for human survival. They would have loved the gadgets you list.
These days, no one is supposed to cry or feel pain. No one is supposed to be ill. No one is supposed to be in any discomfort. Just think about that for a minute. 70 degrees and sunny has no value without 94 degrees with 80 percent humidity. life really aint that complicated.
I agree. Many of my friends think I am cruel because I praise my dog for killing cute little chipmunks. He created the job and as a result, is saving my plants.
I work part-time. A fellow worker abhors violent sports like football. I commented that the NFL exists because some men would gather and do these "violent" things anyway. This person said that these people should go to, I can't recall, a room and vent their stuff. I feel for those who can't process reality. I understand issues cause stuff.. I am not going to eat grass and feel guilty for existing or driving my pickup.
And so would my Mom!! Oh My! What a change from about 1952 until now!!! I only remember her killing one chicken but that was enough for me! Maybe I was in school when she did others. Hats off to you and Jill, Dr. Malone!! I would love to see your farm some day!
And we as humans are sustained by the total and complete ecosystem. Amazing how diverse the human species is to exist in all environments. I never saw a polar bear in Texas.
Wow! Loved the video of the chicken plucker! My grandmother was such an amazing chicken plucker. We kids were always fascinated to watch her wring a chicken’s neck and pluck those feathers in no time flat! Bet she would have loved that plucker though. Boy how I miss her southern fried chicken and homemade biscuits. Thanks for taking me back in time with my memories, Dr Malone!
YAY! Something I do every year. We raise meat birds from Murray McMurray, 50 of them every year and our own Bourbon Red turkeys. We can usually get 10-12 poults from our laying Jenny's. As a matter of fact, our meat chicks are scheduled to arrive next week. Then they will be ready to harvest the second week of October. Up here in New England, that is a good time. Not too hot, less bugs. Very pleasant usually. We tractor them in an Alumi-Coop. We used a Salatin style tractor for about 12 or 13 years until it needed to be replaced and we decided to upgrade. Excellent purchase and well worth the expense.
We have been doing this for 15 years. We made our own plucker with the best instruction book ever written, by Herrick Kimball of "Planet Whizbang". Shameless plug:
He is an amazing fella. We have been "pen pals" for many years. I always get my poultry shrink bags for both the chickens and the turkeys from him. And so much more. You should definitely explore his website and his blog, Heavenstretch.
We use special rubber gloves that protect from heat so that when we scald, (and we do it at 160-165°F for approx. 30 sec) we can get the feet scalded as well and then the skin comes off with the feathers in the plucker. Because chicken foot stock is amazing health food. We were so lucky to get get some stainless-steel food service tables when our local coop renovated the second year we did this. Since then, we moved to a place with hot and cold water in the basement and so we set the table up close to this and attach a faucet with sprayer head. Makes cleaning the birds and tables so easy. Then we have glavanized water troughs for the birds to rest in. One is for right after they are plucked, awaiting processing and the other is ice slush for resting until we can set up the scalder with clean water and I can go over the birds carefully, bag them and then we shrink wrap them (in the now clean hot water of the scalder) and get them in the freezer. We keep one or two whole turkeys for holiday meals and the rest is cut up and frozen as ground turkey or a breast or two. I also carve up about 10 chickens for small packages of breasts, thighs and legs. And don't forget the wings!!! The carcass' are frozen for making stock along with the feet.
I clean the gizzards a few days later, and then freeze dry the livers and hearts. They either go into making soups or dog treats. I will confess, the gizzards are a lot of work. But good eating.
We learned all this from a variety of sources but the first and foremost was Joel Salatin. Then Mr. Kimball and a neighbor here and there. We are currently so blessed to have two good friends that help us out in exchange for chickens.
It is a deeply profound experience to raise and then butcher your own meat. There is a reverence, maybe not obvious to the casual observer, that we have, as we go about this process. I'm always a bit melancholy after butchering day. But not why you might think. The homestead is so quiet. Going out every evening to move the birds on to fresh pasture and feeding/watering, and of course watching them is truly my favorite time of the day.
We are working on clearing a 5 acre pasture for a silvopasture for a few beeves and a small Jersey for milk. We are hoping to get that in place and up and running by 2026. We would absolutely love to have the Valois Black nosed sheep but they are hard to come by unless you want to breed them up and we aren't in a position to do that. Maybe someday... or they will be more available stateside. I wish I could put up pictures to show you our set up.
I thoroughly enjoy all your content Dr. Malone but this one resonated with me deeply. Everyone should be more connected to their food. The raising of it, the processing of it. All their food, not just a few veggies. We can 70 jars of green beans, tomato products and squash. And we freeze dry a great deal too. We are better overall for the hard work we put into this lifestyle and can't imagine any other way of living. Blueberries and raspberries are ready for picking this coming week. Busy, busy, busy!!
Have plucked many, many chickens by hand and agree that using the higher temperature for scalding is the secret to making that part of the task easier. Thanks for mentioning it.
Man, I am learning a LOT from the Doc and you folks here.
I just went on line and bought the plans for the plucker you suggested.
I will be keeping your post for when it comes time to harvest this bunch of cluckers. I built my own Salatin-like tractor, just installed the wheels today. Tomorrow it will be done.
P.S. instead of purchasing a scalder, we bought a propane turkey fryer burner for 60 or so bucks and a large galvanized metal trash can. Sealed the seams with JB Weld and voila... Got yourself a scalder. We use a meat thermometer with a long cord and probe to check temps and we add Shaklee's Basic H to the water as a surfactant.
They are so tasty. We had chickens for our 1st few rural years. This article brings back memories, some of the even good ones. We being "back to the land hippies" then, tried to do free range chickens. They did have a chicken house and fenced area, but we discovered chickens can fly. To harvest we sometimes had to shoot them out of the trees with the .22 rifle. and our dog loved to find where one would roost with a clutch of eggs out side the chicken yard, That dog was a Samoyed and she gave herself away with the yellow muzzle.
I guess as time goes slaughtering birds becomes a normal chore on a farm. At my house I’m afraid we would have 15 pet roosters. I’m having a bit of a homestead day of my own. My male yellow lab, Simba, we think ate something like a sock or underwear and I’m at the vets waiting for an x-ray. In the past he’s thrown things up but today he pooped a tar like substance which is probably blood. Not so lucky today. If we have to remove this they say between 6000-10,000 dollars, not a good day for James. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0427b9X-YPvrbjNqFmN2qnXLQ
I am so sorry to hear that Mr. Goodrich. I hope it turns out well for all of you. We know the challenges as we have raised 11 dogs over the last 30 years. Good luck.
Damn James, just what you didn't need! But isn't it the way it goes. It's so tough to watch your companion suffer at all. (and I wasn't referring to your wife)
Referring to a previous post two or three months ago welcome to my Aunt Flora’s world. There are far worse places in this world than a family farm, but it is not the place for a modern urbanite. She was a little less mechanized, but humaine, using a hatchet and log and her grandchildren and nephew (aka me) did the plucking. A high tech plucker would have been quite welcome. She always seemed to have a chicken stock pot on her gas stove. This is all part of the cycle of life on the farm and the chicken soup can be quite good.
Up here in the high Alleghenies the fourth of July Holiday week ended last Sunday, the part time residents in our neighborhood left, and the fireworks died down. Just before dark on Monday my wife was in our living room and called me to “come here quick”! Out in middle of the road in front of our house a mother black bear and three cubs were all lined up out for a walk, undoubtedly the loudest holiday of the year was over for another year! Triplets where all three survived are very rare in bear country.
As a field geologist mostly in the mountains of West Virginia and a little bit in very rural Ontario I have had quite a few encounters with black bears, none have been threatening BTW but I have rigid rules. I once won an award for a photo of a mother bear and two cubs swimming in Georgian Bay, where it was obvious one cub was a much better swimmer. The little guy or girl was far behind with his or her ears pointed back paddling for all he or she was worth. I was in a 47 foot boat and had a telephoto lens BTW. This though was the first time I have seen a mother bear and three cubs. The road runs up a ridge crest to a knob near the Maryland border and the bear family was obviously relieved and out for an evening walk after the preceding week’s chaos and fireworks. I don’t know how far they went as my first rule of bear safety is to stay far away from mother bears with cubs.
I know it has to be done. I am a meat-eater. I am not sure I could kill unless I had to. We used to have ducks, and they all became pets. My ex-husband wanted to raise chickens to eat, but our children gave them names and there was no way Dad was going to kill Tommy, the rooster. We gave the 12 chickens away for egg production, and kept the 14 ducks for their delicious eggs.
One good thing about the frankenchicken is that at slaughter time it seems more like euthanasia than murder. Those chickens aren’t built for anything but the freezer.
Hot tip on separating chickens, do it after dark. They are all dozie and it is (usually) just a matter of picking them up off the roost and setting them on another. No chasing anyone around. I just did it last night.
Also, I have heard that you should refrigerate the birds a couple of days before cooking for improved texture and taste. Maybe that can happen after they thaw. Not sure.
Thank you for a wonderful post. Great information and I have never seen a chicken plucker - that machine is amazing. You are so right about knowing where our food comes from and how this is a true way of living. Thank you again Dr.s
Absolutely fabulous article explaining the process- I am most grateful for the info! Right now I only have hens and they are for eggs, but as things drift ever more precariously around us, I am prepared to switch all of that around and introduce roosters and begin a huge breeding program to give all my neighbors chickens.
Unfortunately, most do not have a clue about how the food arrives on their table. In the I930’s and 40’s my parents raised rabbits for protein and our neighbor with 7 kids went the chicken route. The eggs had lots of Vitamin D! Not anymore!
We have purchased from McMurray several times. We bought sexed and somehow always ended up with a rooster. Our lawn man was quite happy about it. We've had better luck with Hoover Hatchery though it appears you're quite adept at raising your own now. It's amazing how much more plump and tasty fresh home raised chickens are as compared to store bought.
A chicken plucker ! OMG that thing must be great. I remember dad killing, gutting and plucking the chickens, and the turkeys, by hand! Way better than anything you can buy in the store, though. Chicken from the store does not even taste like it anymore. (we stopped eating it last summer when the dog got sick from it - chicken allergy - probably from all the filth they feed and inject the poor beasts)
Truth. The mass produced chicken is nasty, especially Tyson. We are now too spoiled with our own beef to eat the mystery meat from Kroger.
Tyson was/is laying off their U.S employees and hiring illegals! Everyone needs to boycott them.
haven't bought that stuff in many years. Till about 2 years ago, we had some local, small-farm chicken, but it was of course higher in price. I wonder if that is why the store no longer sells it. 3 months ago, after lots of trouble with intestines, I completely stopped eating meat, rightfully blaming it. Have not had problems since!
( I like that weedom1 mystery meat !)
Glad that quitting meat stopped the problems.
A couple of guys near us had to stop eating meat due to that alpha-gal syndrome, which seems to apply to mammalian meat, not chicken.
I know 2 people like that - husband and son of a friend. And one girl who had an autoimmune disease and managed to get rid of it by eating no meat. I didn't know the name of this condition. I might try to eat some turkey again. Thanks!
Alpha-gal syndrome gives us another reason to hate ticks.
Hope you’re able to do the poultry. All fish diet would get boring.
Hillary way back when was on their Board of Directors and turned 10 thousand into 100 thousand if my memory serves me right. Gates of course did better with RNA and go it back 20x’s!
I notice too how small they are. They used be sooo much meatier
my dad told me a few years ago, when they still raised chickens, that the store chickens are slaughtered too soon, before they even make real bone
I know from my late grandmothers that harvesting livestock of any kind is not for the faint of heart, but quite necessary for human survival. They would have loved the gadgets you list.
These days, no one is supposed to cry or feel pain. No one is supposed to be ill. No one is supposed to be in any discomfort. Just think about that for a minute. 70 degrees and sunny has no value without 94 degrees with 80 percent humidity. life really aint that complicated.
I agree. Many of my friends think I am cruel because I praise my dog for killing cute little chipmunks. He created the job and as a result, is saving my plants.
Dogs are pack animals and very loyal to the pack. They have a sense of what is important to us.
You are right, and our dog a rescue does everything he can to please us. He is so happy to be part of our pack.
I work part-time. A fellow worker abhors violent sports like football. I commented that the NFL exists because some men would gather and do these "violent" things anyway. This person said that these people should go to, I can't recall, a room and vent their stuff. I feel for those who can't process reality. I understand issues cause stuff.. I am not going to eat grass and feel guilty for existing or driving my pickup.
And so would my Mom!! Oh My! What a change from about 1952 until now!!! I only remember her killing one chicken but that was enough for me! Maybe I was in school when she did others. Hats off to you and Jill, Dr. Malone!! I would love to see your farm some day!
Caveat to discomfort; one supports life, the other destroys life. Just my opinion.
The plants support life for us.
And we as humans are sustained by the total and complete ecosystem. Amazing how diverse the human species is to exist in all environments. I never saw a polar bear in Texas.
I am living vicariously through your articles about homesteading. The articles are terrific and without the mess. Priceless.
Wow! Loved the video of the chicken plucker! My grandmother was such an amazing chicken plucker. We kids were always fascinated to watch her wring a chicken’s neck and pluck those feathers in no time flat! Bet she would have loved that plucker though. Boy how I miss her southern fried chicken and homemade biscuits. Thanks for taking me back in time with my memories, Dr Malone!
My grandmother the same! And every Fall there was the pig!!
YAY! Something I do every year. We raise meat birds from Murray McMurray, 50 of them every year and our own Bourbon Red turkeys. We can usually get 10-12 poults from our laying Jenny's. As a matter of fact, our meat chicks are scheduled to arrive next week. Then they will be ready to harvest the second week of October. Up here in New England, that is a good time. Not too hot, less bugs. Very pleasant usually. We tractor them in an Alumi-Coop. We used a Salatin style tractor for about 12 or 13 years until it needed to be replaced and we decided to upgrade. Excellent purchase and well worth the expense.
We have been doing this for 15 years. We made our own plucker with the best instruction book ever written, by Herrick Kimball of "Planet Whizbang". Shameless plug:
https://www.planetwhizbang.com/
He is an amazing fella. We have been "pen pals" for many years. I always get my poultry shrink bags for both the chickens and the turkeys from him. And so much more. You should definitely explore his website and his blog, Heavenstretch.
We use special rubber gloves that protect from heat so that when we scald, (and we do it at 160-165°F for approx. 30 sec) we can get the feet scalded as well and then the skin comes off with the feathers in the plucker. Because chicken foot stock is amazing health food. We were so lucky to get get some stainless-steel food service tables when our local coop renovated the second year we did this. Since then, we moved to a place with hot and cold water in the basement and so we set the table up close to this and attach a faucet with sprayer head. Makes cleaning the birds and tables so easy. Then we have glavanized water troughs for the birds to rest in. One is for right after they are plucked, awaiting processing and the other is ice slush for resting until we can set up the scalder with clean water and I can go over the birds carefully, bag them and then we shrink wrap them (in the now clean hot water of the scalder) and get them in the freezer. We keep one or two whole turkeys for holiday meals and the rest is cut up and frozen as ground turkey or a breast or two. I also carve up about 10 chickens for small packages of breasts, thighs and legs. And don't forget the wings!!! The carcass' are frozen for making stock along with the feet.
I clean the gizzards a few days later, and then freeze dry the livers and hearts. They either go into making soups or dog treats. I will confess, the gizzards are a lot of work. But good eating.
We learned all this from a variety of sources but the first and foremost was Joel Salatin. Then Mr. Kimball and a neighbor here and there. We are currently so blessed to have two good friends that help us out in exchange for chickens.
It is a deeply profound experience to raise and then butcher your own meat. There is a reverence, maybe not obvious to the casual observer, that we have, as we go about this process. I'm always a bit melancholy after butchering day. But not why you might think. The homestead is so quiet. Going out every evening to move the birds on to fresh pasture and feeding/watering, and of course watching them is truly my favorite time of the day.
We are working on clearing a 5 acre pasture for a silvopasture for a few beeves and a small Jersey for milk. We are hoping to get that in place and up and running by 2026. We would absolutely love to have the Valois Black nosed sheep but they are hard to come by unless you want to breed them up and we aren't in a position to do that. Maybe someday... or they will be more available stateside. I wish I could put up pictures to show you our set up.
I thoroughly enjoy all your content Dr. Malone but this one resonated with me deeply. Everyone should be more connected to their food. The raising of it, the processing of it. All their food, not just a few veggies. We can 70 jars of green beans, tomato products and squash. And we freeze dry a great deal too. We are better overall for the hard work we put into this lifestyle and can't imagine any other way of living. Blueberries and raspberries are ready for picking this coming week. Busy, busy, busy!!
Have plucked many, many chickens by hand and agree that using the higher temperature for scalding is the secret to making that part of the task easier. Thanks for mentioning it.
Man, I am learning a LOT from the Doc and you folks here.
I just went on line and bought the plans for the plucker you suggested.
I will be keeping your post for when it comes time to harvest this bunch of cluckers. I built my own Salatin-like tractor, just installed the wheels today. Tomorrow it will be done.
Thanks for your help.
P.S. instead of purchasing a scalder, we bought a propane turkey fryer burner for 60 or so bucks and a large galvanized metal trash can. Sealed the seams with JB Weld and voila... Got yourself a scalder. We use a meat thermometer with a long cord and probe to check temps and we add Shaklee's Basic H to the water as a surfactant.
Great article. Great info about roosters and harvesting.
They are so tasty. We had chickens for our 1st few rural years. This article brings back memories, some of the even good ones. We being "back to the land hippies" then, tried to do free range chickens. They did have a chicken house and fenced area, but we discovered chickens can fly. To harvest we sometimes had to shoot them out of the trees with the .22 rifle. and our dog loved to find where one would roost with a clutch of eggs out side the chicken yard, That dog was a Samoyed and she gave herself away with the yellow muzzle.
I guess as time goes slaughtering birds becomes a normal chore on a farm. At my house I’m afraid we would have 15 pet roosters. I’m having a bit of a homestead day of my own. My male yellow lab, Simba, we think ate something like a sock or underwear and I’m at the vets waiting for an x-ray. In the past he’s thrown things up but today he pooped a tar like substance which is probably blood. Not so lucky today. If we have to remove this they say between 6000-10,000 dollars, not a good day for James. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0427b9X-YPvrbjNqFmN2qnXLQ
Oh bummer - the main issue with labs always seems to be that they ate something.
Poor James and yellow Lab. So sorry.
Thanks Sybil there’s a better chance it will pass one way or another. I’m praying it will pass!!!
I am so sorry to hear that Mr. Goodrich. I hope it turns out well for all of you. We know the challenges as we have raised 11 dogs over the last 30 years. Good luck.
Simba’s our 8th dog I think he’s always happy even when he’s bankrupting me. I hope he’ll be ok!!
Damn James, just what you didn't need! But isn't it the way it goes. It's so tough to watch your companion suffer at all. (and I wasn't referring to your wife)
He’s such a good happy dog, the last time he ate a big white tube sock but eventually threw it up. Hoping for the same end result, we will see!!
As I was reading your response, I remembered my cat walking around the house with Xmas tree tinsel coming out of his butt.
I would pay a lot for my dogs. They are my companions.
Me too Jennifer, I love my dogs.
My dogs are almost the only family I have.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/046Y5qSESda3FcNFScEe4jnTA
What a crew!!!
Labs and Huskies eat just about anything 🙄. Hopefully your puppy gets well and your wallet is not emptied.
I hope Michael, I’m ready to put a for sale sign on my pickup truck in the parking lot, maybe I can barter!!!
I’ve been there with my Rottweilers & one Husky over the years. My last vet bill was just over $5,000; we now have pet insurance.
Prayers for a happy end.
Thank you la chevalerie vit!!
Truly an amazing process! I have never seen a plucker before!
Miss those days of early morning calls from the post office. And loud peeping in the background. All the work in between. And the best chicken ever.
Doc,
Referring to a previous post two or three months ago welcome to my Aunt Flora’s world. There are far worse places in this world than a family farm, but it is not the place for a modern urbanite. She was a little less mechanized, but humaine, using a hatchet and log and her grandchildren and nephew (aka me) did the plucking. A high tech plucker would have been quite welcome. She always seemed to have a chicken stock pot on her gas stove. This is all part of the cycle of life on the farm and the chicken soup can be quite good.
Up here in the high Alleghenies the fourth of July Holiday week ended last Sunday, the part time residents in our neighborhood left, and the fireworks died down. Just before dark on Monday my wife was in our living room and called me to “come here quick”! Out in middle of the road in front of our house a mother black bear and three cubs were all lined up out for a walk, undoubtedly the loudest holiday of the year was over for another year! Triplets where all three survived are very rare in bear country.
very cool.
As a field geologist mostly in the mountains of West Virginia and a little bit in very rural Ontario I have had quite a few encounters with black bears, none have been threatening BTW but I have rigid rules. I once won an award for a photo of a mother bear and two cubs swimming in Georgian Bay, where it was obvious one cub was a much better swimmer. The little guy or girl was far behind with his or her ears pointed back paddling for all he or she was worth. I was in a 47 foot boat and had a telephoto lens BTW. This though was the first time I have seen a mother bear and three cubs. The road runs up a ridge crest to a knob near the Maryland border and the bear family was obviously relieved and out for an evening walk after the preceding week’s chaos and fireworks. I don’t know how far they went as my first rule of bear safety is to stay far away from mother bears with cubs.
I know it has to be done. I am a meat-eater. I am not sure I could kill unless I had to. We used to have ducks, and they all became pets. My ex-husband wanted to raise chickens to eat, but our children gave them names and there was no way Dad was going to kill Tommy, the rooster. We gave the 12 chickens away for egg production, and kept the 14 ducks for their delicious eggs.
I had a neighbor who raised pigs, He would give them names like vegetables so when the kids asked whats for dinner they would say Vegetables.
made me laugh!
Good one.
One good thing about the frankenchicken is that at slaughter time it seems more like euthanasia than murder. Those chickens aren’t built for anything but the freezer.
Hot tip on separating chickens, do it after dark. They are all dozie and it is (usually) just a matter of picking them up off the roost and setting them on another. No chasing anyone around. I just did it last night.
Also, I have heard that you should refrigerate the birds a couple of days before cooking for improved texture and taste. Maybe that can happen after they thaw. Not sure.
Thank you for a wonderful post. Great information and I have never seen a chicken plucker - that machine is amazing. You are so right about knowing where our food comes from and how this is a true way of living. Thank you again Dr.s
Absolutely fabulous article explaining the process- I am most grateful for the info! Right now I only have hens and they are for eggs, but as things drift ever more precariously around us, I am prepared to switch all of that around and introduce roosters and begin a huge breeding program to give all my neighbors chickens.
Unfortunately, most do not have a clue about how the food arrives on their table. In the I930’s and 40’s my parents raised rabbits for protein and our neighbor with 7 kids went the chicken route. The eggs had lots of Vitamin D! Not anymore!
We have purchased from McMurray several times. We bought sexed and somehow always ended up with a rooster. Our lawn man was quite happy about it. We've had better luck with Hoover Hatchery though it appears you're quite adept at raising your own now. It's amazing how much more plump and tasty fresh home raised chickens are as compared to store bought.