You can’t write the story of Poultry Man without Eli Reiff. Eli started processing 1980, and when Pastured Poultry Profits was published, his processing business took off. He recognized a need for affordable equipment that could be used by farmers who were following along the direct marketing, on-farm processing model described in Pastured Poultry Profits. 

In 2000, Poultry Man was born. Eli produced an affordable manual scalder that featured a rugged stainless steel construction. As Poultry Man grew, the equipment offerings expanded to include rotary scalders, stainless steel pluckers, and other essential equipment (tables, cones, chill tanks, etc.). He also expanded his offerings to include open pit, easy flip, towable chicken BBQ grills. 

Every day, Eli used the equipment he built and sold to others. His priorities were on function, longevity, and affordability. This set Poultry Man equipment apart pack, and remains the foundation on which the brand is built. 

The equipment is manufactured in Pennsylvania, by a small fabrication shop using materials and components sourced through local businesses. When you purchase Poultry Man products, you’re supporting American businesses and American manufacturing. Each plucker and scalder is hand built. 

Eli Reiff, an old order Mennonite, sold directly to processors all across the country. For a man who abstained from the internet, he had a deep reach and impact as a business, as a teacher, and as a pastured poultry advocate. He was recognized by both Pasa and APPPA with achievement awards for his life’s work.

Eli also sold through online dealers, such as Cornerstone Farm Ventures and Badger’s Millside Farm. When Cornerstone retired in 2020, Badger’s remained the only online retailer for Poultry Man. Badger’s eventually grew into the The Bird Nerd website and brand. The Bird Nerd remains Poultry Man’s only dealer for processing equipment today. The Bird Nerd (and Badger’s Millside Farm) has been a Poultry Man dealer since 2012. 

Eli offered us a dealer opportunity when we built our mobile processing unit. We believed that our processing customers would eventually graduate to their own on-farm processing setups. That wasn’t the case, and the equipment sales took on a small life of it’s own.

Rotary Scalders have become one of the keystone offerings of the Poultry Man line over the years and has been adopted by on-farm processors, customer slaughter shops, live bird markets, and virtually anyone who needs an affordable, durable, and reliable scalder.

One of the fundamental differences between Poultry Man and all the other cheaper pluckers and scalders is build quality. Poultry Man scalders and pluckers are heavy gauge stainless steel and are built to be used every day. They represent commercial equipment at affordable prices.

Not only are the Poultry Man pluckers built to withstand use, they are direct drive unlike many of the belt driven options out there. They are available in several sizes and configurations, including a door for easy unloading.

Following Covid, Eli entered a health struggle that was eventually diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In 2024, he transferred ownership of Poultry Man to his long-time fabricator. On August 8, 2025, he passed into eternal rest with his Lord and Savior. 

Today, Poultry continues to sell, build, and ship stainless steel equipment to processors all over the United States and Canada. In 2025, Poultry Man released a 48″ rotary scalder with a gear box drive (compared to belt drive) and a large tank width (30″ instead of 24″). The new 48″ rotary scalder is shipping now.