As of February 2026, Poultry Man has started to power the 30” Rotary Scalder and 41” rotary scalder with a motor and worm gear speed reducer. Since it’s inception in 2000, Poultry Man has relied on a Dayton low RPM gear motor and two belts to turn the birds in the rotary scalder. In 2025, […]
Choosing a chicken plucker, sometimes called a defeathering machine or chicken picker, can be a daunting task. Bigger is not always better and buying on price alone could cost your business more money later. Plucker Capacity The best advice is to match plucker capacity to scalder capacity. For example, if your scalder is capable of […]
Pullet Pickup Day is a time to celebrate. There’s so much hope wrapped up in the promise of an egg – the perfect food. And whether you’re raising to feed your own family or the families in your community, this is a highly anticipated day. It can also be somewhat hectic! It’s not complicated, but […]
Many people do not put much thought into how they bring started (aka ready to lay) pullets onto their farm, but paying attention to the details will always pay off more than the “set it and forget” attitude. In this episode of the Pastured Poultry Talk, I talk about how to care for ready to […]
A normal flame is all blue and just a couple inches tall. It burns hot and heats water the most efficiently. Gradually over the course of several months, especially outdoor processors, the flame on the burner changes from a hot, blue flame to a cooler orange/yellow flame that laps wildly at the bottom of the […]
The model numbers are etched into a plate that’s attached to the scalder or plucker and consists of a 2 part number that tells us what size the unit is and when it was manufactured. When replacing parts or troubleshooting, knowing the year can be important because sometimes components have undergone changes. Here is a […]
One of the most common challenges for on-farm poultry processors is selecting the best scalder and plucker combo. The scalder and plucker are the foundation to the entire processing experience. You can have the perfect flow, process design, cooler, tables, and people, but if you pick the wrong scalder and plucker combo, you will compromise […]
You can skip ahead to 6:50 to start the main content. The expense of purchasing equipment, the regulatory climate, or even the mystery of slaughtering chickens are often cited disadvantages of processing your own chicken, but here are some of the reasons you should do it anyway: Control of the final product. Pay yourself for […]
Listen in to my episode of Pastured Poultry Talk, as I discuss the decision points of finding the right plucker for you. The primary decisions points about selecting an appropriately sized chicken plucker comes down to the following: Match the scalder/plucker capacity. Purchase a scalder based on processing day volume. Know your power requirements. Evaluate […]
