The plucking machine is considered an indispensable assistant in large and small farms: such a device not only facilitates the labor costs of poultry production, but also makes it possible to save a lot of time. Today, you can purchase such equipment without any problems, but it is more profitable to make it yourself from improvised means. This article will discuss the basic principles of the operation of the plucking machine, as well as detailed instructions for its manufacture.
How to choose a good plucking machine?
A plucking machine is a mechanical or electromechanical device for cleaning carcasses of geese, chickens and other poultry from guard and down feathers, as well as their appendages. This device is widely used in livestock farms of any level and size, regardless of production volumes.
The described design consists of only three main elements:
- platform;
- driving power unit (electric motor or mechanical drive);
- tweak camera.
Did you know? For the creation of the electric motor, humanity is grateful to Michael Faraday. It was this English scientist who in 1821 invented the principle of converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, which later formed the basis for the creation of all modern electric traction engines.
There are two types of the unit in question – the so-called plucking and piercing devices. Removable units can be of disk or drum type. Drum are a monolithic or collapsible structure with a volumetric working chamber of a closed type.
Disk have a small hemispherical working surface, often open at the top. Drum machines are most often used in large farms – they allow you to instantly clean several carcasses at once in uninterrupted production. Disk is best suited for small farms with a livestock of no more than 50 individuals.
Such machines have a number of advantages – they allow you to instantly clean carcasses from feathers, which is especially important in the case of conveyor production of feathers and meat. In addition, such devices require minimal maintenance, as farmers often make them themselves. They also have their drawbacks – the main effect on the bird in the picking machine is due to the picking fingers. They seriously injure the goose carcass, which reduces its quality and market value.
Pinch devices are arranged according to a different principle. They have a working chamber in which only the feather is mechanically affected: the meat and skin remain intact. This makes it possible to gently eliminate feathers and fluff, while maintaining excellent carcass quality. In addition to the advantages listed above, such units are more versatile. They allow you to adjust the power depending on the volume of production and economic needs. However, such machines are often quite expensive and require expensive maintenance.
Important! If you plan to breed a bird only for fluff harvesting, you should pay attention to per-plucking devices. With appropriate settings, they allow you to pluck even live geese, which reduces the total cost of breeding livestock by several times.
Principle of operation of the device
Regardless of the design, the principle of carcass cleaners is based on general principles. To eliminate the pen on the device, the optimal power is selected, after which the unit starts up. Next, raw materials are loaded into the working chamber, which is divided into feathers and a carcass. In drum and disk machines, the main impact on the bird occurs with the help of the so-called working (beating) fingers. They are a variety of cylindrical inclusions of dense rubber, mounted on the surface of a drum or disk.
The electric motor drives the working chamber with fingers into rotation, during which the pen and skin are affected. With the help of centrifugal force, light fluff and feathers settle on the walls of the chamber. After cleaning, the carcass is removed, and the feather is removed from the working chamber along the outlet in the bottom or manually.
Plucking machines work on the principle of a depilator. Special discs are installed in the working chamber, which, when interacting with the pen, capture it and pull it out. At the same time, each carcass needs individual attention: during the process, the operator must hold the goose in his hands and carefully bring the pen to the working surfaces, controlling the area of interaction with the skin surface.
Making a machine for plucking geese at home
Since most factory models of poultry farming units are quite expensive, many farmers make them on their own, from improvised means. This not only reduces the cost of the farmer, but also allows you to create a plucker according to your own project, according to individual requirements. At the same time, it should be remembered that for a farm with less than 30 heads, any equipment is often an unnecessary and excessively costly measure.
Necessary materials
To prepare the device you will need:
- table from a profile pipe 50 × 50 × 50 cm;
- metal sheet 3 mm thick and 50 × 50 cm in size
- car pump and pulley (from VAZ 2101);
- electric motor with a starting mechanism with a power of 600–1000 W;
- working drum – you can use an enameled pan of 20–40 liters or an old tank from a washing machine;
- packing of hammer fingers (20–50 pieces);
- packing of bolts with nuts 10×50 mm;
- belt drive system.
Important! If the unit is made for a small home farm, the electric motor can be replaced with a medium power drill to reduce costs. However, it is necessary to make an adapter between the drill and the working mechanisms.
Manufacturing process
The main steps in the manufacture of the device:
- Fasten the metal plate to the table by welding or bolting.
- In the center of the plate, make a hole 5-10 mm in diameter wider than the dimensions of the pulley.
- Bolt together the pulley and the car pump, and then with the moving side up, bolt them to the table.
- Cut off the bottom of the drum, fasten the hammer fingers on the resulting disk with a distance of 5-10 cm between them.
- Make a 10 x 15 cm hole in the bottom side of the drum, and then place the hammer fingers in 5-10 cm increments on its walls.
- Fasten the drum over the pump pulley exactly in the center, while the side hole must be at the bottom.
- Attach the beater disc to the pulley with bolts.
- Install the engine and the start button in the inside of the table.
- Connect the belt system to the pump – now the design is ready.
Did you know? The principle of converting electrical energy into mechanical energy is inherent in many bacteria. Thanks to a chain of several protein molecules, they are able to transform the energy generated by the movement of protons into the rotation of the flagellum used for movement.
Possible difficulties in manufacturing
Often, subject to the described recommendations and general safety rules, assembling the plucker does not cause any particular difficulties. However, sometimes the main issues in the construction of the machine arise even at the design stages, when it is not possible to find all the necessary materials. Most often, they can be solved using a horizontal loading washing machine (such as Aurika – it can fully provide most of the necessary materials and technical components).
It is also worth mentioning that making a plucker without modern power tools is almost impossible. To create it, you will definitely need a powerful electric drill, as well as an angle grinder (grinder), and this often requires additional investments.
The main mistakes that farmers make when assembling a homemade plucking machine:
- the absence of hammer fingers in the side walls – this significantly reduces the efficiency of the device;
- the bolts are not fully tightened, which leads to excessive vibration of the unit;
- excessively low belt tension between the engine and the pump – causes it to jump off during operation;
- the small weight of the table – this threatens to shift or even jump the structure during engine start. In this case, the table must be additionally weighted.
A plucking machine is a necessary device not only for large, but also for small farms. Despite the fact that there are a huge number of various factory models of such machines on the market, for small poultry farms they are an unjustified waste. However, the unit can be prepared independently – this will require a standard set of power tools and spare parts from an old washing machine.
