ABSTRACT

Hand removal of feathers is the traditional means and method of removing feathers from poultry birds of different species. For certain reasons, removing feathers by hand was becoming obsolete since the inception of the industrial age. The development of a poultry de-feathering machine is a process of producing a mechanical means in which feathers are removed from scalded birds. This project focuses on the development of an efficient, portable commercial/industrial poultry de-feathering machines using locally available materials. The machine consists of a frame, shaft, pulley belt, electric motor, and rubber pluckers which do the actual plucking of the feathers. The rubber pluckers are attached to a rotating plate against a stationary plucking basin carrying protruding rubber pluckers. Design calculations were done appropriately to ensure the correct shaft diameter as this could affect the efficiency of the machine. The test was carried out on the machine with one cockerel chicken. The chicken was soaked inside hot water of about 85°C and held for about 45-60sec. The machine removed feathers without any major damage to the chicken. In conclusion, the machine performed efficiently and effectively, leaving behind products that could meet market standards.