Method and apparatus for seating poultry feather plucking fingers

Abstract

A method is disclosed for mounting a resilient poultry feather plucking finger to a rigid finger support with a peripheral groove in a head portion of the finger seated snugly within an aperture in the finger support and with an elongation portion of the finger projecting out from the finger support aperture. The method comprises the steps of passing at least part of the elongation portion of the finger through the finger support aperture and through a pair of spaced counterrotating drive rollers which urge the finger head portion into the support aperture and seat the peripheral groove therewithin. Apparatus is also disclosed for seating resilient poultry feather plucking fingers in apertures formed in rigid finger supporting structures. The apparatus comprises a support member and a drive shaft rotatably supported by the support member and adapted to be coupled with electromotive drive means. A first roller is mounted to the drive shaft. A second roller is rotatably mounted to the support member in spaced juxtaposition with the first roller. Gear means couple the first and second rows together in a one to one gearing ratio.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.