Can anyone give me a detailed discription on how to do this.  We have a pheasent hangling at the moment and it is tomorrow afternoons job....I have 3 whimps and a pheasent...So I get to do it! :D

So yes I need tips please! :)

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's son
I'm only plucking pheasants 'till the pheasant plucker comes.

Me husband is a keeper, he's a very busy man
I try to understand him and I help him all I can,
But sometimes in an evening I feel a trifle dim
All alone, I'm plucking pheasants, when I'd rather pluck with him.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's mate
I'm only plucking pheasants 'cos the pheasant plucker's late !

I'm not good at plucking pheasants, at pheasant plucking I get stuck
Though some pheasants find it pleasant I'd rather pluck a duck.
Oh plucking geese is gorgeous, I can pluck a goose with ease
But pheasant plucking's torture because they haven't any grease.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, he has gone out on the tiles
He only plucked one pheasant and I'm sitting here with piles !

You have to pluck them fresh, if it's fresh they're not unpleasant,
I knew a man in Dunstable who could pluck a frozen pheasant.
They say the village constable had pheasant plucking sessions
With the vicar on a Sunday 'tween the first and second lessons.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's mum
I'm only plucking pheasants 'till the pheasant plucker's come.

My good friend Godfrey is most adept, he's really got the knack
He likes to have a pheasant plucked before he hits the sack.
I like to give a helping hand, I gather up the feathers,
It's really all our pheasant plucking keeps us pair together.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's friend
I'm only plucking pheasants as a means unto an end !

My husband's in the forest always banging with his gun
If he could hear me half the time I'm sure that he would run,
For there's fluff in all my crannies, there's feathers up my nose
And I'm itching in the kitchen from my head down to my toes.

I'm not a pheasant plucker, I'm a pheasant plucker's wife
And when we pluck together it's a pheasant plucking life !

Sorry Ice-Queen ....it just called out for it :D. Oh ad when I have plucked a pheasant, I have started by having the bird hanging down and pluck away from me :D HTH

Poor you ;). I dont pluck them, I skin them and wrap the breasts and legs in tinfoil with butter and cook in the oven for around 15 mins.

alternatively, get in the bath, with pheasant, close all doors into house, wear waterproofs if poss, and gently pull feathers against the grain. Go find the face mask and place on face after removing feathers from nose eyes and mouth, start again.

Actually, I used to place pheasant inside black bin bag and pluck, until someone told me about skinning them.

I don't want to skin them, Dad wants the skin left on, The chefs at work where doing acouple the other day, and they didn't make too much mess (just took up the whole of the kitchin!)

I KNow all about the smell. It's not THAT bad!

And thanks Mel!  Mum has since been singing it since the pheasant came home!!!

I always skin as well, I can have one ready in around 3 minutes like that. But yes, if you want to pluck, pluck against the lay. Don't try to pull too many in one go or you will tear the skin. I take the wings off at the second joint although there is no meat on them so keeping them is only cosmetic. Cut the neck about a couple of inches long or less and draw the bits out of the inside from the other end.

There is no real problem about plucking them, it just takes a little time. Goose is worst!

I like a slice of fat bacon over them when roasted to keep them moist. If the bird has been badly shot then I'll just take the best breast off and keep it until I get enough breasts to do something with.

Best wishes, John

There, I thought I knew you well but I never knew you were a pheasant plucker John!!    And a breast man too??????  ;)

We all live and learn eh?? :p

Yep! My secret is out! ;)

Melodysk, I must have been typing while you were putting that plucking poem on. We used to sing that at school as fast as we could, great fun. Sad lot we were :)

I used to pluck into a black bin bag. Start by placing the bird on your knees, breast side up, head towards the ground, with the bag underneath and start to pluck the feathers from the neck about 2" from the head and continue carefully down the breast plucking the feathers away from you into the bag, being careful not to tear the skin. (If you do tear the skin badly you can always hide it with streaky bacon !) If you have torn the skin, try to just pluck one feather at a time until you have got passed the tear. Pulling the wings to one side as you go. Pluck the legs down to the bum bit, including this and pull out the tail feathers. Then turn the bird over and pluck all the way down the back, pulling the feathers away from you. Pull the feathers out of the wings.
Chop the head off, and cut the skin on the back of the neck lengthways from the cut of the head to the main part of the bird and pull the skin down to the shoulders exposing the neck, then twist the neck bones back towards the backbone and cut as far into the carcass as possible and pull out the neck and the windpipe. Next turn the bird over so the breast is upwards and separate the skin from the meat where it has just had the neck taken out (this is very fiddly and delicate) and remove the crop, this will come out in a type of sac and contains the undigested food. Then fold the skin back over the bird towards the back to make it look neat.
There are two ways of dealing with the legs one is to score fairly deeply round the last joint where the claws meet with the main part of the leg (and the feathers finish) and draw the sinews out with the feet or far easier is to just chop off the feet at the same point, you will get the sinews in the legs but they can be taken out when eating. Chop off the last joint of the wing and fold the wings underneath the bird.
Turn the bird onto its back, breast side up, and make a cut just above the bum hole across the bird about 1 ½" - 2" in length and with two hands open up the incision slightly. Holding the bird with one hand put the other hand into the cavity and pull all the entrails, liver, heart, kidneys and lungs out onto a piece of newspaper, or into a bowl, cutting out the bum hole and all the bits round there ! Must make sure the lungs are out - they are located fairly well back towards the neck end and are very pink and spongy.
Wash the bird out in salt water and dry thoroughly. Stand the bird breast upwards and get a piece of string about 12" long and tie the legs together then part the string equally and rollover the bird and take the string behind, cross over the back and hook the string round the wings, pull fairly tightly so as to "plump up" the bird and tie in the centre of the back with a double knot. Cut off excess string.

Hope this helps :)

If everything else fails ice queen, ask your butcher if he can do it for you, although there could be a small charge :)

WOW wolfie, that is VERY detaild.  Think I will print it off and learn by heart, thank you very much... I WILL do this :D

I am determind that I will do this and not fail and not squirm (since going blond I need to prove I'm not a squirmy little girl!!!! :D

Thank you

Skinning is easier!  I rarely pluck!!!

Has anyone got any good recipes for the (already plucked!!) pheasant!  My mother mentioned something about cider and apples.  As you can see, I'm really organised for Christmas!!  Best wishes,

Yes you need to cook it with Calvados, Apples and cream - Pheasant Normandy.

Do a search on Google and you should find a recipe.

It is delicious!  Good luck. 

LOL, glad to of been able to help. The first pheasant I plucked was at the age of 10 (roughly) When it came to removing it's insides, I puked everywhere, but my Dad made me carry on. I thought I was gonna pass out :D

After a while, my stomach hardened to it :D

Well we did it.....well Plucked it, but then ripped it abit too much so skined it insted! and we have one nice leg (other is where it was shot) and two nice breasts, and lots of feathers for a friend and us!

We have now decided we will not do another pheasant, but putting this down as a "at least we did it once!"

Next time it's coming from the butchers! ;) :D

At least you had a go :D

Thats what I told mum all the way though...:D I did stuff my hand inside and find the liver, intestines etc!!! :D

It does get easier the more you do :D

I now find it easier and less time consuming to get my butcher to do it now though :D :D