Make sure your water temperature is 135-140 degrees F for ideal scalding. Remove the bird from the killing cone and hold it by the feet and/or legs. Dunk the bird headfirst into the scalding tank, gently swirling it in the water both around and up and down. Make sure to get all the leg feathers in the water. Check the scald by rubbing your hand or fingers against the grain of the feathers on the leg, and by plucking a large feather like a wing or tail feather. If the feathers don’t pluck easily, more time is needed.
A scald that's too long will damage the skin, making it tear easily, and affects the length of time the poultry can be stored, so don’t scald too long. As soon as the feathers come out easily, the scald is done.
