A poultry scalding tank has one wall with a lateral pocket that receives the breast of the bird suspended by the feet from a shackle conveyor running above the tank. The top of the pocket produces a force normal to the breast upon contact, which force has a downward component sufficient to overcome buoyancy forces that tend to raise portions of the bird out of the water. Air injector heads disposed below the path of the bird, and offset away from the breast side thereof, agitate the scalding water to penetrate the feathers. A more thorough and even scalding results.
