Doing in just 1 bird

[pdpatch]

If you won't be cooking the wing then just cut them off with out plucking them. The same goes for the tail feathers

Tom

 

[jaku]

Whenever I do just one, I kill it, then make a slit in the skin of the breast and pull it away from the meat on both sides, then fillet both breasts off. Next I peel the skin all the way back and down past the bird's "knees," and cut the feet off, then cut the legs off at the hip joints. You're left with one piece, no skinning, plucking or gutting needed.

 

[dancingbear]

When I do just one bird, I heat water in my tea kettle, and pour it over the bird in the sink. I refill the kettle with hot tap water, put it back on the stove, and by the time I've gotten the first bunch of feathers out, it's hot again. Then I pour it over the spots I missed the first time.

I have a divided sink in my kitchen, last time I butchered, I filled one side about half way with hot tap water, and boiled a good size saucepan of water on the stove, added to to the water in the sink. That brought it up to about 150F, I added another tea-kettle full, that kicked it up to 160F. I swished the birds around in that. I had to let them soak a little while to get the feathers good and loose. The birds themselves lowered the temp a bit when I put them in. I was only doing two. I let one soak while plucking the other, then switched them. Back and forth until both were clean. It didn't take as long as it sounds like.

 

[kees]

I've only dry-plucked and it was pretty easy if the bird was still warm. Albeit, feeling the warmth was disconcerting for me. I've never tried to use boiling water because I'm afraid that I'll "overcook" the bird and don't know if it'll be much easier than just dry-plucking.

Suzy

 

[DCS]

I am usually only doing one or two at a time, so if I pluck, it's a dry pluck. Doing one isn't that bad. Lately, I've been skinning them, or just filleting off the breasts and legs as described above.