killing and plucking

[srm220]

I would like to kill/bleed a chicken then pluck/clean it another day. Has anyone done this? are there any problems with this?

 

[hangartnerchix]

You need to clean it immediately. You need to remove the innards and get the temperature down as quickly as possible. About the plucking - I don't know! I've never thought about delaying the plucking. I usually skin mine. My family doesn't eat the skin anyway, so I just skin it, feathers and all, and done.

 

[Ridgerunner]

First the minor difficulty. Plucking is going to be more of a pain with an aged bird. If you scald it, the skin is much more likely to tear. Is that important to you? If you try to dry pluck to keep the skin in good shape, it takes forever and is a pain. Still, just a minor problem.

The more potentially serious problem is the bacteria in the guts. I know they hang game birds like pheasant with the guts intact to let them age, so it can be done. But you have to follow certain procedures to do it safely, mostly get the temperature right. Above a certain temperature those bacteria will multiply like crazy and ruin the meat. There are limits too on how long you can hang them. Before I even thought about attempting to kill a bird one day and clean it another I’d do a lot of research on hanging game birds.

Would I do it personally? Not no how, not no way. I don’t see what potential benefit there could be versus the risk of putting someone in the hospital. But if you see a potential benefit that is worth the risk, at least study hanging game birds first.