plucking cockerel/rooster ready for eating...skin looks weird....

[fishdaughter]

I've not done this before and wondered if the holey skin where the feathers were, should be so obvious?
I realise now that I should have plucked this young cockerel straight after killing him, but it was late last night so I hung him up and did it this morning.
I read several online things on how to pluck and prepare a chook, but I wonder if I followed the right advise?
Brief background - we have two teenage cockerels out of a hatch from earlier in the year and our chief cockerel attacked one yesterday...the youngster was badly injured on his neck and though I knew they would fight eventually, i didn't expect it quite so soon. I've never killed a hen/cock before and didn't want to cause any further suffering by breaking his neck wrong, so I decapitated him. It was the only thing I could think of that was quick and definite. I had intended to get a lesson from a neighbour prior to this point, but not managed it.
So, following online advice, I plunged the stiff dead bird in boiling water and then proceeded to pluck him. The feathers came out ok, but I did tear the skin round the wings. The skin now looks awful though as you can see in the photo. His whole body is covered in holes where the feathers were, and gooey stuff oozed from the holes as I pulled the feathers out. Is this normal? He is a young cockerel, maybe 4 months old and was just starting to perfect his cockadoodle-dooing. There isn't a scrap of fat on him...he's all long legs and scrawny body. I then ripped the skin further trying to wrestle the bloomin' crop out. So all in all he looks really unappetising.
Not sure I want to go through all that again.

 

[R2elk]

I've not done this before and wondered if the holey skin where the feathers were, should be so obvious?
I realise now that I should have plucked this young cockerel straight after killing him, but it was late last night so I hung him up and did it this morning.
I read several online things on how to pluck and prepare a chook, but I wonder if I followed the right advise?
Brief background - we have two teenage cockerels out of a hatch from earlier in the year and our chief cockerel attacked one yesterday...the youngster was badly injured on his neck and though I knew they would fight eventually, i didn't expect it quite so soon. I've never killed a hen/cock before and didn't want to cause any further suffering by breaking his neck wrong, so I decapitated him. It was the only thing I could think of that was quick and definite. I had intended to get a lesson from a neighbour prior to this point, but not managed it.
So, following online advice, I plunged the stiff dead bird in boiling water and then proceeded to pluck him. The feathers came out ok, but I did tear the skin round the wings. The skin now looks awful though as you can see in the photo. His whole body is covered in holes where the feathers were, and gooey stuff oozed from the holes as I pulled the feathers out. Is this normal? He is a young cockerel, maybe 4 months old and was just starting to perfect his cockadoodle-dooing. There isn't a scrap of fat on him...he's all long legs and scrawny body. I then ripped the skin further trying to wrestle the bloomin' crop out. So all in all he looks really unappetising.
Not sure I want to go through all that again.

Yes that is what the skin looks like normally after plucking. You don't say so specifically but I get the impression that you left this chicken hang all night with the innards still in it. If that is so, in my opinion you have ruined a good piece of meat and I would not eat it. The insides should be removed as soon after killing as possible for best flavor and to prevent possible contamination of the meat.

 

[aart]

I realise now that I should have plucked this young cockerel straight after killing him, but it was late last night so I hung him up and did it this morning.

Don't think I would eat this bird if it wasn't gutted very soon after killing.

His whole body is covered in holes where the feathers were, and gooey stuff oozed from the holes as I pulled the feathers out. Is this normal?

Yes, normal. Holes are often bigger than grocery birds(or CX meat birds) because they are only 8wks old, so smaller feather shafts.
The gooey stuff is part of the feather follicle, kinda freaked.grossed me out the first time too. I use a non serrated butter knife to scrape out/off follicle goo during final rinse.

The torn skin may be from delay in plucking or temp of water. Boiling water is too hot, will start to cook it. 155-160F is what I use for scald prior to plucking.

Crop is tricky and well attached. I isolate birds night before slaughter with no feed only water, to purge their intestines. I give a tablespoon of scratch 20-30 minutes prior to kill, this makes the crop easier to see and handle for removal.

It all takes some practice.

 

[fishdaughter]

Yes that is what the skin looks like normally after plucking. You don't say so specifically but I get the impression that you left this chicken hang all night with the innards still in it. If that is so, in my opinion you have ruined a good piece of meat and I would not eat it. The insides should be removed as soon after killing as possible for best flavor and to prevent possible contamination of the meat.

Oh no, I didn't know that. The whole thing has been a disaster from start to finish. We'll not eat it then.

 

[fishdaughter]

Don't think I would eat this bird if it wasn't gutted very soon after killing.



Yes, normal. Holes are often bigger than grocery birds(or CX meat birds) because they are only 8wks old, so smaller feather shafts.
The gooey stuff is part of the feather follicle, kinda freaked.grossed me out the first time too. I use a non serrated butter knife to scrape out/off follicle goo during final rinse.

The torn skin may be from delay in plucking or temp of water. Boiling water is too hot, will start to cook it. 155-160F is what I use for scald prior to plucking.

Crop is tricky and well attached. I isolate birds night before slaughter with no feed only water, to purge their intestines. I give a tablespoon of scratch 20-30 minutes prior to kill, this makes the crop easier to see and handle for removal.

It all takes some practice.

I didn't know I should have gutted him immediately. We won't eat him and I'll know for when the next youngster is attacked.
And thanks for all the other advice too. I did try to scrape out the follicles with a butter knife but, yuk! Next time I'll separate the cock from the others and catch him during the day so I can kill, gut and pluck all in one day. It was so late last night by the time my husband got home from work (we did it about 10.30pm) that I thought it'd be ok to leave him til morning.
Would it be better to separate the youngster now and try and fatten him up a bit for a couple of weeks, rather than wait until he's attacked for our older cockerel?

 

[aart]

catch him during the day so I can kill, gut and pluck all in one day.

I 'catch' them at night off the roost and put them in a crate overnight, then slaughter the next morning. Reread my post above.

Would it be better to separate the youngster now and try and fatten him up a bit for a couple of weeks, rather than wait until he's attacked for our older cockerel?

Up to you.
I slaughter extra cockerels at 13-16 weeks, before they start causing chaos(I have nowhere to let them growout way from flock) and while still tender enough to grill for that crispy skinned deliciousness. Not much meat but the grilled bones make for some excellent stock. Anything older than that I pressure cook until meat is done as saved aside then a couple more hours to get that bone broth.

 

[rebrascora]

I've let them sit overnight ungutted on occasion. The digestive tract doesn't suddenly disintegrate and rupture overnight, so I really don't feel like there is a problem eating him still, although you will find the flavour stronger than a store bought chicken (Cornish X). Of course it is important to wash the carcass well after evisceration and do your best not to rupture any of the gut and particularly the gall bladder, but bacteria are not going to suddenly develop overnight and infect the meat. Make sure you cook it thoroughly of course. If you don't like the flavour after you have cooked it, you can always feed it to your dog if you have one or other chickens. The extra protein at this time of year will be a bonus for them, since we are getting into moulting season.

The easiest way to do it is to pick them off the roost at night when they are quiet and sleepy and put them in a cardboard box with some bedding overnight and ventilation holes of course, so that you don't have to chase around trying to catch them during the day. Keep the cardboard box in the dark somewhere so that he is calm until you come to get him to process him. I like the idea of feeding only corn so that the crop is easy to get hold of. Young cockerels at 16+ weeks can be quite sinewy and prizing the crop away from the connective tissue is much harder than in a normal meat bird, so having it full of something that is relatively solid and easy to get hold of is a good idea and you can feed the contents back to the other chickens once you get it out, so no waste.

I agree that boiling water is a little too hot for dipping and will cause the skin to tear more easily. It is all a learning process so don't expect to get it right first time. There are always ways you will find to improve on the previous effort and when you are only processing the odd excess cockerel every once in a while, it takes time to find an ideal system that works for you. Don't be put off. You have done well for your first effort. It does get easier with practice.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[R2elk]

but bacteria are not going to suddenly develop overnight and infect the meat.

"Under optimum conditions, bacteria can grow in as little as 15 minutes"

Microbiological Considerations Related to Poultry Products

Leaving the viscera in a chicken overnight is ideal conditions for bacteria growth. Proper cooking can kill the bacteria but don't fool yourself into thinking they aren't there.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes but there are already bacteria in a chicken, predominantly in the gut, both good and bad. "Optimal conditions" for them to increase are usually body temperature I would have thought, but I accept that at this time of year leaving a bird overnight at room temperature will allow some growth.... the OP does not state whether the carcass was refrigerated after plucking. The bacteria are also usually contained within the gut, so, providing the evisceration is done carefully the next day and the carcass is washed well and cooked well, there should be no problem.
I personally have no problem with it and have done it myself on more than one occasion when I ran out of time.

 

[R2elk]

Yes but there are already bacteria in a chicken, predominantly in the gut, both good and bad. "Optimal conditions" for them to increase are usually body temperature I would have thought, but I accept that at this time of year leaving a bird overnight at room temperature will allow some growth.... the OP does not state whether the carcass was refrigerated after plucking. The bacteria are also usually contained within the gut, so, providing the evisceration is done carefully the next day and the carcass is washed well and cooked well, there should be no problem.
I personally have no problem with it and have done it myself on more than one occasion when I ran out of time.

"Origin of spoilage bacteria
Spoilage bacteria on the carcass immediately after processing come from the feathers and feet of the live bird, the water supply in the processing plant, the chill tanks and processing equipment. These spoilage bacteria are not usually found in the intestines of the live bird. High populations of Acinetobacter (108cfu/g) have been found on the feathers of the bird and may originate from the deep litter. Other spoilage bacteria, such as Cytophaga and Flavobacterium, are often found in chill tanks but are rarely found on carcasses."

Understanding Poultry Spoilage

Proper cooking can kill bacteria but I personally would not eat a dead animal that has been left with its viscera in place overnight if for no other reason than what it does to the flavor of the meat.