Tips for skinning?

[AinaWGSD]

We processed a cockerel yesterday and since it was only one bird and we were parting him out I decided to try skinning instead of scalding and plucking thinking it would be faster. Well, it being my first time skinning it was decidedly  not faster or, imo, easier. In the time it took me to get one bird skinned and parted i could have plucked and parted two.

It wasn't awful, but the feathers definitely made it more difficult to tell whether my cuts were going through where I wanted them to. And feathers kept sticking to the meat. Any tips or tricks to keep dry feathers under control? Is it just a matter of practicing to get faster about it?

 

[Molpet]

 

[Ridgerunner]

Cockerels can be a problem during puberty. If you pluck them when they are going through a juvenile molt you can get a lot of pin feathers. As they get older they develop connective tissue that attaches the skin to the meat or bones which can make it harder to skin them. I skin mine and have to cut some connective tissue in my older ones.

There is a learning curve whether you pluck or skin. You can get faster with practice. I have not watched Molpet's video but something like that could be a big help. The wings are really hard to skin. I do the bottom two sections but throw the tip away. I often have to cut connective tissue on the back. Before I skin I cut the feet off at the bottom of the drumstick. That makes it easier but that area can still be rough to skin. It helps keep my knife sharp by using poultry shears to cut through joints, cartilage, and bones.

When butchering I have a hose handy and rinse a lot. Keeping my work area clean helps with feather control. Feathers will stick to the meat but I usually don't get that many. They usually rinse off but I have to pick some off. They can stick to that membrane around the meat. Really stick.

I can pluck and part out in the same amount of time I can skin and part out. Set-up, tear-down, and heating the water take extra time. The way I heat water is a fire hazard. The wife prefers then skinned anyway so my choice is easy.