Wet feather smell

[kanew]

I processed a couple of cockerels last september at around 18 weeks. They weren't meat birds and just came from a broody hatching.
Usually when I process, i let the bird rest in the fridge for almost a week before either eating or freezing and it seems to work pretty well.
But this time there was a problem with the fridge and I kept them in a cooler with ice/water for a day, maybe 2. I figured if they can last a week in a fridge, then a couple of days in a cooler with ice shouldnt be a problem.
After that I bagged them and they went straight into the freezer.

Yesterday I came to stew them and make some stock. During the stewing there was a really strong smell, the same smell when youre scalding the feathers off.
I made a broth and this same smell made it through into the stock and the meat. It really was almost unpalletable.
I'm assuming there was nothing wrong with the meat (no food poisoning).

Has anyone else had anything similar? Could it be just because I left it in the ice water so long, the smell of the wet skin/feathers absorbed into the meat?

I have a few more cockerels that are ready for processing and I'm worried about it happening again.

 

[Molpet]

I have had cleaned birds in ice for a few days and never had an issue.
Could try brining them a day or two before cooking

 

[Ridgerunner]

Could it be just because I left it in the ice water so long, the smell of the wet skin/feathers absorbed into the meat?

If they still had the feathers on while they were soaking I'd think it likely. If he feathers were gone I don't know what might have caused that.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I've also never experienced that with birds I've processed, though I'm quite familiar with the wet feather smell during scalding/plucking. Distinctive. I bag and freeze immediately after processing.

Was there anything you did differently with this group (feed?), other than storing in the cooler? I'm also wondering if restricted airflow in the cooler could have concentrated an odor that would otherwise have dissipated.