I'm just not good (yet) at butchering. I did 2 cockerels this morning. I planned on skinning anyway, but as I pulled out feathers the skin was tearing right off the bat. They would have been 20 weeks this Thursday, so 19 weeks and a few days. Both crowing and bothering the girls (why do they pick on the smallest hen who is molting?). I had pulled them last night, so the crop was empty and I had no trouble finding the tubes, but I still had a fight getting them away from the neck. Empty crop, so not a big deal. The problem came when I tried to stick my fingers down into the breast to free up the guts. I couldn't get my fingers in there at all, kept cutting away flesh but it was so tight and slippery. Went to the vent end, cut around the vent an poked fingers in there. Went fine as far as on the breast side, but the back was so tight I just couldn't get anything loose/couldn't get a grip on guts to pull out. I was afraid I'd break the intestines or gall bladder, so just cut along the back and released the breast and legs. So, basically, I pieced the bird out. Any idea why I couldn't get in the cavity? It was so tight, but even then it was so slippery I couldn't get a grip. Not a big deal, really, but I'd eventually like to have a whole bird for roasting.