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Scalding Chickens or other Edible Birds
I prefer a Turkey Fryer, filled ¾ full of hot tap water, w/propane burner underneath. This aids in bringing the water up to our temperature of 145-150 degrees Fahrenheit. A small amount of dish soap may be added.
After killing/bleeding………Heating water…We grab one or two chickens by the feet, dunking the birds until fully immersed----agitate for about 3 seconds before removing from the water and then we will repeat this 2 more times. Now, pull on ONE large,wing or tail feather and when we can pull this feather from our bird, with NO RESISTANCE, the scald will be done! These procedures, dip, agitate, remove, will probably have to be done 2-3 times (aprox 1 min) for chickens, more for old birds and Turkeys ( up to 3 min.) less for thin skinned upland game birds. If the wing feather pulls hard, more time in the scald. If the skin looks cooked or tears, LESS time in the water.
This technique works on ALMOST all birds, from Turkeys, Chickens, Muscovy ducks, Pigeons, Pheasants and even Ruffed Grouse. We must experiment with various scald times as no two birds are the same!!