Coleman organic chickens... your experience?

If the third time is the charm, I'm -- well -- not charmed.

I frequently buy the two pack of organic chickens (Coleman brand) at Costco, but I've encountered some issues that have me rethinking this particular brand and I'm wondering if it is just me. Probably over a year ago, I noticed that one of the chickens had quite a few feather nubs still on it, which I plucked out with kitchen tweezers. I didn't like this much, but rather than being an exception, it seems that everytime I buy one of these chickens, some additional plucking is required. Then, a couple of weeks ago, one of the chickens had blue (like blue ink) all over it. I'm sure this is some residue from the processing, but really -- why is there blue ink on any chicken, let alone an organic one (was the ink organic?)? Today, however, was the last straw. The chicken didn't have a few nubs, it had several (more than 20) feather shafts, some almost two inches long! This seems like just too much to me. Third strike -- they are out. But is it only me? Does anyone else buy this type of chicken and, if so, what is your experience?

Posted by: SeaJambon
January 27, 2015

15910 views
17 Comments

17 Comments

Jellybean February 29, 2020

I don't understand the negative reviews, unless it's a matter of location. I'm in Colorado, and I have purchased these chickens as recently as a month ago. They are still delicious, clean and fresh, and have not changed since the company changed hands. I don't believe they were ever air-chilled. If you want to buy air-chilled chicken, you will have to spend a LOT more money.

Butterfly February 28, 2020

I used to buy Coleman at Costco while they still carried it. On occasion I found feather nubs, but what upset me even more at times blood spots on thighs or drumsticks. Once the entire breast area was total bruised bloody mess. To their credit the customer service had reimbursed me. The taste was always great.. that is up until now. I purchased drumsticks package from my supermarket and the taste was absolutely horrible-in spite of highly seasoned my baked chicken tasted almost raw and while the meat was completely cooked the area next to bones and bones themselves were Bloody! VERY DISSAPOINTED!!!

LeBec F. February 21, 2019

jbean, what a hot ticket are you! an articulate/well-worded/to-the-point answer. i will follow suit; and thx so much to all you helpful 52ers.

Sasha February 21, 2019

I just don't trust Perdue and will not knowingly purchase any food product supplied by them. In addition I think it is sneaky for Costco not to say anything about these changes, there should have been some indication on the label but that's just my opinion.

Jellybean February 21, 2019

There are many companies I don't trust. Multitudes of them have bought out other brands, and it's almost never listed on the label. If you're against a specific company or brand, you have to do a LOT of research and give up a lot of products to avoid them. I try my best, but I have my limits.

So far, I still find the Coleman chickens are very good. I don't get the same tasty results from other brands or from any non-organic ones.

Jackie F. June 3, 2019

I just bought the 2 whole organic chickens (Coleman) and roasted one of them... it tastes terrible!! Could they be re-freezing them? or is it what they are feeding them? I do not know, but I am taking them back. The price was amazing, $1.99 per pound, but the taste is not worth a penny. Love to know if it's just me, or????

Nick February 20, 2019

I get the boneless skinless breasts from Costco. I start noticing they are mixing the organic chickens with non organic chicken in each package. The texture, size, and color clearly states that one piece out of two in each package is not organic. They are charging customers for organic???

Jellybean February 21, 2019

What??? Nick, are you saying you *know* half the parts are not organic just by looking at them??? Even though the package says they're organic? Your comment sounds libelous to me. I can tell just by reading it!

Sasha February 12, 2019

I too have been purchasing boneless skinless chicken breasts from costco and recently noticed that they are no longer air chilled. This is a huge change and I don't like it.

Jellybean September 6, 2018

I've been buying Coleman organic whole chickens at Costco (Colorado) for several years (2016-18), and not only have they been pretty clean, they are tastier than any others! Every chicken will have a few "nubs." If you're not satisfied for any reason at all, Costco will always give you a refund.

mainecook61 January 28, 2015

Some feather nubs? What could possibly be the harm? I'm used to them because we raise our own chickens. We don't slaughter them, though; at the abattoir, after a dip in scalding water, they go through a plucking machine with mechanical rubber fingers that "pluck" the chicken. It's inevitable that some feather nubs remain. In fact, I'm sure I've missed some in prepping a chicken and hence eaten them (and lived to tell the tale). In the days before mass-produced chicken, no one would have clucked (sorry) over this situation, which is not a sanitary issue but a cosmetic one.

Pegeen January 28, 2015

Be sure to let a manager at Costco know. Everyone I know has found them very responsive to food quality issues.

Liza's K. January 28, 2015

It's pretty common to find feathers still attached when you buy a chicken, especially organic ones. Chickens don't come cleaned, you have to clean them yourself (especially the inside). At factory farms, the feathers are removed by putting the chickens in scalding hot water after they are killed. It's not a lovely process to think about, but it's how it's done, and it's not a perfect process. I'll admit blue ink is odd and I would have returned that chicken - but the feathers, I would think anything of.

LeBec F. January 28, 2015

My Love does the shopping and he LOVES these chickens. I find them delicious as well. We have not had feather or any other defect issues.He buys them when our local Market Basket (MA) has them which is not always. Maybe because costco is such a huge account, less than perfect/defect birds are more frequent, given the quantity purchased (or maybe there's even a wholsaler category like that, which enables costco's low pricing.....)

You can't see the feather shafts through the packaging? Try buying the same brand elsewhere?

Bevi January 27, 2015

You can buy the Coleman whole chickens, the thighs, and the breasts in my Costco region. But I have listened in on conversations about the effect that the buyout would have on the *new* Coleman's products.

HalfPint January 27, 2015

I use to get the boneless skinless thighs & breasts from Costco. Never had a problem. Then some time last year, Costco stopped carrying Coleman's chicken, which now makes sense from Bevi's post about Coleman's purchase by Perdue. Oh well...

Bevi January 27, 2015

Coleman's was recently bought by Perdue. Your experiences may be an attendant result of this transaction. Here is an interesting doc from the Dept. of Justice and another general FYI. http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/press_releases/2011/270591.htm
http://www.perduefarms.com/Our_Company/Perdue_Foods/

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