You should be able to remove that layer on top and still eat the cheese.
There can be several reasons for feta you mentioned. If the cheese cubes soften and form a slimy outer layer after you add them to the brine, then you need to add calcium chloride to the brine.
I use raw cow's milk for my cheese, and sometimes in these summer months I don't get the same coagulation as other times. A bit of calcium chloride added to the milk fixes this.
If you get good coagulation but the cubes are softer than you want, then your acid development is insufficient. There are many ways to address this. Without knowing your recipe, it is difficult to know the appropriate fix.
The salt % in the brine also plays into this. If you don't have enough salt, not enough moisture will be pulled from the outside of the cubes.