51 



'bleed, catch the bird's head with the thumb and forefinger just at the juncture of 

 the neck and head or at the ear-lobes, then with the third finger open the 

 chicken's mouth, next insert the knife and put down the throat, practically the 

 length of the blade, turn the knife and cut rather lightly. The bird should bleed 

 freely as this should cut the two large blood vessels just at the end of the neck; 

 following this the knife should be drawn out and inserted in the long opening 

 in the roof of the bird's mouth, and then quickly pushed backward so as to pierce 

 the brain. If the back of the knife is kept on a line at the edge of the bill, the 

 blade will pierce the bxain. One can tell when this is done as the chicken will 

 squak. If the bird does not squak, the brain is not pierced, which means tight 

 feathers or hard picking. 



The chicken should be plucked imm6diately, first removing the long wing 

 feathers, and tail feathers, then each side of the breast, then the legs, and lastly 

 the back. Do not try to pull the feathers either forward or backward but more 

 sideways or at an angle. The rough or coarse feathers should be removed in 

 about three minutes or less, do the work quickly and the feathers come out easily, 

 if slowly done, the process is long and tedious. For instance, remove all the 

 coarse wing feathers of each wing at one handful, also all the tail feathers. To 

 remove pin feathers use a dull round bladed knife, similar to the ordinary paring 

 knife. Be careful not to rub or bark the skin. This may be done by rough 

 handling, or by placing the chicken in contact with coarse clothing, hence do 

 not put the chicken on your lap to pluck it. If you should unfortunately tear 

 the skin, hold the skin at the torn part tightly to the body between your fingers 

 and then carefully remove the feathers near the torn part. Anyone with a little 

 practice can remove the rough feathers in from five to ten minutes. 



The birds should be plucked clean, the mouth wiped of all blood, and the 

 dirt washed from the feet. 



After the chicken has been plucked it should be placed on a shaping board, 

 as seen in Fig. 36. The weight placed on the top of the chicken is used to give 

 it a compact appearance. This weight may be of iron, as seen in the cut, or a 

 brick may be used in its place. 



Many good chickens are spoiled by being packed before they are thoroughly 

 cooled. Care should be taken that all the animal heat is out of the body before 

 the fowls are packed. We always cool the birds at least twelve hours before 

 packing them. 



The chickens are packed in boxes as seen in Fig. 37. The box is lined with 

 parchment paper; and, if the chickens are to be shipped a long distance, each 

 bird is wrapped in paper. This prevents the chickens from bruising each other, 

 and, at the same time, to a considerable extent, checks decomposition. Do not 

 use ordinary wrapping paper, as it draws dampness, and will cause the chickens 

 to become clammy, which makes them more or less unsaleable. 



