18 STUDIES OF POULTRY. 



show a progressive rise as one goes from floor to ceiling or a decided 

 increase in the immediate vicinity of freshly killed poultry. Hence 

 it is desirable to place a number of fans near the floor with their 

 blades so set that the current shall be driven upward, thereby re- 

 placing the warm air which collects at the upper part of the room 

 by the cooler air from the floor. 



TIME REQUIRED FOR CHILLING. 



In practical work twenty- four hours are generally required to 

 remove the heat from the entire body of an undrawn fowl of ordinary 

 size. The fact that it is removed is determined by inserting a ther- 

 mometer through the vent and up the intestine as far as it will easily 

 go, waiting a few minutes until the mercury shall have fallen, and 

 then noting the temperature at which the column stands. If this test 

 is applied to the largest fowl in the most unfavorable part of the 

 room, as, for example, near the door or on the topmost layer of the 

 rack, and the temperature of the body cavity is found satisfactory, 

 it can safely be assumed that smaller, better-placed birds are also 

 chilled. 



CHILLING FOR LONG OR SHORT HAULS. 



It is scarcely practicable to assert that the animal heat of a chicken 

 is not removed until it has been cooled to a certain fixed temperature, 

 because the thoroughness with which the fowl should be chilled de- 

 pends largely on its destiny. If the poultry is to be consumed in the 

 immediate neighborhood of the packing house, and if the time before 

 consumption is to be a matter of a few days only, a temperature 

 between 35 and 40 F. (2 and 4 C.) will generally carry the goods 

 through the market in fair order, providing, of course, the middle- 

 men are equipped with adequate refrigeration, a subject which will 

 be discussed further on in this paper. If, however, the chickens are 

 to be transported for long distances or to a market where delays may 

 occur, the initial chilling must be more thorough and the body tem- 

 perature of such fowls should not exceed 32 F. (0 C.) when they 

 are packed. 



The final chill-room temperature, too, is influenced by the tempera- 

 ture of the refrigerator car if the poultry is to be so shipped. It is 

 impossible, in refrigerator cars which are ordinarily cooled by ice, or 

 salt and ice, to maintain a temperature as low as that of mechanically 

 cooled chill rooms. If, therefore, poultry be loaded at a temperature 

 much below that of the chilled car, it will sweat in transit, and reach 

 its destination in less desirable condition than if it had left the chill 

 room a few degrees warmer. This question will be discussed further 

 when transportation is considered. 



[Cir. 64] 



