410 FATTENING, KILLING, AND DRESSING 



later of putrefaction, is soon perceptible, and in every way the 

 product is more perishable. 



There are three distinct methods of killing poultry, — dis- 

 locating the neck, sticking and beheading. 



Dislocation. — Neck dislocation is not very common except 

 in the case of squabs. It consists in holding the bird's head just 

 back of the jawbone, with the right hand, while the left grasps 

 the body at the shoulders; the neck is bent on the back and twisted 

 or turned about three-quarters of the way around, then extended 

 quickly and with considerable force. This quick rotary movement 

 dislocates the upper vertebra at the base of the skull, rupturing 

 the spinal column and causing instant death. The advantage 

 of this method is its rapidity and cleanliness, but an objection 

 to its general adoption is the fact that it does not permit free 

 bleeding, and this is necessary to produce a well-dressed specimen 

 which will keep a long time. 



Sticking. — The method known as sticking consists in the 

 severing of the arteries of the neck through the mouth, making 

 no outside cut whatsoever. When the feathers are to be removed 

 by scalding, the bird is merely bled to death ; but if dry picking is 

 to be done, there are two procedures, — namely, the severing of an 

 artery in the neck to cause bleeding and the sticking of the brain 

 to paralyze the muscles of the feathers (Fig. 188). 



The process of sticking can be briefly described as follows:* 



1. When ready to kill, grasp the bird by the bony prominence 

 of the skull just back of the angles of the jaw, being careful not 

 to let the fingers touch the neck, as this might cause pressure 

 upon the artery and check the free flow of blood. 



2. Make a cut with a small, sharp-pointed knife on the right side 

 of the roof of the mouth where the bones of the skull terminate. 



3. Brain for dry picking by forcing the knife through the 

 groove which runs along the median line of the roof of the mouth 

 until it touches the skull midway between the eyes. The point of 

 the blade should then be moved backward and forward to rupture 

 the nerve tissue, thus paralyzing the bird, yet not causing instan- 

 taneous death. This latter operation is sometimes performed by 

 thrusting the knife under the eye at such an angle that the point 

 will touch the skull in the same place, — midway between the eyes. 

 The outside cut, however, disfigures the bird, and is no better 

 than the inside thrust. The position of hands and knife are shown 

 in figur e 188. 



* Method by Pennington & Betts, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



