MARKETING 



feathers of the white variety do not mature or ripen so 

 early. 



The usual procedure in a turkey killing plant is to put 

 15 or 20 turkeys in a cage for a picker to draw his birds 

 from. The picker selects a bird, takes it out of the cage, 

 hangs it up by the feet by means of a cord, then proceeds 

 to bleed and stick. Often two cords are used for hanging 

 up the bird, a cord being placed about each foot. Instead 

 of cords wire shackles are also made, having a place in 

 which each foot can be easily slipped. The use of such a 

 shackle saves time and also holds the legs in such a posi- 

 tion as to make picking easier. The bleeding is accom- 

 plished by cutting the veins in the throat just at the rear 

 edge of the skull. A cut properly made at this point will 

 result in free bleeding. The picker then sticks the bird, 

 that is, plunges the knife through the roof of the mouth 

 to a point between and a little back of the eyes, or this 

 same point may be reached by a stick from the outside 

 starting the point of the knife just under the eye. A very 

 good knife for this purpose is one made from a single flat 

 piece of steel about 1/16 inch thick, with a handle 5 inches 

 inches long and J4 inch wide. The blade should be 2^/2 

 inches long and J4 inch wide, ground to a point and 

 sharpened to a straight cutting edge on the inner side. 

 For best results this knife must be kept very sharp. When 

 the knife reaches the brain which is the object of the stick, 

 the picker usually turns it somewhat, which causes a con- 

 vulsion of the muscles. If the stick is good in this re- 

 spect the feathers will then come out easily. As soon as 



III 



