their slaughter than large plants in other areas. Very small units in all 

 areas are likely to eviscerate a higher percentage of their volume than small 

 or medium-sized plants. Where slaughter of fowl is particularly important, 

 as in very small to medium-sized plants in central Maine, Massachusetts, and 

 in all plants in southeastern New Hampshire, the proportion eviscerated is 

 significantly lower than where broiler and fryers and heavy young chickens 

 are of major importance. 



Conclusions reached by classifying slaughtering plant data according to 

 unit size, are roughly paralleled by grouping data from separate .eviscerating 

 operations by unit size. The 16 smallest units accounted for 6 percent of the 

 volume, the 5 units in the middle group for 20 percent, and the 3 largest 

 units for 74 percent. Broilers and fryers tended to increase in importance 

 with plant size; other classes combined, to decrease. 



Market Classes Slaughtered 



Areas 2 and 5 combined accounted for almost 70 percent of the aggre- 

 gate slaughter of broilers and fryers in the six areas studied. Area 2 ac- 

 counted for almost half of the heavy young chickens. Area 3 accounted for 

 a third, and Areas 2, 4, and 5 for 17-20 percent each of the fowl and 

 roosters slaughtered. 



Broilers and fryers were the major market class slaughtered in all areas 

 except 1 and 3. In Area 1 slaughter of broilers and fryers was negligible 

 with fowl and roosters the main class at 76 percent of the slaughter. 

 Jn Area 3, also, fowl and roosters were the main class, accounting for 49 

 percent of the slaughter; broilers and fryers were of second importance at 

 40 percent. About 80 percent of slaughter in Areas 2 and 5 consisted of 

 broilers and fryers, with heavy young chickens second in importance (at 

 14 percent) in Area 2 and fowl and roosters (at 14 percent) in Area 5. 

 Fowl and roosters were also relatively more important than heavy young 

 chickens in Area 4. 



On the average, almost 30 percent of the slaughter of smaller units con- 

 sists of heavy birds, such as fowl, roosters, roasters, caponettes, capons, and 

 pullets. Through such concentration, smaller plants are able to offset in 

 part through poundage the advantage of larger plants with respect to the 

 number of head handled per man hour. Except in areas where market and 

 hatching egg production are the major poultry enterprises, medium-sized 

 and large plants tend to specialize on broilers and fryers. Many larger 

 plants do not want fowl and related classes of poultry. They frequently con- 

 fine slaughter of such poultry to their own supply flocks, working these 

 in one day a week, and are inclined to discount prices on additional offerings. 



The proportion of slaughter of broilers and fryers increased with plant 

 size, and the proportion of heavy young chickens declined. Slaughter of 

 fowl and roosters constituted a substantially larger share of the slaughter 

 of very small, small, and medium-sized plants than was true for large plants. 



The major item slaughtered by very small units in Areas 1 and 2 was 

 fowl and roosters; heavy young chickens in Areas 4, 5, and 6; broilers and 

 fryers in Area 3. Small units slaughtered relatively more fowl and roosters 

 than other classes in Areas 2 and 3; heavy young chickens in Area 4; and 

 broilers and fryers in Area 6. Broilers and fryers were the major class 

 slaughtered by medium-sized and by large plants in all areas except 3. In 

 Area 3, in total, fowl were of equal importance with broilers and fryers, 

 though each was the major item for certain plants. 



23 



