PREPARATION OF POULTRY PRODUCTS 



323 



There are two principal points to be observed in packing : (i) that 

 the birds be packed solidly, so that they will not shift when the 

 package is handled ; (2) that the package, when opened, present 

 an orderly arrangement and show the goods to advantage. The 

 removal of the cover should show either all breasts, all backs, or all 

 sides, and legs, heads, and wings all in the same relative positions. 



Ice-packed poultry is usually shipped in large barrels. A layer 

 of clean chipped ice is first placed on the bottom of the barrel, 



FIG. 328. Two outside top boxes, standard roaster pack ; top center and bottom 



row, standard broiler pack. (Photograph from the Bureau of Chemistry, United 



States Department of Agriculture) 



then a layer of poultry, packed in a circle with backs up and feet 

 toward the center, the poultry nowhere touching the sides of the 

 barrel ; then a layer of ice and another layer of poultry, and so 

 on until the barrel is full to within six inches of the top, when it 

 is filled with larger pieces of ice and covered with bagging. In 

 very warm weather a large chunk of ice put on top (under the 

 bagging) will add to the safety of the shipment. Poultry thor- 

 oughly cooled before packing, and properly packed and iced, should 

 be safe for two days' shipment by express or for four or five days 



