UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Jl BULLETIN No. 467 



Contribution from the States Relations Service 

 £OP?'*$mfU A. C. TRUE, Director ^V^^wTi, 



Washington, D. C. PROFESSIONAL PAPER December 29, 1916 



THE FOOD VALUE AND USES OF POULTRY. 1 



By Helen W. Atwater, Scientific Assistant, Office of Home Economics. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction. 1 



Kinds of poultry 2 



Factors which influence table quality 8 



Handling and dressing poultry 10 



Cold-storage poultry - 13 



Marks of good table poultry 16 



Cooking 18 



Potted and canned poultry 19 



Nutritive value of poultry 20 



Cost of poultry 26 



Summary 28 



INTRODUCTION. 



Among the animal products used for human food few have been 

 longer or more widely known than poultry. The kinds of birds 

 included under the term have naturally varied with time and place. 

 Formerly not only game birds but also small animals, such as rab- 

 bits and squirrels, were spoken of as poultry, apparently because 

 they were all sold by one dealer, known as a "poulterer," and" because 

 they played very similar parts in the bill of fare. At present the 

 word is commonly and correctly used in a more limited sense to 

 describe birds bred especially for their eggs, flesh, or feathers. This 

 excludes wild birds, even when they are used for food, and also such 

 birds as peacocks and swans when they are bred simply for ornament. 

 On the other hand, when such birds as pheasants or quail are domes- 

 ticated for table use, or when peafowls and swans are utilized as 

 food, they are properly classed as poultry. 



At present the most important kinds of -poultry in the United 

 States are chickens, turkeys, guinea fowls, pigeons or squabs, ducks, 

 and geese, while peafowls, pheasants, quail, and swans occasionally 



J Prepared under the direction of C. F. Langworthy, Chief, Office of Home Economics. 



Note. — This bulletin brings together general information and summarizes the results of experiments 

 data regarding the food value of poultry and its uses in the home, together with information on the han- 

 dling and care of poultry and similar subjects which will prove of assistance in choosing poultry for the 

 home table. It is believed that the material will prove useful especially to housekeepers, extension workers, 

 teachers, and students of home economics. 

 61289°— Bull. 467— 16 1 



