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 figure 188. 
* Method by Pennington & Betts, U. 8. Department of Agriculture. 
