414 FATTENING, KILLING, AND DRESSING 
them rapidly in large clusters, without tearing or injuring the 
skin, can only be acquired by learning the principles involved 
and by the constant application of these to the work until the 
knack is acquired. 
The usual custom is to pluck the feathers first from the parts 
of the body which tear the easiest, the order of plucking being 
as follows: Breast, neck, shoulder, and thighs, these small feath- 
ers being tossed into a barrel at the side of the picker; next the 
large wing and tail feathers are removed, and usually thrown on 
the floor and discarded, as they are of little commercial value. 
The small or fluffy feathers are next removed, care being taken 
when plucking not to bruise the skin with the fingers or nails. 
The feathers are grasped between the thumb and forefinger with 
just enough pressure to pull them out. The picker becomes 
accustomed to holding feathers just tight enough to let them slip 
through his fingers before the skin tears. 
After the feathers are removed the bird is said to be “‘ roughed ”’ 
(Fig. 188, #). Next it must be gone over and the pinfeathers 
extracted. This is usually accomplished with a knife, the small 
pins and broken feathers being grasped between the knife blade 
and the thumb, the knife being passed over the skin in a direction 
opposite to that in which the pinfeathers grow. 
In large poultry-picking establishments the work of ‘“ rough- 
ing ” is usually done by one group of pickers, and the ‘“ pinning ” 
by another; thus a larger number can be turned out, for “pinning ” 
takes practically as long as picking, and yet does not require as 
much practice and can be done by cheaper labor. On the average 
farm where one man does all the work, one hundred birds is a 
good, ten-hour day’s work (Fig. 190). 
There are two modes of picking,—standing and lap picking,— 
the former being more generally used. Lap picking is quite com- 
mon in New England; the operator sits beside a box and holds 
the bird in his lap with its head between the box and his right 
leg, the fine feathers being thrown into the box while picking. 
The greatest objection to this method is the danger of bruising 
the bird’s flesh by rubbing its skin against the legs. This can be 
averted by suspending the bird. 
Scalding—This method of plucking fowls is quite generally 
used on farms throughout the country, and especially for retail 
trade. A bird can be very easily and quickly plucked in this way. 
If properly done, it is not injured for immediate consumption. 
