CHAPTER VI. 

 KILLING AND SHAPING. 



The common method of killing fowls is by dislocation 

 of the neck, and there can be no question that in the 

 hands of an expert operator this plan is most expe- 

 ditious, and with a very minimum of pain to the victim. 

 It is not easy to follow the method from a printed 

 description, and I should recommend all who intend 

 adopting it to learn the actual operation from an expert 

 poulterer, as it is undesirable to make experiments 

 even with dumb animals. However, as a guide to 

 those who may not have this opportunity, I give a 

 description of the process. The bird should be held 

 firmly by the legs in the left hand, the head in the 

 right between two of the fingers back of the skull, 

 the back of the bird upwards. The legs are then 

 pressed against the left hip, and the head laid 

 against the right thigh near the knee. Next the 

 fowl should be rapidly and firmly extended or drawn, 

 and at the same time the head is suddenly bent back- 



