SUCCESSFUL POULTRY KEEFirsiG 



Duck picking is a more tedious process but experienced 

 dry pickers are able to earn a comfortable income. The aver- 

 age price paid is 7 cents per duck, and a good picker can finish 

 from 40 to 60 ducks per day. In the August Reliable Potjltry 

 Journal we called attention to the fact that on one of the large 

 eastern duck ranches the pickers were earning from $2.80 

 to $4.20 per day. As all of this work is piece-work a skilled 

 workman can usually earn very satisfactory pay, all depending 

 on his ability. 



LEARN TO DRY PICK-IT PAYS 



Dry picked poultry is becoming more and more in demand 

 in the western markets and as the call for high-grade poultry 

 increases and the market poultry industry develops in this 

 section, there will be greater opportunities for earning good 

 pay in this line of work. The enterprising young man with a 

 liking for poultry work will soon begin to take up dry .picking 

 and he will be among the first to reap the benefits. 



In the opinion of the writer the dry picked fowl when 

 dressed by an expert, presents by far the most attractive appear- 

 ance, and if we are to believe the testimony of many epicures 

 and reliable housekeepers, dry picked birds are much more to 

 be desired as a table delicacy than the scalded product. Some 

 may consider this difference an imaginary one but it is only 

 pecessary to compare the expertly dressed dry picked carcass 

 with the scalded, parboiled, or partially cooked unattractive 

 ones to acquire a decided preference for the dry picked article. 



Aside from this the dry picked bird will keep better, reach 

 market in better condition, and none of its naturally fine flavor 

 has been injured by contact with hot water, usually dirty and 

 often decidedly repulsive. Even when the scalding is done 

 by an expert the practice is an objectionable one and results 

 seldom justify the means employed. 



Dry picking is a comparatively simple matter, easily learned, 

 and once the operator has acquired a little practice, there is 

 no more need of tearing the bird during dry picking than there 

 is after the carcass has been skillfully scalded. 



HOW TO KILL AND DRY PICK 



Experienced dry pickers claim that the only trick in getting 

 the feathers to come out easily is in the method of sticking. 

 If the bird is killed properly the feathers will come out easily 

 without tearing the skin. If the killing. or sticking is not done 

 as it should be or if the bird is choked too much the feathers 

 may cling as if they were clinched, and it will be practically 

 impossible to get them out without tearing the skin. 



Nearly every experienced picker has his own particular 

 method of killing and dressing. Along the south shore in 

 Massachusetts the pickers for the most part prefer to sit while 

 working and hold the birds in their laps. It is a practice of some 

 to stick the bird through the throat immediately beneath the 

 angle of the lower jaw or mandible, then give the bird a sharp 

 blow on the back of the head with a blunt stick or billy, the 

 shock of the blow resulting in a nervous spasm that loosens the 

 feathers. The most expert, however, have discarded this 

 method for the nicer operation of sticking the bird through 

 the mouth, allowing the knife point to penetrate the base of 

 the brain, accomplishing the same result in loosening the feathers 

 in a much more satisfactory manner. The writer learned the 

 New Jersey method of dry |;ii'king and much prefers it to all 

 others, and will endeavor to describe this method of killing and 

 dressing in detail. 



When learning to dry pick the beginner will get much 

 more satisfactory results if he will practice on adult fowls until 

 he acquires the knack of it. Select adult birds that are well 

 feathered and practically free from pinfeathers, and the opera- 



tion will be a comparatively simple matter. After one or two 

 trials the beginner should be able to remove all of the feathers 

 in a few rapid movements of the hands. 



Make preparations for dressing the birds by having every 

 thing as convenient as possible. Provide two barrels placed 

 against the wall of the room or building in which you intend 

 to operate, one for blood and waste feathers and the other for 

 the feathers which are to be saved. Have a good sharp knife 

 with a medium-sized blade; an ordinary pocket knife will answer. 

 The chickens to be killed should be placed in coops within 

 easy reach of the picker. The operator should roll up his sleeves 

 and put on a large apron. We prefer to use a bran sack tied 

 across the breast, just beneath the arms and again arovmd the 

 waist. This covers the clothing and is thick enough to afford 

 ample protection from blood /that may be spattered. A soft 

 cap should be worn to keep the feathers out of the hair. 



Drive a nail in the wall above the center of the barrel in- 

 tended for blood and waste feathers at a point a little higher 

 than the head of the picker. Provide a loop of stout cord from 

 6 to 10 inches long and fasten this to the nail. Make a noose 

 in the lower end of this cord to be slipped over the fowl's feet 

 to hold it firmly by the legs. When the fowl's legs are secured 

 in this noose the bird should hang close to the wall with its head 

 on a line with the operator's left arm when held in a horizontal 

 position with the elbow against the side of the body. This 

 position will be found to be the most convenient. If the bird 

 is hung either too high or too low it will be awkwar4 to handle. 

 After a few trials the picker will be able to judge exactly 

 what point is the most convenient for him to hang the birds 

 and the exact length of the cord he should use. Do not hang 

 the bird from a beam or pole in the center of the room where 

 it can swing both ways, and do not hang the bird in a similar 

 position fixing a weight to the upper mandible to hold it steady. 

 Such practice makes the operation an awkward one and pre- 

 vents getting the best results. 



With the bird hanging against the wall in the proper posi- 

 tion as described above it cannot get out of reach should it 

 struggle and slip from the hand, and it is always under control. 

 The picker should stand facing the wall with his knees braced 

 against the barrels. This gives him a purchase so that the bird 

 may be held firmly when it struggles. 



The killing knife may be stuck into the wall or placed on 

 a shelf near by. Some pickers prefer to have it tied to a cord 

 fastened about the waist. 



STICKING 



Grasp the neck of the fowl with the thumb and forefinger 

 of the left hand. Draw the hand gently downward until it 

 strikes the angle of the jaw forcing the fowl's mouth open, but 

 be careful not to choke it. Hold the mouth firmly open with the 

 third finger. Introduce the knife into the throat and with a 

 few quck motions of the knife up and down sever the large 

 arteries at the side of the neck just below the ear, so that the 

 bird bleeds freely. Now hold the knife at an angle with the 

 bird's bill pointing toward the back part of the roof of the 

 mouth in a line with the eye. With a rapid movement drive 

 the knife through the roof of the mouth into the base_ of the 

 bird's brain and give a quick half turn of the blade. This causes 

 paralysis, renders the bird insensible, practically kills it, and a 

 quick sudden shudder will pass through the fowl indicating 

 that th? feathers have loosened. ' 



Adult birds should be stuck much more heavily than 

 squab broilers or broilers. As a rule with small chickens the 

 twisting in motion of the knife should be very slight. If the 

 sticking is too heavy or too light the feathers will not loosen 

 properly. It is,, howevei-, a very simple matter and easily 

 acquired with a httle practice. 



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