MARKET POULTRY AND EGGS 



BEGINNING TO PICK 



As soon as the fowl is stuck the operator should begin at 

 once to remove the feathers, taking them off as rapidly as pos- 

 sible. Grasp the wings with the thumb and first two fingers 

 of the left hand, holding the neck of the bird between the third 

 and little finger, stretching the body a little downward without 

 choking the bird so as to keep the noose and string taut. This 

 gives the operator full control of the bird so that he can hold 

 it firmly. Next with two or three quick motions with the right 

 hand remove the large stiff wing feathers; also the stiff feathers 

 at the shoulder joints. In removing the large wing feathers 

 they should be grasped with the extended fingers of the right 

 hand and pulled out with a quick downward movement. The 

 stiff feathers at the shoulder joints are pulled upward. 



Now grasp with the right hand the tail feathers and re- 

 move them all with one quick twisting motion. Pass the right 

 hand rapidly down the back from the rump to the neck, remov- 

 ing aU the feathers with the thumb and forefinger pulling them 

 downward. The bird should then be shifted to the right hand 

 and the left hand used to pick the soft feathers of the abdomen. 

 These can all nearly be removed at one time by grasping a hand- 

 ful of them in the left hand and making a qviick turn of the 

 wrist throwing the thumb outward. 



Next remove all the feathers from the sides of the breast 

 pulling towards the fowl's back and a little downward on each 

 side. Remove the balance of the feathers on the breast with 

 a downward motion. If the sticking has been properly done 

 these feathers will all come out easily without any danger of 

 tearing; in fact, in adult birds they seem almost to fall out. 

 Again transfer the bird to the left hand grasping it firmly by 

 the head and quickly strip the feathers from the neck with the 

 thumb and finger of the right hand, pulling them a little down- 

 ward. The feathers on the wings and thighs may be easily 

 removed with the thumb and forefinger of either hand. It 

 only requires a quick eye and a little practice to become an 

 expert picker in a short time. It will surprise the beginner 

 to see how rapidly and how easily birds can be dry picked by 

 following this plan. Good pickers will often have half a dozen 

 birds stripped or rough picked before the first bird is done flut- 

 tering. 



Some years ago the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty 

 to Animals investigated this method of picking in the state 

 of New Jersey, and after going carefully into the subject and 

 witnessing the operation performed by "a number of expert 

 pickers the society's agents were satisfied that there is no more 

 cruelty in this method of killing than in any other; and that 

 the suffering on the part of the bird is reduced to a minimum. 

 It is doubtful if the bird experiences any considerable amount 

 of pain, since the cutting of the large arteries is so quickly done 

 that it could scarcely be felt and when rapidly followed by the 

 sticking into the brain the bird becomes at once insensible to 

 pain. Sticking through the side of the neck and clubbing on 

 the head with a piece of wood is much more brutal and by no 

 means as satisfactory as the method we have described. 



REMOVING THE PINFEATHERS 



The pinfeatherer will find it more convenient to hold the 

 bird in the lap and should be seated on a stool or box conven- 

 ient to the rough picker, or if the picker is to do the finishing 

 as well as the roughing, he should remove the bird from the 

 noose, seat himself in a chair and finish the bird in this position. 

 All long hairs and pinfeathers should be removed by the aid 

 of the fingers and a blunt knife. The picker usually begins 

 at the rump, cleans every thing along the back to the neck, 

 then goes over the breat and abdomen, the wings next, and last 

 the thighs, carefully cleaning up the whole fowl so that the 



carcass is free from pinfeathers and looks clean and attractive. 

 If there are any large tears in the skin these are cleansed and 

 sewed up by the pinfeatherer. 



In pinfeathering a blunt half-bladed case knife will be 

 found the most convenient to use. Should the crop be full the 

 skin at the back of the neck is spUt and the crop worked out 

 through the opening and removed. As soon as the birds are 

 finished they should be thrown into cold water to cool. After 

 all animal heat has left the body they are taken out, the heads 

 and mouths thoroughly cleaned, the feet and legs scrubbed 

 with a brush to remove all dirt, and the carcasses hung up on 

 racks to dry. On some plants it is customary to have two 

 cooling baths, one simply of cold water to remove the first heat 

 from the carcass, and another, containing water and chunks of 

 ice, into which the birds are afterwards thrown to remain during 

 the hot weather, until it is time to ship them to market, and in 

 cold weather until all the animal heat has left the body when they 

 are taken out and hung up to dry. 



DRY PICKING DUCKS 



Dry picking ducks is a much less simple matter and re- 

 quires more skill and patience. A good-sized shoe knife with 

 a half square end made as sharp as a razor is used for sticking 

 in a very similar manner to that described above for chickens. 

 After sticking, the duck is then given a sharp blow on the base 

 of the skuU with a round piece of hard wood similar to the police- 

 man's short billy. The bird is held in the lap, its neck between 

 the knees, and legs and wings firmly grasped in the left hand 

 and the feathers quickly removed with the right hand, with a 

 sharp movement from the tail toward the head. In some of 

 the more tender parts the pulling is done in an opposite direc- 

 tion, or toward the tail. 



After the coarse feathers and larger pinfeathers are re- 

 moved the carcass is rubbed over with a little water and shaved 

 with a sharp shoe knife having a concave edge. As stated 

 above the requirements in dressed poultry differ with the various 

 markets. 



BOSTON, PROVIDENCE, NEW YORK AND PHILADELPHIA 

 MARKETS 



There is very little difference in the demand of the eastern 

 markets, Boston, Mass., Providence, R. I., New York, N. Y., 

 and Philadelphia, Pa. Here dry picked poultry is always at 

 a premium. Beginning with the new year there is an ever 

 increasing demand for good-sized soft roasting chickens. Weights 

 most in demand are those which will dress approximately 10 

 pounds to the pair. Plump, soft-meated, quick-grown, yellow 

 skinned stock are in the greatest demand. Late-hatched 

 chickens suitable for broilers and weighing from 3 to 4J pounds 

 per pair will also command good prices early in January. By 

 the middle of January squab broilers or individual chickens that 

 dress about 12 ounces to one pound each, are in good demand 

 and usually command good prices from the middle of January 

 to the first of May. Soft roasters bring the best prices between 

 June 1st and July 15th. The lowest prices for roasting chickens 

 prevail between October 1st and November 1st. Broilers com- 

 mand the highest prices between the middle of April and the 

 middle of June; the lowest prices during August and September. 

 Ducks bring the best' prices from May 1st to June 1st and the 

 lowest prices during July and August. Fowls as a rule bring 

 good prices throughout the year, but lowest prices prevail 

 during the latter part of the summer. 



Poultry for these large eastern markets should be starved 

 for, 12 to 24 hours before killing so that the crop and entrails 

 will be empty. They are sold with the heads on and entrails 

 in. If the crop contains food it must be removed. For Boston, 

 Providence, New York, or Philadelphia all poultry should be 



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