SUqCESS WITH POULTRY 



83 



Dry Picking. 



Dry picking of poultry makes a neat looking product, 

 but it takes more time. , The ■ success of dry picking ide- 

 pends largely on the stick. This c^jin only be learjjed by' 

 practice, and the practice must be with live fowls. If pos- 

 sible, one should see the operation performed by a skilled 

 man. Hang, the fowl by the feet, with a looped cord, so 

 that it will bleed freely. Hold' the head in the left hand, 

 comb downward. Open the bill until you can see the slit 

 in the roof of the- mouth. Insert the blade of a knife in 

 the slit and thrust it backward toward a point directly back 

 of the eye. As soon as the brain is hit the knife should 

 be twisted half way round, and, as it is withdrawn, should 

 cut the' arteries across the roof of the mouth. 



When the brain is hit there ^iH be a convulsive strug- 

 gle, or "squawk." The stick will not be successful until 

 the convulsions or "squawk" is produced., Picking should 

 begin immediately with both hands, pulling the body feath- 

 ers first, then the wing and tail feathers, hold- 

 ing the fowl with one hand and pulling the feath- 

 ers, with the other. As soon as the fowl is rough picked the 

 pin feathering and finishing can be done more quickly with 

 both hands'. Special care must be taken in pulling the strip 

 along the breast to avoid tearing. 



As soon as picked they should be plunged into ice-water 

 to chill them through. The operation contracts the skin 

 and gives them a smoother and plumper appearance. The 

 chilling is necessary if they are to be shipped long distances 

 with safety. If the' market requires poultry to be drawn, 

 it should be done before chilling. A slit should be made 

 extending from the end of the keel bone toward the vent, 

 enough to admit the fingers. Then carefully cut around 

 th« vent and draw out the intestine. Insert the fingers and 

 detach and draw the the gizzard, heart, liver, etc. ,By cut- 

 ting the gullet and windpipe at the throat 'the crop can 

 usually be withdrawn without making a slit jn the breast. 

 After thoroughly rinsing the inside of the body, the "gib- 

 lets" should be placed inside. The £owl should then be 



chilled. 



The Scalding Process of Picking. 



Picking chickens by the scalding process takes less 

 time, but does "not produce as satisfactory results. Success 

 in scalding chickens depends upon the temperature of the 

 water, the time the fowl is immersed and the care with whi.ch 

 the feathers are removed. The water should be just belpw 

 the boiling point. The fowl should be immersed and quick- 

 ly withdrawn and dnim.ersed again, in order that the hot 

 .water may penetrate , through the feathers to the skin. 



If the fowl is to be sold with harad and feet on, care 

 should be taken that these parts are not allowed to touch 

 the water. Scalding will destroy the natural color. The 

 body should be immersed until the feathers "loosen" up, 

 which indicates that the akin is contracted by the heat an'I 

 that the feathers can be easily removed. Pick rapidly, but 

 carefully. If the water is too hot, or the fowl is left in 

 too long, the skin may become cooked. If the water is 

 too eool, the tender surfaces will peel, making dark, un- 

 sightly patches; the feathers will stisk and the skin will be 

 torn. 



After picking the chickens they should be dipped in 

 the hot water for a tevi seconds, and then in cold water. 

 By this treatment they will keep longer than they will if 

 scalded in water of a low temperature. "When the picking 

 is completed the wings should be folded behind the back 

 and then immersed in cold water. "When thoroughly chilled 

 they should be laid on boards and hung up in a cool place 

 to dry, unless they are to be shipped long distances, in which 



case they should be packed in ice in layers separated by 

 clean' rye straw. In packing, they should be laid in neat 

 boxes side by. side, backs downward, and the order reversed 

 with , eacih layer, eo that: they will be pressed in solid and 

 retain the natural position. 



Careful Grading of Poultry Pays. 



All poultry should be carefully assorted . according to ■ 

 size, color of shanks,- age and conditiein. In other words, 

 each grade should be. uniform in appearance and quality. 

 Good and poor stock should never go in the same package. 

 The inferior will always reduce the . selling price of the 

 superior more than the good will raise the price of the 

 poor. Each grade will sell better if sold by itself. A high- 

 priced buyer will not want the inferior stocky at any price; 

 therefore, if different grades are mixed, the good stock 

 will have to go to the cheap buyer. ; 



Sell stock as soon as it is ready for market. When 

 poultry is once fattened and ready to kill, it is likely to 

 deteriorate in quality if it is not marketed immediately. 

 Unless one desires to keep the early coclierela for a special 

 market, to sell as roasters, or to be kept for breeders, the 

 sooner the cockerels can be sold after they weigh a pound 

 and a quarter, the greater will be the profit. After the 

 cockerels weigh from two to three pounds each it costs more 

 to produce a pound of growth. 



The price declines faster than the increase in weight. 

 For example, if early broilers sell for 30 cents per pound 

 when they weigh 1% pounds each, they would sell for 45 

 cents; when they weigh 2 pounds each the price will prob- 

 ably have dropped to 23 cents or less, and they would sell 

 for 45 cents; when they weigh 3 pounds the price may 

 f^ll to 15 cents, and they would sell for 45 cents apieoe; 

 when they weigh 4 pounds pach, about Thanksgiving time, 

 when the market is full, they might be sacrificed at 11 

 cents, or 45 cents each. Thus the surplus cockerels have 

 been kept all summer simply for the sake of their society. 



The loss in weight by killing is considerable. The per 

 cent loss from live weight in killing and picking is about 10 

 to 12; the loss in killing, picking and drawing, with head 

 and feet off, is 30 to 35 per cent. These figures will vary 

 slightly with the condition of fatness and with the varie- 

 ties of poultry. 



The demand for dressed poultry direct from the farm 

 is increasing, and should be supplied. Figure 201 shows 

 our refrigerator crate ready for shipment. It contains 15 

 dozen eggs on one side, in paper fillers, and 20 pounds of 

 dressed poultry on the other side in a galvanized iron chil- 

 ling box. An extra refrigerator box is shown to. the left, 

 with the close-fitting covjr, the partition which forms the ice 

 chamber; also the bottom screen whio-h provides drainage. 

 The partition between the ice chamber and the chickens, 

 when packed in the crate allows a space both at the top 

 and bottom for circulation of air, the Cold air settling 

 through the ice-pack and Tip through the chickens, back 

 into the ice-chamber again. The galvanized iron cover fits 

 in tight, like a dinner pail cover, and is held firmly in place 

 by the wooden cover of the shipping crate. During the 

 past year eggs and poultry were shipped over 360 -miles in 

 this crate during the hottest weather. During the journey 

 they were handled by two express companies, with a trans- 

 fer through a large city. In every case the chickens arrived 

 in good condition. This experiment proves clearly the 

 wonderful opportunity which poultrymen have of supplying 

 not only fresh eggs, but also fresh poultry, throughout 

 the year to private or wholesale customers. This demand 

 for properly fattened, well-dressed poultry is very large, and 

 no particular efEort has yet been made to supply it. 



