CHAPTER XVI II 



PREPARING SQUARS FOR MARKET 



Two Markets, Private Trade and Commission Merchant — (fathering 

 SQuahs — Killing Squabs — Plucking- and Washing — Shipment. 



Wlieii squabs icacli the age of lour weeks tliey are fully 

 feathered and are ready for market. As the>' reaeh tliis age 

 they must lie eolleeted and killed. In ordei' to obtain the liest 

 prices for s(juabs one must not be careless in iirejiaring tlieni 

 for the markets. It is a proven fact that a poorly dressed 

 s|iecimen always fails to command a good price, therefore, it 

 is to tlie ad\antage of the breed(>r to see that e^■er>' sipial) that 

 leaves his plant is in tip-top condition. 



Tliere ai'e two markets to which s(iiial)s inaj' be sold; one 

 is to the i)i'ivatc trade and the other to th(> coimnission men 

 ill the larger cities who annually handle thousands of squabs. 

 For cither, market squabs are killed, plucked and cooled in the 

 same manner. 



The afternoon liefore the scpialis are to lie killed we go from 

 pen to |ien and collect all that are of marketable age and carry 

 them to the dressing room an<l jilace them in large coops over 

 night. Hy collecting them at this lime they will not gi't any 

 feed the following morning and when we kill them we find ^■ery 

 little feed in their crojis. It is essential to remove all feed from 

 their crops in order to lune them arri\o at destination in good 

 condition. 



Before killing any sipiabs we ba^e a large galvanized tub 

 filled with cool water (in the summer months we add ice). In 

 this water is |ilac<Ml a heaiiing handful of table salt. This is 

 done as tlie salt tends to make llio s([uab meat plump and white. 



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