WATERFOWL 245 



seven to thirty-nine cents per pound, and colored ones 

 seventeen to twenty-three cents. The feathers would 

 make quite a difference in the season's profit were you 

 using colored or white birds. You cannot get the 

 colored birds without the colored pinfeathers, and of 

 all distressing sights for the poultryman, a bird shot 

 with pinfeathers is the worst. At the stage when they 

 should be dressed for the greatest profit, if the pin- 

 feathers are thick all over the bird, it is impossible to 

 dress them so that they will not have a badly tattooed 

 appearance. Pekin ducks as compared with Muscovys 

 would dress at ten weeks, while the Muscovys would 

 •dress at fourteen. At twelve weeks the Pekin would 

 require little pinfeathering. 



After killing, which is done by cutting in the roof 

 •of the mouth, and picking, the birds should, in warm 

 weather, be thrown into cold water immediately after 

 picking and allowed to soak, for an hour or two. Then 

 the blood is washed out of the head and bill and feath- 

 •ers and they are thrown into a tank of ice water. By 

 putting them in the warmer water first, it swells the 

 flesh and closes the pores, then by putting them into 

 the ice water all the remaining animal heat is expelled 

 and they are left white, hard and firm. To give them 

 the best shape they should be tied before going into 

 the water. If the wings are folded close to the sides of 

 Ihe body and tied down, and the birds are put into the 

 water, it gives them a better shape and appearance for 

 market. In shipping, they can be kept from twenty- 

 four to forty-eight hours in ice water but if kept 

 longer than that they should be packed in ice. In ship- 

 ping them to market, pack them in the same way if it 

 is a two or three hours' journey. Put in a barrel a 

 layer of ice, then a layer of ducks, and on top of all 

 put a layer of ice. The ice water trickling down 

 .among the ducks keeps them in good shape. 



