DUCKS AND GEESE 



cedure is the same as in dry picking chickens. After 

 the cut is made to bleed the ducks, the point of the 

 knife is plunged through the roof of the mouth until 

 it reaches the brain when it is turned to cause a 

 paralysis of the muscles which enables the feathers 

 to be plucked more easily. The duck is then struck 

 on the back of the head with a club to stun it and 

 make it easier to handle when picking. The picker 

 seats himself by the feather box, with the duck on 

 his lap, holding the head pressed against the outside 

 of the box and held there by the picker's leg. He 

 then proceeds immediately and as quickly as pos- 

 sible to pluck the feathers. It is necessary to ac- 

 complish this without delay, for the feathers soon 

 set and are then much harder to pluck and are more 

 likely to result in tears in the skin. When removing 

 the down, the hand is moistened when much of the 

 down can be rubbed off. Pin feathers are removed 

 by grasping them between the thumb and the edge 

 of a dull knife and any which cannot be gotten in 

 this way are shaved off with a sharp knife. After 

 picking, the carcasses are cooled in cold water the 

 same as the scalded birds. 



Cooling. After the birds are plucked they are 

 thrown into cold water and are left there for several 

 hours or until the body heat is entirely removed. It 

 is most important that this be thoroughly accom- 

 plished for if any body heat is left in the carcasses 

 they are almost sure to beconie green-struck when 

 packed. The length of time that they must be left 



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