PREPARING FOR MARKET 



133 



bird is bleeding; do not wait and let the bodies get 

 cold; dry-picking is more easilj^ done while the bodies 

 are warm. Be careful and do not break and tear 

 the skin. 



Pack in boxes or barrels ; boxes holding 100 to 200 

 pounds are preferable, and pack snugly; straighten out 

 the body and legs so that they will not arrive very 

 much bent and twisted out of shape; fill the package 

 as full as possible, to prevent shufHing about on the way. 

 An ideal package of dressed poultry is shown in Figure 



Fig. 28 DRESSED POULTRY PACKED IN THE BEST STYLE 



28. Mark kind and weight and shipping directions 

 neatly and plainly on the cover. Barrels answer better 

 for chickens and ducks than for turkeys or geese. When 

 convenient, avoid putting more than one kind of fowls 

 in a package. Endeavor to market all old and heavy 

 cocks before January 1, as after the holidays the demand 

 is for small, round, fat hen turkeys only, old toms being 

 sold at a discount to canners. 



For geese and duclcs, the water for scalding should 

 be the same temperature as for other kinds of poultry, 

 but it requires more time for it to penetrate and loosen 



