MARKETING TLKKEYS AND WATERFOWL 



141 



scraps. The Pekin duclc should be dry-picked. In the 

 west and in New York state they are scalded quite 

 extensively, but in the east they are dry-picked. In 

 the south they pay only three cents apiece for picking, 

 while we pay six to eight cents. The lowest prices in 

 the duck market are from the first of July to the first 

 of September, and from September to November the 

 price always goes up from two to five cents a pound." 

 Killing avd Dressing Duchs (Howard) — There are 

 two methods of dressing ducks for market, by dry 



Fig. 32 — DrcK picking (Howard) 



picking and scalding. Both of these methods are good 

 and are being employed successfully by the largest 

 raisers. Some have a preference for dry picking and 

 others for scalding, and it is only a matter of taste 

 which method is used. When birds are dressed by 

 scalding they should be dipped several times, or until 

 the feathers come out easil)'. The back should be 

 dipped in the water first. After scalding, wipe them 

 as dry as possible with a sponge and pick the breast 

 feathers first. A bird when dressed for market has lefb 



