PRAIRIE FARMER'S POULTRY BOOK 



Dry plucking is the common rule with turkeys, ducks and 

 geese. If plucking is dorie promptly after sticking it can be 

 practiced with chickens. It gives the carcass a more attractive 

 appearance. Another method of killing and plucking is to 

 use a table or bench. The beak is fastened to a screw hook. 

 Just under the head of the fowl is a hole in the bench through 

 which the blood passes to a receptacle below. That portion of 

 the bench on which the body rests is padded to prevent bruis- 

 ing. The legs are held with the left hand while with right 

 hand the incision is made on the left side of head just behind 

 the earlobe. Plucking is done immediately. By this method 

 more rapid progress can be made. During plucking the 

 feathers should be sorted and graded. The feet and head 

 should not be severed. 



Plumping is accomplished by plunging the carcass into 

 cold water. While the parts are flexible the wings and head 

 should be adjusted so as to make a compact package. 



Scalding. Some prefer scalding to dry picking. The water 

 for scalding should be of correct temperature, 180 degrees. If 

 too hot the skin becomes shrunken and is easily torn in pluck- 

 ing, and the carcass becomes discolored. Properly done, 

 however, this method results in a very attractive carcass. Be- 

 fore plumping it is customary to singe the down, and this is 

 best done with a gas or alcohol flame. 



Cleaning. All fowls designed for market are left undrawn. 

 They keep better in this condition as they are not exposed to 

 flies and bacteria. In dressing a fowl for home consumption 

 it is customary first to remove the feet and head. Then a 

 transverse slit is made at a point about half way between the 

 lower point of the keel and the vent. It should be about two 

 inches long. From the middle of this incision another cut is 

 made longitudinally to the vent and around the same, so that 

 when the viscera are removed they will come clean. It is a 

 good plan to remove the crop, oesophagus and trachea first. 

 This is done through an incision made on the side of neck. If 

 the crop is removed first it will be much easier to remove the 

 viscera, which will come clean without leakage. 



Packing. Dressed poultry can be packed in barrels or 

 boxes. A layer of excelsior or clean straw is laid in bottom of 

 receptacle, then a layer of dressed fowls with feet extending 

 outward, then excelsior, then another layer of carcasses, and 



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