KILLING AND PICKING 



107 



point of the knife is then driven through the roof of the 

 mouth to the brain. This renders the bird unconscious, the 

 muscles relax and the feathers consequently come easily. 



Plucking the Feathers. 



The legs are then held firmly in the left hand until the 

 bird ceases to struggle, which will be soon, its head is held 

 between the knees or between the right knee and the bar- 

 rel or box into which the feathers are thrown and the feathers 

 are plucked as soon as possible after the braining. 



Removing the Breast Feathers From a Tender Roaster. 



The way a good picker will make the feathers fly is an 

 illustration of what may be called "fast work." One would 

 think that he had no thought except to get those feathers 

 out regardless of whether the chicken held together or not. 

 The tail feathers are grabbed all at once in the right hand 

 and yield to a forceful snap of the picker's right arm. The 

 back feathers are extracted in one or two handfuls more. 

 They come in clusters and in the picker's hand look not 

 unlike a chrysanthemum in full bloom. The shoulders and 



