POULTRY LABORATORY GUIDE 75 



After this operation quickly rub the hands 

 down the heck, removing the feathers therefrom 

 and allowing them to fall into a barrel or box 

 provided for the purpose. Pull the tail and 

 wing feathers by a quick twist, and throw them 

 on the ground, then begin to remove those from 

 the tenderest parts of the body first, which on 

 the chicken are the breast and back near the base 

 of the tail and on the turkey the breast and the 

 thigh. Never use the fingernails to pick with; 

 the side of the forefinger and the end of the 

 thumb are much quicker and will not scratch. 

 When pulling the short or pin feathers, the nails 

 will have to be .used, but great care must be taken 

 that only a careful, clean pluck is made, as not 

 a scratch or scrape will pass in first-class prod- 

 ucts. 



By the time the body is picked the bird will 

 be so nearly dead that flapping will be almost 

 impossible; then the wings may be unlocked and 

 picked clean. With turkeys the wing or flight 

 feathers may be left on, and with chickens the 

 wings may be cut off at the outer joint, not hurt- 

 ing the sale of the bird in the least. 



When through picking, immerse the bird in 

 clean, cold water for one hour, which takes out 

 all of the animal heat and causes the body to 

 plump up. 



