290 



POULTRY PRODUCTS 



should be packed in ice. The best way is to pack the birds 

 very tight, layer upon layer, with a considerable quantity 

 of cracked ice placed between each layer. The amount of 

 ice used will depend upon the season. Birds are usually 

 packed on the side, as this makes them fit into the receptacle 

 more closely and neatly. When shipped long distances they 

 are usually dry packed, and shipped in cold storage or re- 

 frigerator cars. Dressed poul- 

 try shipped only short dis- 

 tances to market should 

 always be sent by express. 



Hatching Eggs. — The great 

 essential in the hatching egg 

 is high fertility; this means 

 good, vigorous germs which 

 will hatch into strong chicks. 

 In shipping eggs for hatching 

 the poultryman should aim 

 to give satisfaction. Eggs 

 must be what they are repre- 

 sented to be. Hatching eggs 

 should always be selected 

 with special regard to uniformity in shape, size and color. 

 Only those with uniformly hard and smooth shells should 

 be sold, and they should be very carefully packed. In small 

 quantities they can be wrapped in excelsior, and shipped in 

 corrugated pasteboard boxes with separate compartments 

 (Fig. 1 62) . Large quantities may be wrapped in excelsior and 

 packed in large, thirty-dozen cases. Hatching eggs are often 

 shipped in market baskets, the eggs being packed in paste- 

 board fillers, and the entire basket lined with excelsior. It 

 should be plainly labelled so as to receive careful handling. 

 All eggs for hatching should be shipped by express. 



Baby Chicks. — The trade in baby chicks has developed a 

 special container in which to ship them, and the best time 



Fig. 161. — The plucked carcass is cooled 

 by immersing in cold water for at least 

 one hour immediately after picking. 



