Methods with Growing Stock i8i 



poultry usually given do not fit the keeper of a 

 small flock of hens. To put a sharp blade into the 

 mouth, cut the jugular vein, drive the blade on 

 into the brain, so as to cause paralysis, and then 

 pluck the bird dry, calls for a special room, free 

 from drafts, a good deal of skill, and more nerve 

 than most amateurs possess. It is a messy job, and 

 quite unnecessary, unless you wish to ship to 

 market in large numbers. For home use, and for 

 sale in town, a wet-picked chicken is just as good. 



Feed nothing for twenty-four hours before 

 dressing. The intestines should be as empty as 

 possible. Provide a solid block of wood. Drive 

 two nails an inch apart into it near the right- 

 hand edge. Get your sacrificial bird and a sharp 

 hatchet. Slip the neck between the nails, draw 

 the neck till the head holds firm and the neck is 

 straight. Then knock off the head with a sharp 

 blow of the hatchet. It is just as weU to keep 

 your eyes open while you strike, for it sometimes 

 happens that the sad executioner, upon opening 

 his eyes, sees the bird he has just "killed" starting 

 for the next county, indignant and unhurt. 



To make a neat piece of work, provide a keg, or 

 deep box with old bagging, hay, or leaves in the 



