430 POULTRY PRODUCTION 



very inferior. The flesh loses its firmness sooner; its flavor 

 is not so good ; the odor of stale flesh and finally of putrefac- 

 tion comes sooner, and in every way the product is more 

 perishable. 



"A very large proportion of the unsightly poultry in our 

 markets, aside from the rubbing and tearing of skins, is 

 caused by an incomplete removal of the blood. This is 

 evidenced by red dots which frequently occur where the 

 feathers have been removed, especially over the thighs and 

 wings; or by small veins which are seen over the breast and 

 in the angles of the wings, or larger veins which mar the 

 appearance of the neck. Generally it is the neck which shows 

 most plainly the presence of blood in the veins, or that a 

 wrong method has been used in an attempt to empty them. 

 The neck is the first part to discolor, becoming first red, 

 then bluish red or purple, and finally green as aging pro- 

 gresses. . . . Not only are the results of bad bleeding 

 observed in certain parts of the body, but the clear, bright 

 color of the fiesh ... is never at its best unless the 

 blood has been completely drained out."^ 



In dislocating the head and in killing by severing the 

 main bloodvessels of the neck, both killing and bleeding 

 are accomplished in one operation. When killing is accom- 

 plished by sticking, the bleeding should be done either before 

 or after sticking, each way having its advocates. 



Whether done before or after sticking, or with birds 

 intended for scalding without sticking, great care must be 

 taken, until skill makes care unnecessary, to sever the veins 

 at their point of joining, as shown in Fig. 198. Just the 

 location of these veins can only be learned- by a careful 

 first-hand study of the head and neck of the fowl itself. 



The best knife to use, according to Pennington and Betts,^ 

 is one "which is not more than two inches long, one-fourth 

 inch wide, with a thin, flat handle, a sharp point, and a 

 straight cutting-edge." 



Picking. — There are two methods of picking (plucking) in 

 general use, known as "scald picking" and "dry picking." 



' Bureau of Chemistry Circular No. 61, 2 Ibid. 



