CHAPTER XVIII 



BROILERS AND DRESSING OF FOWL 

 BROILERS 



All female birds one year or over are known on the market 

 as fowl. 



Most hens are disposed of at about their third year and in 

 the fall, to make room for the pullets raised during the summer. 



Market prices of fowl remain fairly even throughout the 

 year, making very little fluctuation except in the case of very 

 early broilers. As a rule, especially on the large markets, 

 there is very little demand for fowl weighing 3 pounds or 

 under. 



A few hundred broilers should be raised every year on the 

 farm. 



A broiler is a young, rapidly growing chicken, which, on 

 account of quality of flesh and size, is desired for broiling 

 purposes. 



On the market there are three types of broilers — namely, 

 squab broiler, weighing dressed, from % to 1}<1 pounds; 

 medium broiler, weighing dressed from Ij-^ to 2 pounds; large 

 broiler, weighing dressed 2 to 2}4 pounds. 



The word squab in the term squab broiler comes from the 

 name given to young pigeons, and broiler from the method of 

 cooking. 



Large framed breeds Hke the Asiatics that mature late are 

 not suitable for squab broilers. 



The broiler should gain 30 to 35 per cent, of its total weight 

 in the fattening period which is usually fourteen days. 



Figure 121 shows the difference between the Mediterranean 

 breeds and the American breeds as table fowls. Both are 

 finished products, the Leghorn hen weighing 3.25 pounds and 

 the Partridge Plymouth Rock 6.00 pounds. The hen at the 

 extreme right is a hen the same size and age of hen No. 2 



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