368 POULTRY CULTURE 



DRESSED POULTRY 



Market classification: 



Squab broilers, % to l}i pounds. 



Broilers, Medium, 1)^ to 2 pounds; heavy, 2 to 2j^ pounds. 



Fryers, 2^^ to 4 pounds; light fryers, 2}^ to 3 pounds; 

 medium fryers, 3 to Sji pounds; heavy fryers, 33^ to 4 pounds. 



Roasters, 4 to 8 pounds; medium roasters, 4 to 5 pounds; 

 heavy roasters, 5 to 8 pounds. 



Fowls (dressed hens), 3 to 6 pounds. 



Cock birds, no weight classifications. 



Capons: Age, eight to twelve months; weight, 5 to 12 

 pounds: light capons, 5 to 63-2 pounds; medium capons, 6,^2 

 to 8 pounds; heavy capons, over 8 pounds. 



Slips (unclassified). 



DRESSING POULTRY 



Birds to present the best appearance in being dressed should 

 not be fed the day before being killed. 



Proper killing is just as important as proper fattening. Un- 

 less a fowl is properly killed it cannot be properly dressed. 

 During the twenty-four hours fasting prior to killing the bird 

 should be given water to drink. The water aids in flushing 

 out and emptying the bowel and tends to keep the body plump. 



The dressing-room should have good light, a barrel should be 

 provided for holding the feathers, and one or more cakes of ice 

 in case of scald pick. The dry-picked birds should be placed 

 in a cooler and kept out of ice- water, if possible. A coop need 

 be provided in which to confine the birds to be killed; a blood- 

 can, to be attached to the head (Fig. 124). For this purpose 

 a tomato-can may be used; about a 1 pound weight is placed in 

 the bottom of the can, a sharp hook is provided, which is 

 attached to the can by three strings, and the sharp end of the 

 hook fastened in the lower jaw after sticking the bird. The 

 blood caught in the can may be used for feeding other birds 

 as it is rich in protein matter. At the large duck farms on 

 Long Island, where many hundreds of ducks are dressed daily, 

 the blood is caught in long troughs and carried in buckets to 



