Money in Broilers and Squabs. 65 



room or end of brooder house. This pole projects out about four 

 feet. Near the end we tie a piece of twine .(doubled), and this comes 

 down just low enough so that when we slip the chick's feet in the 

 slipnoose in the end of the string the body of the chick will come 

 down just below our shoulders. 



The small blade of a pocket-knife (if sharp) answers well for 

 sticking. The doomed chick is bound up by the feet in the slip- 

 noose, and the killer should run the backs of the third and fourth 

 fingers beneath the other wing. Shut down on the wings and with 

 the right hand raise the head and place it between the thumb and 

 third finger of the left hand; open the beak and prop it open with 

 the first finger of the left hand. The head should be in such a posi- 

 tion so that the beak will point out from the hand and so the roof 

 of the mouth (when opened) will be presented full to the killer. 

 Thus we hold the chick securely, and by holding tightly and pulling 

 down on the string the bird cannot move, no matter how hard he 

 may try. The right hand is left free to stick and pull the feathers. 

 The killer now places the knife in the bird's mouth and shoves the 

 point into the brain of the bird. This is the particular point in 

 killing. This stab should be made in the center of the mouth, be- 

 tween the eyes and ears. If correctly done you will feel a slight 

 shiver — so to speak — pass through the bird, and thus he loses 

 control of the feathers so that they can be pulled out by the handful 

 without teanng the skin. Remember, it all depends on this stick- 

 ing, and a little practice will soon tell how it should be done. Draw 

 the knife from side to center on each side at top or roof of mouth. 

 These cuts should be made just back of the eyes, and if cut sufficient- 

 ly the blood will run a stream out of the mouth. The mouth is 

 then dropped, but the thumb and finger of thd left hand should still 

 hold a few feathers on top of head so the bird cannot spatter blood 

 on the killer. 



All this is done in much less time than it takes to tell it, and 

 the feathers should be drawn immediately. By twisting the wrist 

 of the left hand the breast of the bird is brought around to the front, 

 and the feathers should be removed here first. If they come easy 

 they can be drawn anyhow, but if hard then pull all feathers toward 

 the tail or up, and only a few at a time. Give the wrist of the left 

 hand another twist and bring the back around. Remove the tail 



feathers by pulling up — and then work down the back to the neck. 



Now pull the feathers (carefully) from the butts of the win^s and 

 parts of the neck, then return to the fluff, after which let go with the 

 left hand and grasp a wing. Pull the short feathers and then the 

 quills In this hasty pulling we have only drawn the large feathers 

 and have very probably left a good many scattering ones, which 

 can now be pulled more leisurely. About this time the bird will 

 be going through its death struggles, and it can again be held as 

 formerly, while the picking proceeds, and it is now ready to be 

 passed to the pin featherers. 



If done as it should be it will t^ke from one to two mmutes to 

 <1ress him. The pin-featherer is supposed to carefully sew up all 



