66 Money in Broilers and Sqicabs. 



torn places, if any. This method may seem cruel, but it is the only 

 way to get the feathers ofif. After the bird has struggled the 

 feathers cannot be drawn without taking the flesh with them. The 

 market demands dry-picked chicks, so dry-picked they will have to 

 be. A high stool can be used to partly sit on if desired. As the 

 chick is relieved of its large feathers it is passed in the door to the 

 pin-featherers. If the weather is hot, then things are moved to a 

 shady corner. Thus the sticker has to take but three or four steps 

 to either get a chick or pass one along to the women. A large 

 barrel (oil barrels after the oil has been burned out are good) 

 stands handy to the pickers (outdoors under a window and pro- 

 tected from the sun). This barrel is filled with fresh, clean water, 

 to which a little salt has been added, and as the chick is dressed it 

 is thrown in, and should remain there two or three hours. At noon 

 these should be washed — the feet and mouth — and placed in an- 

 other barrel of clean water, in which they may remain over night. 

 If the weather is warm ice should be added to the water. If the 

 chicks are to be shipped to a distant market next morning, and ice 

 is to be used, then the chicks need not be dried, but if no ice is to 

 be used chicks should be hung up to dry an hour before packing. 



Pack in boxes that will hold not over lo pounds each. Place 

 in a layer of clean straw and then a layer of chickens. Fold the 

 neck under one wing and press the shoulders well up against the 

 straw at sides of box. The chick should rest on the breast bone, 

 with the legs straight out. Place in a row all around the box, 

 then another row around those, shoving the shoulders well up to the 

 tail of the first row. If a small space should yet remain place in 

 enough chicks to fill it up, but lay these on their sides on top of the 

 legs of the other chicks. A thin layer of straw can now be used, 

 or the second layer of chicks may be placed directly on top of the 

 first layer, and so on. Pack as tightly as possible so there will be no 

 moving. Fill up remaining space, if any, with straw and press on 

 the cover. If ice is used keep the chicks in place by nailing in nar- 

 row pieces of board, cut so as to just fit inside the box, and place 

 the ice (broken up rather fine) in these, and be sure and have 

 enough to last until the chicks arrive in market. The narrow slats 

 will keep the chicks from moving as the ice melts. If barrels are 

 used then fine ice will have to be worked in between the layers of 

 chicks. 



The method as adopted by a Hammonton, N. J., poultryman, is 

 as follows : 



After the birds are caught and weighed, they are fastened by 

 their legs to a stout cord suspended from the ceiling (a barrel being 

 placed underneath them to catch the blood and feathers). The 

 operator then gets the bird in front of him, and places it under his 

 left arm. He inserts a knife back in the mouth, and then, bringing 

 it a little forward, cuts crosswise, severing an artery. During the 

 operation the mouth is held open with the fingers of the left hand. 

 Great care must be taken not to cut too much for fear the bird will 



