March, 1909.] 



275 



OLD HENS FOR THE TABLE. 



When hens have reached the age of 

 between two and a half to three years 

 of age it is high time to get rid of them 

 and supply their places with younger 

 birds. What is to be done with them ? 

 The accepted opinion is that they are 

 too tough for the table. If, however, 

 they are properly killed and cooked tbey 

 are perfectly eatable. In the first place, 

 before being killed they should be kept 

 without food for a day and a half, when 

 they will keep for a long time in cool 

 weather. When drawing them, instead 

 of making a large cut and inserting the 

 whole hand to withdraw the intestines, 

 the plan recommended in an English 

 poultry journal is as follows :— 



Lay the fowl breast downwards, pick 

 up the skin on the back of the neck, 

 slip the point of the knife through, and 

 cut towards the head so as to leave a 

 piece of skin about 3 inches long. Fold 

 this back until the neck is bare close up 

 to the body. There is a spot which 

 shows whiter than the red of the neck. 

 Nick on both sides, and the joint will 

 easily break. Put the knife underneath 

 the neck and scrape toward the head, 

 and cut off the skin at the same length 

 as the other, thus leaving two folds to 

 cover the broken joint, so as to hide the 

 red and make the f^ont of the dressed 

 fowl more presentable. Set the bird on 

 its stern, take the crop in the forefingers 

 of the right hand, and woik the outer 

 skin away from it all round. A finger 

 inserted into the front cavity will work 

 the crop quite clear, and it can then be 

 drawn out. Now take the fowl so that 

 its back lies balanced in the left hand. 

 Insert the middle finger of the right 

 hand, and pass it tightly round so as to 

 break all adhesions and thoroughly 

 loosen all internals from the breast. 

 Turn the fowl over in the hand. The 

 lungs lie in cavities on either side of the 

 backbone near the base of the wings. 

 These may be loosened by inserting the 



end of the finger in the cavities and 

 leverine them out. Push the finger in 

 as far as possible, make a hook of the 

 end joint, and draw back, pressing close 

 upon the backbone so as to break all 

 attachments. 



Now set the bird on its neck end, press 

 the thighs well forward until the feet 

 are at the neck end. Take hold of the 

 rectum with the thumb and forefinger 

 of the left hand, and lift so as to almost 

 take the weight of the bird. Make a 

 slight incision, keeping the edge of the 

 knife up, well toward the tail. Insert a 

 finger and press down tightly along the 

 backbone, so as to detach the large 

 intestine. Then curve the finger, and 

 loop up the tail. Now the point of the 

 knife may be placed under it and the 

 rectum cut clean out. This is a neat and 

 perfectly clean way. As the fowl now 

 lies on its back the gizzard is on the 

 right side. Work a finger round the 

 gizzard and loosen what is called the 

 apron fat. Then, if the two thumbs are 

 brought to the front of the gizzard 

 (whilst the hands surround the body) it 

 can be forced out through the small 

 orifice. If the bird is held with one hand 

 and the gizzard steadily pulled with the 

 other, all the intestines, heart, liver, and 

 lungs will come out clean, providing the 

 loosening at front has been propeily 

 done, without putting the hand in the 

 bird or making a large, unsightly hole. 

 These fowls should be boiled slowly for 

 two hours the day before they are to 

 be served, then allowed to cool in the 

 water, and the next day put on and 

 boiled slowly for 1| hour. These will 

 be so tender that the flesh will slip off 

 the bones if one is not careful in carving. 

 Another way is to put them in a steamer 

 for three hours, and roast them the 

 next day. 



An old hen may be made quite tender 

 by boiling it for three or four hours 

 with a couple of good-sized papaw 

 leaves.— Queensland A gricultural Jour-' 

 nal, Vol. XXII., Part, January, 1909, 



