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1 
According to recommendations made by the Department of Agri- 
FOOD VALUE AND USES OF POULTRY, a | 
KILLING, PLUCKING, AND COOLING. 
culture,! it is well to make the bird fast for 12 hours or more before it 
is killed in order that its crop may be empty and the other organs as 
free as possible of fecal substances. One of the most satisfactory and 
humane ways to kill a bird is to hang it head downward and cut the 
main veins in the neck at the base of the skull, so that quick bleeding ~ 
is assured. Just as soon as the veins are cut the brain should be 
pierced with a sharp, stiff, slender knife, to kill the bird and cause the 
feathers to loosen. If the proper areas in the brain are destroyed by 
the knife thrust, the feathers may be plucked easily and without 
tearing the skin. A common way of loosening them is to plunge the 
carcass into water heated nearly to the boilmg pomt, but this de- 
stroys the natural appearance of the skin and also increases ne 
chances of decomposition. 
Unless a bird is to be cooked at once it should be put in a cool ae 
where it will lose its animal heat rapidly. Sometimes freshly plucked 
birds are put into cold water for a short time, with the double purpose | 
of cooling them and making them look plumper. However, such 
soaking injures the keeping qualities, and if the birds are kept in water 
until they swell beyond their natural size and weight the practice 
is fraudulent as well as injurious. A still more objectionable way of 
plumping birds is by blowing them out. This is bad enough when a 
bellows is used, but when, as is sometimes the case, the dresser blows 
directly from his mouth, it is disgusting and dangerous. 
DRAWN AND UNDRAWN POULTRY. 
One of the much-debated questions among poultry dealers and con- 
sumers is whether or not birds keep better when marketed drawn 
Gi. e., with the internal organs removed) or undrawn. Practice varies 
in different localities. Opening the body and removing the viscera 
undoubtedly exposes the internal surface to the air, which always 
contains microorganisms, and thus may hasten decomposition ; but, 
on the other hand, it must be remembered that the viscera decompose 
more rapidly than other parts of the body, and if left in it may taint 
or infect the rest of the bird. It is sometimes argued that the con- 
_ tents of the intestines of undrawn poultry may injure the flesh, be- 
cause dissolved bodies of undesirable flavor can pass through the 
intestinal walls into the surrounding tissue, but this danger is sa 
avoided if the bird is starved for a day before killing. 
In elaborate experiments with drawn, partially drawn, and un- 
_ drawn poultry, conducted by the isan of Chemistry of this de- 
partment,” it was found that undrawn birds spoil least quickly, and 
' 1U.S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Chem. Cire. 61 (1915), rev. 
2U.S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Chem. Circ. 70 (1911). 
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