Te STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
a slaughter-house where animals and birds are slaughtered 
according to these prescribed rites. The best prices for live 
poultry are secured at the time of the Jewish holidays, the 
dates of which vary from year to year. ‘They can be ascer- 
tained through any commission house or dealer. 
Occasionally the price of live poultry is nearly as high as for 
dressed stock, and under these conditions it is a waste of time 
to dress the birds before shipment. This is particularly true 
if the market is near at hand, as the birds will not shrink much 
when being shipped but a short distance. 
For shipping live poultry to market well constructed crates 
are particularly desirable. They should be of sufficient size to 
avoid causing discomfort to the birds, yet small enough to per- 
mit easy handling by expressmen and others. Jong crates 
should be equipped with solid cross-partitions to prevent the 
birds being thrown together at one end when the crate is tipped 
in handling. Failure to observe this simple precaution often 
results in the loss of a number of birds in each shipment. All 
crates should be thoroughly ventilated, as in crowded express 
cars they are frequently piled one above another, and many 
birds are smothered in this way. 
Express companies will return empty crates at a cost of ten 
cents per crate for each company handling them. Whether or 
not it is wise to have empties returned must be decided by each 
shipper according to the conditions surrounding his case. West- 
ern shippers send large quantities of live birds to the eastern » 
markets in large, rough-board crates, which are never returned, 
as they are not worth the return transportation charges. 
All live birds shrink more or less in weight while enroute to 
market. Turkeys and large, soft chickens show the greatest 
percentage of loss, and old fowls the least. 
The last thing before shipping, the birds should receive 
plenty of water. ‘They should also be given a liberal amount 
of feed, preferably some whole grain, as corn and wheat. 
Should the journey be a long one, some additional feed may be 
placed in the crate. Live poultry should never be shipped to 
reach the market later than Friday morning, and Thursday 
morning would be safer. 
