se = ae hal ae i i : | ’ i) { ; i \ i Pa al oe! a / wie ee ae : «hg ih, 4 via ae Ae ei : ELT Om tae Witch Bi | ers) he ‘one 3 | - i Lbs f: : ‘i { ‘ i ie y) ‘ : ap ce EAT ‘ : if RAD Lis Dl ae) % ; ii ie, it a Th : f . y , iq . ’ i 7 7 Poultry Packers’ Guide MV BCR RT. WA 4 A Compendium of Useful Information for Poultry Dressers. W4 CoPpyRIGHT, 1909 By M. V. BICKEL. ‘LY x mn C+ * TABLE OF CONTENTS. IPTOPLA TORY NOLO es Nee MANN TUTE NCEE eA a a 3 Chapter yl: Mintro dr Gtorye cise ete tea er AE 2 FD ee a ee 4 ChapterMil. Buyine Shippin jand Holding eee 6 Chapter will Milikyh ee chim ej ees seca ee eee eo ee 9 Chapter siv. (Dressinie ss Scaldimeyy i252 aN eee es ee le eee 12 Chapters hressine: spry Picking 2220s cs ee eee S Chapter VI, Dressing Ducks and Geese ............---..-----------------2--0---- 15 Chapter VII, Dressing Capons, Guineas, Squabs, Pigeons ........-... 16 Chanteravalilmeatwenrg ibs le ee Yh Ee ye iT Chapter OOOh Mo yess tue 22 A LE Cr shes Oe ee ee 17, Chapter xs Grading and) Packing, ‘Quality, -222:.--2--2e ee 21 Chapter XI, Grading and Packing, Classification -_..................- 25 Chapter XII, Grading and Packing, Styles of Packing -......._...... 27 Chapter XIII, Grading and Packing, Box Specifications -.._.......... 30 Chapter XiV;, Grading and Packing, Systems) of {2 ee 35 CHAPTER es CEC TIT T Te ANG a Ve ee AU EAS I SN ease Ne 42 Chapters26Viwere-Cooline wand Ship pine iss. e te eee 44 Chapter “Wail wereezineg and Marketinio eee 45 Chapter XVIII, Supplementary LAr Rneee mea shes Ue 47 EratTrTa—In tabulated head on Page 36, Column 3, should read ‘Weight Per Bird’’ instead of Weight Per Dozen. ©c.A253416 rH. DESCRIPTIONS OF ILLUSTRATIONS. ILLUSTRATION 1—The birds are Fancy Chickens assorted as to size. Beginning at the left the figures 5, 10, 15, 17, 18, 25, 34 and 35 refer to Systems A and B, pages 36 to 41 inclusive; Box 19 contains Fancy Springs packed Export Style, Variation 2 (G), see p. 29; Box 21 contains Fancy Chickens packed Stan- dard Broiler Style (A), see p. 27; Box 34 contains Fancy Springs packed Standard Roaster Style (H), see p. 29; Box 75 contains Ducks packed Standard Duck Style (N), see p. 30. ILLUSTRATION 2—Bird on left hand of illustration is a Broiler correctly dressed and with wings tucked back or “broken.” Ducks and Broilers or any birds packed breasts up appear to better advantage with the wings tucked; center bird is a poorly country dressed bird badly scarred and poorly finished; right hand bird is a roaster properly dressed, but the wing fans should have been plucked. ILLUSTRATION 3—Front, Side and Back Views of Capon Dressed Chickens. ILLUSTRATION 4—Cooling Rack, see p. 20. ILLUSTRATION 5—Wrapping Heads, see pages 24 and 25. ILLUSTRATION 6—Cooling Racks in use, see p. 20. ILLUSTRATION 7—Grading, see p. 22. ILLUSTRATION 8—Single Layer Roaster Style (K), see p. 29. ‘T NOILVULSNTII Se ROR al AB ws Jos eae OF ac Ww co oe Mie in epitome, 2 * pou i pO MAA ey eh ayets Ws excess Smee 9 Sk alge) — ai RR ep de on ’ : * a The Poultry Packers’ Guide. Prefatory Note. Where the demand for poultry is greater than the supply, a considerable amount is dressed by the farmer or poultry raiser and sold direct to the housewife, and the remainder is bought as needed by butchers, slaughtered and sold to their customers. A large part of the poultry raised in the Eastern states, and a limited amount in all parts of the country, is disposed of in this manner. Where the supply exceeds the demand, the surplus is disposed of to packers or produce dealers. If the surplus is small and the market close at hand, the packer soon ascer- tains by experience the requirements of the particular market that he uses. Consequently, the output of these various pack- ers differs considerably in style of dressing and package. In those localities where a large surplus of poultry is rais- ed, the packer must depend upon a wider outlet, and not al- ways knowing his market at the time the poultry is being dressed, he should put up his stock in such a manner that it will be acceptable on all of the larger markets. A vast amount of poultry is still being prepared for the larger markets in a careless and haphazard manner, not graded as to size or quality, packed in second hand barrels or boxes not uniform in shape or size and all very unattractive in ap- pearance, but each year on account of the competition of properly prepared and standard packed poultry it has become more difficult to dispose of such stock at a profit. The poultry packer engages in the business primarily to make a profit. It is true that the profit in the poultry business is governed to a considerable extent by several factors which are not under the control of the operator and which make the business speculative in nature. These factors are (1) the un- certain weather conditions during the packing season, (2) the impossibility of determining at the time the poultry is dressed the prices that will move the goods into the consumptive chan- nel. This factor is caused by the difficulty of obtaining ade- quate or exact information concerning the supply of poultry in the country. (3) To some extent the variance of the quality 4 POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. and condition of the live poultry as purchased from the farmer, though generally the average quality of the poultry in the same community, is the same each year. However, the buying, handling, feeding, dressing, grading, packing and marketing poultry are the factors in the business governing profit that are directly under the control of the operator. The methods of preparing poultry for market used by practically all of the larger poultry packers, and by a consider- able number of the small packers, have advanced very rapidly during the past decade and are now approaching an exact science. Information how to put up and handle standard packed poultry has been difficult to obtain by those desiring to go into the business on a large scale or by those in the business on a small scale desiring to put up their poultry in a better manner. Heretofore there have been but two ways of obtain- ing this information—by actual experience or by employing the services of poultry experts, both of which are expensive. Any literature or information of a reliable nature tending to standardize and improve the methods in vogue is in demand and believing that there is need for a work that deals with the poultry dressing business in a more comprehensive man- ner than anything yet published, the writer has undertaken to furnish a hand book of reliable information gained from ac- tual experience, exhaustive inquiry and careful observation. Using the information, and following out the instructions given on the following pages will enable the poultry packer, either large or small, to prepare his poultry in the most ap- proved and attractive manner and get it to the market in the most wholesome condition; and thus will obtain the maximum market price and consequently a larger profit. CHAPTER 4: Introductory. The source of supply of poultry for the Eastern markets has been gradually moving westward and at present the largest proportion comes from the middle Western states. There are few exclusively poultry farms in this territory and practically none given entirely to the raising of market poultry. Poultry raising on the general farms is a side line and is not carried on in a scientific manner. A portion of the poultry in all communities is of a good table quality and fairly well fatted when marketed. This por- POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. 5 tion varies greatly in different localities. Where Plymouth Rocks and other “American” breeds, such as the Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds, predominate, the average quality of the packer’s output is higher than in communities in which the Leghorn or small, scrubby stock is more numerous. Various methods have been tried in different communities to raise the grade of table poultry wee varying, and in most places, in- different results. It is 1 eed a stupendous, or almost impos- sible, undertaking for a “pa cker in some communities to im- prove the quality of the product. The most practical thing to do is to buy the raw material at right prices and make the best of it with careful handling and proper grading and packing. li the stock is exceptionally bad, it ay pay to move to another locality where the stock is known to be of better grade. some of the methods of improving th 1e quality of poultry of a locality that have been used with a degree of success are, (1) paying a lower price for Leghorns and other scrubby stock than for breeds possessing good table qualities such as the Plymouth | Rock, the Wyandotte or the Rhode Island Red; (2) selling cockerels of a utility type of the above mentioned varieties, that some farmers bring in, to those farmers who have poor stock, in order that they may gradually improve the table qualities of their flocks; (3) where no good cockerels {ies f are bought from customers, , importi ing Auras pure bred cock- erels and selling them at cost or exchanging pound for pound for poultry brought in. By a utility type cockerel is meant a good, blocky bird with short shanks and legs set wel apart, having a long body and a deep, full chest, and of good size. a v aad — Encouraging poultry shows or exhibitions, and offering liberal prizes at same or at county fairs on Plymouth Rock and other market varieties, and especially on the utility type of same, is advised. While it is true that the poultry fancier seems to breed more for feathers than for anything else, still the standard requirements for pure bred poultry are such that breeding for shape and size are necessary, and it is well to encourage the poultry fancier as much as possible, for it has been found that the more poultry fanciers there are in a community, the higher the grade of poultry. This is due to the fact t that the surplus cockerels are generally sold in the neighborhood and if the farmer is educated right he will ik leit cockerels of the breeds recommended above. It has been found that reading matter in local papers pointing out the advantages of the mar- ket breeds and utility bred stock proves effective. 6 POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. CHAPTER Ql. Buying, Shipping and Holding. The smaller packer buys nearly all of his stock direct from the farmer or raiser. In some communities in order to obtain a regular supply it is necessary at least part of the year to send out buyers with wagons. A light wagon should be used and the team should be good travelers, so that sufficient dis- tance can be covered to make it pay. The wagons should be fitted up with built in coops made of light lumber and wire poultry netting. It is well to go over the route the day before in a buggy and engage the poultry so that the farmer will have a chance to catch up the birds. The telephone can often be used by the buyer in engaging the poultry on a proposed route. When a route is made regularly, it is obviously not necessary to go around twice, as the farmer will know when the buyer is coming and will have the poultry caught up and ready for him. The larger packers depend upon receiving considerable of their supply from a distance, shipped in by express or freight. Shipments by express come in quicker and with some less shrink but at a higher transportation cost. ‘The majority are freight shipments. The larger packer secures his supply from local buyers who may buy the stock from the farmers and sell to the packer or may act as the agent of the packer either working on salary or commission. Poultry is frequently not handled properly before it reaches the packer and in such cases there is considerable shrinkage and more No. 2 birds. Care should be taken in making up shipping coops, so that the slats on top are so close together that the birds can- not get their heads through. Freight handlers are very care- less and many birds are killed by slamming one coop down upon the other while the birds have their heads up between the slats. The coops should also be made with suffi- cient distance between the two upper side slats so that the birds can get their heads through for feeding and drinking. For this purpose use galvanized iron troughs about three inches deep, an inch and a half wide at the bottom with a width of three inches at the top, made with two hooks for hanging over the edge of the next to the top slat. Sometimes it is necessary to hold over night a consider- able quantity of live poultry without cooping. If this poultry is placed in a vacant building or yard and no perches be pro- vided, it will very likely pile up into a heap and a considerable number will be smothered. All buyers should be informed of this peculiarity of chickens and thus prevent-a loss that POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. 7 otherwise will probably come to them sooner or later. If perches cannot be provided, build a platform ten inches or a foot above the floor or ground, leaving the boards. wide enough apart to permit a good circulation of air and run the poultry under this platform. In shipping from the buying station to the dressing plant by freight, especially if the weather is warm, the buyer should insist on the railroad company furnishing a stock car. Also during hot weather care should be taken not to overcrowd the ‘coops. Each variety of poultry in shipping should be cooped sep- arately as much as possible. Not only will less loss from dead birds result, but it will be much more convenient to weigh in and care for the poultry at the dressing plant. When the poultry is bought direct by the packer from the raiser, the dressed stock will consist of a larger proportion of No. 1 or best quality birds and also there will be less shrinkage. The large packer receives the majority of his supply of poultry from a distance. Many of his buyers do not under- stand how to feed poultry properly. In holding, they either overfeed or neglect the stock, generally overfeeding just be- fore shipping in an attempt to keep down the shrink. This neglect and overfeeding often gives the birds indigestion. A bird once sick has little chance to regain weight in a large packing plant. The large packer often receives more stock than he can take care of properly, because when his plant is in a glutted condition he has to employ considerable inexperienced and incompetent help. Thus it is no wonder that the larger the packer the more there is of No. 2 stock. Most poultry when received from the raiser is in fair condition, and unless it is to be especially fatted by the packer, it should be killed and dressed the second day after it is re- ceived, or as soon after that as possible, as it will dress out much brighter in appearance than if it is killed the same day that it is brought in. For holding poultry there is nothing better than yards or pens. These are constructed on either side of a central drive- way which is used in filling the pens, and also in transferring from the pens to the killing room. A part of each pen should be roofed over and be well protected from the weather. Ample perches should be provided which should be hinged so that they may be fastened up during the day time. If the perches are left down, a considerable portion of the birds will roost during the day, especially if the pen is a bit crowded, and 8 POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. will not take sufficient food and thus lose in weight and con- dition. In inclement and severely cold weather, it will be neces- sary to hold in coops under shelter. If, however, birds are held any length of time in ordinary shipping coops with no chance of cleansing same, they are apt to become “coop burnt.” Birds in this condition are, in plain language, sick, and the causes are the unsanitary conditions of the quarters, poor ventilation, and neglect or improper care in feeding. In holding poultry, it should be fed on cracked corn, moistened with water. Wi | all food 12 or 18 hours be- fore ki Oh 2 pac but ilk instead of water for moi 11 m1 used carefully so as not 1 reese ir + should be given freely « ne ts mix with the ] 1” a large por- tion of gravel or grit. This wi ain in the gizzard and intesti and w ially cut down tl essing shrink. Always gi y ] o> ih - before killing as this will cause it to dress out brighter, as well as lessening the 7 7 If any food re in the ter the bird is dressed an opening should be made into the crop at the extreme side and just above the wing or shoulder joint and the food taken out. some poultry dressers Aven the bird to have some food up to the time of dressing and remove what may be in the crop after the bird is dressed. This is done to reduce the shrinkage, but as it hurts the appearance of the poultry and especially lessens its keeping qualities, it should not be practised. Turk- eys should invariably be dressed the day they are received, for a turkey will not take food in confinement and will shrink every day it-is kept. If it is absolutely necessary to hold turkeys they should be held in pens. It is customary for some packers to “yard feed” ducks from two to three weeks. It is well not to begin too early in the season, as they make little or no gain if fed in warm weather. Feed on dry whole corn and keep a constant supply before them. It is well to have water from a hydrant running constantly through troughs in the yards, but if this is impos- sible, they should be watered very frequently. In selecting the location for a yard, choose one that is well drained, and if possible, with quite a slope. The yard must be kept in a sanitary condition or the ducks will die off, generally developing a disease commonly called “sore eyes.” A duck of its own volition, will not go under shelter, prefer- ring the open, and in cold and inclement weather they should be well bedded down in the yards with dry straw. POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. 9 After the weather becomes settled, which in Northern Iowa, is by the middle of November, it is the practise of the larger packers to buy dressed stock from some of their buy- ers and from smaller dressers, likewise dressing stock at their own buying stations, if same are equipped for this purpose. It may be possible to ship in dressed stock earlier, say by Noy. ist, if the packer has artificial cooling facilities and the shipper can cool out properly and is near at hand so that the poultry will not be delayed in transit. The small dresser should follow the same procedure in dressing and cooling as outlined for the packer in Chapter IX, and should pack his poultry carefully in barrels or large packing boxes for shipment, wrapping the heads with news- paper and lining the barrels with common wrapping paper; care should be taken to keep the poultry clean and in a whole- some condition. CHAPTER III. Milk Feeding. In this country during the past ten years poultry has been fatted by a special method known as “milk feeding.” In Can- ada and in England this method is called “crate feeding,” and has been practiced in England and on the continent for a great many years. Various articles have been written for the poul- try press, and bulletins issued by experiment stations in this country and in Canada, but none of which covers the ground in as comprehensive a manner as could be desired. No attempt is made in this hand book to give exact directions for milk feeding. You are referred to a booklet called “Feeding Chick- ens for the Packing House,” by F. C. Hare, published by the Egg Reporter of Waterloo, Iowa, and which can be obtained from the publishers for 35c. This little work contains some valuable information, and the rations given, and the directions laid down are practical and can be followed out especially - by the small packer, with profit. I wish to caution the reader, however, concerning Mr. Hare’s methods of dressing and packing, which are the Canadian methods, but which would not be standard in this country. You are referred to follow- ing chapters in this hand book on packing poultry and espe- cially that part devoted to squatted poultry, for information as to standard packing. Up to the time of this writing I have found that Milk Feeding on a large scale has been successful in an indifferent way. While some large operators claim to have made a great success, and are fattening more poultry in this manner each year, building additional houses equipped for this purpose IO POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. and at the same time increasing the facilities at their older plants; others have abandoned it as worse than useless as far as profit is concerned. : There is no doubt that the quality of some poultry can be greatly improved by Milk Feeding when properly done. Individual birds take on a large increase of weight and the quality of the meat is greatly improved and increased in value, but the general profitableness of the carrying on of Milk Feeding on a large scale is questioned by many. At times, too, there have been quantities of poorly fed birds offered on the markets, birds that show the effects of sour and otherwise improperly prepared food, birds whose flesh is soft and flabby and which falls away in an unsightly manner from the frame- work, and these have hurt the reputation of milk fed poultry to some extent. However milk fed poultry is and always will be in demand. My experience leads me to the belief that, while Milk Feeding is practical and will give a profit when properly done, it is and will be most successful when carried on by the small packer. Milk Feeding poultry corresponds to feeding steers for market and is of the same character as intensive farming, such as market gardening and fruit raising. Feeding steers would not be profitable in large stock yards, where all the help would be known as “hired help;” and market gardening and fruit raising is most successful when conducted on a small scale, and where each farmer or raiser cultivates a small patch of ground and does his own work or can oversee it personally. The results obtained by some of the smaller packers who do the feeding themselves are surprising. In the first place they have a decided advantage in the quality of stock they get to put on feed. It is brought directly to them from the farms and therefore is superior in health and vigor to that of the large packer, whose stock is, as I have previously explained, indifferently cared for by the buyer before it is shipped, and subjected to various hardships during shipment. The small packer being able either to feed the birds himself or to watch carefully the way they are fed by his help gives him a second great advantage. Milk Feeding in a general way consists in confining from two to ten birds in coops with a slatted bottom permitting the droppings to go through to be caught and retained by a sheet iron pan, which can be cleaned daily. These coops are in batteries of about two dozen. They are three and four tiers high and the coops are generally back to back, a dozen on a side. They are housed in a well ventilated warm building, ‘? NOILVALSNTIH POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. a and the sanitary condition should be as nearly perfect as pos- sible. The food is a ration composed of ground grain, moistened sufficiently with skimmed milk or buttermilk so that it will pour. In the country buttermilk is almost universally used. The grains used are oats, corn, barley, low grade flour, all finely ground and bolted, and the remainder of the ration may be made up of beef meal, alfalfa meal and tallow. For the pro- portions I refer you to Mr. Hare’s book. If too much corn meal is used, the chickens will pick each others’ feathers. This is remedied by cutting down the proportion of corn meal, also by feeding blood meal or beef scraps. Tallow is fed during the last few days in order to give the bird a finished appear- ance. Great care should be taken not to over feed. It is not deemed necessary to discuss or describe the cramming ma- chine as the use of same has been found to be impractical. Milk fed chickens intended for export should have a white flesh or appearance. This is produced by feeding the proper length of time to get rid of the yellow corn color that most chickens have when “put on feed.” Sometimes it is necessary to substitute white corn:meal in the place of yellow. A white colored milk fed chicken is fully as much in demand in this country as it is in England. Of late, however, a yellow tinted milk fed roasting chicken sells on most of our domestic mar- kets equally as well as a white tinted chicken and on some markets is now preferred and will bring a higher price. The yellow color is obtained by an abundant use of yellow corn meal. It is possible to finish up a yellow milk fed chicken in less time than it takes to give it a white appear- ance. In selecting birds to be fed, use utility type chickens if it is possible to obtain sufficient of this type for the capacity of the plant.. A broiler is a chicken that weighs under 2%4 or 2% pounds. A broiler that weighs 2 pounds or less is more valuable than one that is heavier. Broilers are in great demand. Fryers are chickens weighing from 2%4 to 3% or up to 4 pounds each. They are not in great demand in this country and many have to be exported. Sometimes a milk fed broiler will bring as high as toc per pound more than a milk fed fryer and a corn fed broiler, or ordinarry broiler, one kill- ed as brought in by the raiser, will bring 4 or 5 cents more per pound than a milk fed fryer. Ifa bird weighing 134 pounds or over is milk fed and does well it is apt to weigh over two and a half pounds when finished and thus will be a fryer or of undesirable size, and will sell for a lower price per pound, even though of improved quality. The gain in weight will 12 POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. not compensate for the loss in price. The most profitable sized bird to feed is one that will weigh when finished above 4 pounds. Any spring chicken weighing 4 pounds or over is called a Roaster. A Roaster always brings several cents more per pound than a Fryer. It is therefore of advantage to feed a Fryer into a Roaster thus obtaining three gains, in weight, in quality and in price. The chickens on feed should be watched carefully. Many Packers dress immediately any bird that shows signs of being “off its feed.” It does not pay to bother trying to cure a sick chicken. Milk fed chickens are more difficult to dress than ordi- nary corn fed stock. This method of feeding starts a new set of pin feathers which are short, and delay the work of the picker. If work is piece work, the picker will demand a high- er price per bird. The bones of a milk fed chicken are very weak and brittle and often in killing and dressing when the bird flops its wings they are broken and this disfigures the finished bird. CHAPTER TV: Dressing. Chickens and turkeys are dressed using two different methods, scalding and dry picking. Ducks and geese are either scalded or steamed. Scalding. Considerable poultry is scalded for Eastern markets early in the season in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, but little west of the Mississippi River. Most of the scalded poultry is packed in ice and must reach the market promptly, as it will not keep when ice packed as long as does dry picked stock. Scalded stock is rarely dry packed, excepting broilers, which are prepared for freezing early in the season. ‘There are few expert “scald” men in the West, and outside of some large plants, most of the “scald” work is poorly done. In some plants the birds are “roughed” dry before scalding in order to save the feathers. In this case they are bled in the same manner as if they were to be entirely dry picked, which meth- od is described later. If none of the feathers are to be saved, the bird is bled by severing both jugular veins and at the same time breaking the neck. The birds should be well bled and the “scalder” should wait until the birds have stopped moving before dipping in the hot water. The bird is dipped several times in scalding water kept just at the boiling point. Experience will determine the POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. rie correct time of holding in the water. The head should be kept out of the hot water. Dipping the head gives the bird a sickly appearance. If you intend to scald to any extent, employ an experienced man. An expert works on a table, others hook up the birds or work on a string. The feathers are removed as rapidly as possible without breaking or marring the skin, and if the stock is to be dry packed it should be handled with ex- treme care in this respect. To do good work on the wings and legs is especially difficult. After all the feathers are removed, the bird should be “plumped” by dipping several times in hot water and then in cold. If the stock is to be ice packed, it should first lie in water at the temperature that it comes from the well or hy- drant. The animal heat is drawn out in.this manner better than if placed at once in ice water. It should be held in ice water until the time to ship, though if it is to be held any length of time it should be repacked in cracked ice without water. To pack for shipment use barrels and plenty of crack- ed ice, a layer of ice then one of chickens until the barrel is filled. If the poultry is to be shipped any distance a “header” of ice should be placed on top of the last layer and the top of the barrel should be covered with burlap securely fastened over the header, using the top hoop. A header is a piece of ice about a foot square, larger or smaller, depending upon the season of the year and the distance to be shipped. If the poultry is to be dry packed, it should be cooled dry the same as dry picked stock, as will be described later, and should be graded and packed in the same style. It is cheaper to scald poultry than to dry pick it, but on most markets it does not bring as good a price and it is more difficult to place or sell it to advantage. Old roosters are quite frequentlyscalded, as they sell nearly as readily dressed in that way as they do when dry picked. Most turkeys in the West are dry picked. Eastern turkeys are quite generally scalded. CHAPTER V. Dry Picking. The standard method of dressing poultry for the Eastern markets is plucking the bird immediately after sticking. The bird is plucked dry. This method is called dry picking. There are two methods of dry picking: String picking, when the bird is hung by its feet on a stout cord, and chute or bench picking. On the average, chute or bench pickers do the best work, though some string pickers do equally as good 14 POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. work. Chute pickers save more feathers. In chute or bench picking, the bird is fastened to a slanting table-like bench by hooking through the upper bill. This bench slants away from the picker and is about 18 or 20 inches wide and about waist high. ‘The head of the bird is away from the picker and the blood passes through a hole in the bench into a pail or other receptacle. She bench is padded and covered with can- vas to prevent the birds from bruising themselves or marring their skins. ‘he feathers are caught in a bin extending along in front of the pickers. The birds are stuck or bled in the roof of the mouth and should not bleed too fast. It takes practice for a picker to acquire the knack of sticking so that the feathers will loosen and be easily removed. A poor “stick” will set the feathers and the bird will be difficult to pick and will most likely be torn before it is finished. Do not sever the jugular veins in dry picking. The bird should be “brained,” as it is called, by piercing the brain, either through the roof of the mouth or from the outside just under the eye.. An experienced picker knows if the bird is stuck properly by a certain quiver it gives. If the packer has had no experience whatsoever in dress- ing poultry, the services of at least one good picker should be secured. In fact, it will be somewhat difficult to operate with- out securing the services of a number of good pickers. Pick- ing is generally done by piece work and the amount paid varies in different communities, and ranges from 2 to 3c for chickens, and from 3 to 4c for ducks, and from 4 to 5c for geese and turkeys. Some operators hire roughers by the day and these stick and take off the large bulk of body feathers, which is easily and quickly done, and the birds are finished by pinners, who finish the legs, neck and wings and remove the body pin feathers. The pinners are generally paid by the piece. Some houses turn the picking over to expert pickers to be done by piece work and allow these pickers to employ and pay their own pinners, and hold the pickers responsible for the quality of work done by their pinners. In this way when there are a large number of birds to be dressed, each picker employs as many pinners as he can get and when busi- ness is dull the pinners are laid off. ‘This is quite a successful plan to use and generally results in good work being done. Essential requirements. Insist on the following: (1) All birds should be well bled. Note carefully the hips of the hens. Red hips denote poor sticking. A good picker will not turn out birds with red hips. (2) Do not allow your pickers to turn out torn birds or birds with barked up skins. If the picker should receive POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. 15 no pay for the bird he tears, it would cover but 20 per cent of the loss to the packer, because the torn bird must be placed in a lower grade and sell at a lower price. (3) See that the feathers on the neck are picked well,up to the base of the skull or to the ear openings, also see that the “garters” are picked off. In many small establishments the pickers follow a poor practice of leaving birds with garters—a ring of feathers above the joint between the shank and drum stick. See Center Bird of Illustration 2. After the bird is dressed, the feet and head shoud be wash- ed, using a stiff brush, and the vent shoud be well squeezed to remove any dung. If this is not done, the chicken will likely develop a green butt. CHAPTER VI. Dressing Ducks and Geese. Ducks and geese can be dressed by two methods. They should either be bled, cutting the jugular veins, the wing and tail feathers plucked, and then steamed, or they should be stuck to loosen the feathers and roughed, that is, most of the body feathers are taken off and then powdered rosin is well rubbed into the down and remaining feathers and the bird scalded. This will not only loosen the feathers but it will also matt them together and they are much more easily removed than when scalded without the rosin. This method is gener- ally known as “rosining,” but steaming is advised because it saves more feathers, is quicker, and turns out equally as good finished birds. In steaming, care should be exercised to have dry hot steam. Steam conducted from a distance condenses consider- ably before reaching the steamer and being wet it is likely to burn the duck and cause an unsightly scalded or burned look. When steam is conducted any distance, each time it is to be turned on for a batch, it should be shunted or turned off into a waste pipe for a moment to get rid of the accumulated conden- sation and then turned into the steamer. A method that is ad- vised when steam has to be conducted from a distance, as is often the case in many large plants, is to conduct the steam in- to the steaming compartment through a drying chamber be- low. If the steam is run into this and permitted to pass up through various openings into the steaming chamber proper, it will be found that the steam is quite dry and that good work will result. The most satisfactory work, however, is done when the steam is made close at hand. Use for this purpose a small steam feed cooking boiler and conduct the steam through the - 16 POULTRY PACKERS GUIDE! shortest possible pipe to the steaming chest. The most eco- nomical chest and at the same time a good one can be made by using a vinegar barrel and fastening a tight cover over half the top, the remainder of the top being hinged. Three or four grooves can be cut into the solid cover to be used to hang the birds by the neck when steaming, or hooks can be provided for the same purpose. Some small packers use a gasoline stove of two burners or a coal fire in a flat topped laundry stove and use an ordinary wash boiler with a tight cover. About three inches of water is used and a wooden slat- ted platform is supported about six or eight inches from the bottom. Place one duck at a time on same, steaming 1% minutes, breast down; I minute, back down. Special care shoud be taken to prevent the head from hanging down in the water. CHAPTER’ Vi1i. Dressing, Continued. Capons, Guineas, Squabs and Pigeons. Capons should be dressed capon style. By this is meant the style that has become standard and which requires that the feathers be allowed to remain on a considerable portion of the bird. Leave the feathers on the upper half of the neck. Pick the breast clean, pick around the vent and up to the large tail feathers. Pick the entire under side of the wing, all three joints; pick the upper part of the first joint next to the body. Leave the feathers on the upper part of the last two joints including the long wing feathers or flights. Leave the saddle feathers on the back to within 2% or 3 inches of the tail. See Illustration 3. Some large capon packers vary the above style by picking the leg or drumstick clean and removing all, or nearly all, of the saddle feathers. Also leaving all the feathers on both sides of the two outside joints of the wings. Sometimes heavy springs or even heavy hens are dressed capon style and sell readily. At other times the feathers will have to be plucked by the receiver in order to find a sale for same. If you can find an outlet, pick some in this manner; otherwise, don’t risk it. Guineas. Guineas are very easily prepared for market. All that is necessary to do is to break the neck and allow them to cool over night before packing. Do not pluck the feathers. In killing, the skin should not be broken, as this would spoil the POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. 17 appearance of the bird. It is generally well to throw them in a barrel or large box until they are quiet, then place on shelves or racks with the head hanging down to allow the blood to gather in the neck. Squabs should be bled and dry picked and the work should be done very carefully. Pigeons are killed by breaking the necks, the birds allow- ed to cool and packed with the feathers on. If the neck is properly broken, no blood will appear on the outside of the bird. Feathers. All body feathers should be saved and the wing and tail feathers of all but hens, ducks and geese. Save from each kind of poultry separately. As the white feathers are much more valuable, they should be kept from the colored. Be sure to save the rooster tail feathers; save the whole “grab,” that is, the whole handful as the picker removes the tail. Wing and tail feathers may be sacked at once, but it is well to place the body feathers in bins if the room can be obtained and stir well with a large fork every few days to keep from matting. You will find a ready market for all prime, properly cared for feathers. All duck and geese body feathers should be carefully saved, each kind separate, as they bring a big price, and the white of each kind by themselves, as they are more valuable than the colored. If the feathers from steamed ducks or geese are thoroughly forked every day, they will dry out and become prime and are equally as good and sell for the same as what are known as live duck or geese feathers. The geese feathers will bring more money per pound than the duck. If duck and geese feathers are carefully handled, they will pay for the cost of dressing. CHAPTER. 1X; Cooling. If this hand book had been written ten or fifteen years ago, it would have been proper to have devoted this chapter to drawing, as removing the entrails would have been at that time the next step in preparing the poultry for market. Up to within a few years some markets required that the poultry be drawn before it was packed. Likewise in the im- mediate past, especially at the time of the pure food agitation, there was some prejudice and considerable agitation against undrawn poultry being marketed or put in the freezer. ‘This prejudice has been demonstrated to be unfounded and the agi- 18 POULTRY PACKERS’ GUIDE. tation has gradually died down and at present one hears very little objection to undrawn poultry. The standard requirement is now for undrawn poultry and I doubt that it ever will be changed. It would be impos- sible to put a good quality of poultry on the market under present conditions if it were necessary to draw it, as this would expose the inside to contamination and lessen instead of increasing the keeping quality. It is absolutely necessary that the animal heat be allowed to pass out of a dressed bird as soon as possible after it is killed. The abundant bacteria that are always present begin to develop very rapidly as soon as the bird is dead unless it is cooled. Cold retards the development of bacteria, and when the temperature of the bird is near freezing the develop- ment is very slow, and when frozen it is practically suspended. However, a dressed bird should not be placed at once where the temperature is too low, say at freezing or below, for in this case the bird will not cool out properly. We hear around poultry houses the common and paradoxical saying, “Cooling too quickly drives the heat in.” An explanation that has been offered for this phenomenon, is that exposing the bird to quite intense cold does two things that prevent the radiation of the heat from the bird, or as commonly ex- pressed, prevent the bird from cooling: (1) hardens the outside of the carcass causing it to act as insulation, (2) con- geals the moisture near the surface and stops the flow of the juices of the body. The moisture or juices of the bird con- tinue to flow from one part of the body to another for a con- siderable time after the bird is killed, especially if one part of the body is colder than another and this affords an avenue for the internal animal heat to escape, but when the juices are congealed at the outside the flow ceases. It is certainly true that if the bird is placed immediately in too cold a tempera- ture, the heat is held within long enough to give the putrafac- tive bacteria a chance to develop to a sufficient extent to give the bird when cooked an offensive flavor. Of late years the larger packers have equipped their plants with artifcial cooling facilities and are thus in a pos- ition to box pack their poultry during the summer months as well as when the weather is cold. The rooms are held at from 40 degrees to 45 degrees, although some cool at 34 de- grees to 37 degrees. If the poultry is to reach the freezer or market within two or three days it can be held in a room at from 32 to 34 degrees, but in the Southwest, where a great deal of summer dressing is done, it is customary to hold it in a room at about 27 degrees for from 48 to 72 hours before ship- So) Z © ~