Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1872 — Preparing Poultry for Market. [ARTICLE]

Preparing Poultry for Market.

Preparing poultry for market is often improperly performed; ’ and “fiehce the great difference in their market' value. 'This is also one of the reasons why live fowls are so often sought after. In the first place the birds,must be properly fatI toned,'and this being done, if they are carefully dressed, remunerative prices are always the.result, Howto properly dress and prepare fowls, a well-known authority on this subject says : o. Before being killed, all fowls should be fasted for at least fourteen hours. Among, the methods of-killing''usually, had recourse to, M. Soycr recommends breaking the neck; which is done by taking the head in the right hand, with the thumb against the back of it, seizing the neck .with the left, the same arm supporting the fowl: then aquick jerk with the right

hand, turning the thumb downward at the same time, separates the vertebrae—but it takes rather a strong arm to do it. Countrymen and many others attain -the same object by taking the head in the right hand, and swinging the fowllround by it. One swing, properly done, Will dislocate the spine. Another method is to strike a sjiarp blow on the back of the neck with a stick. But any of these methods may cause muqh. needless suL-, sering in unskillful handsp—BE is true there is no “instantaneous” method of killing a fowl, the tenacity of-life being very great; but the actual operation should be only momentary; and we strongly advise all inexperienced amateurs to make sure of the matter by laying the neck on a block and chopping off the head at a blow. What we have said as to the tenacity of life may be illustrated by saying that even after this capital operation, the bird, if left to itself, will struggle violently all over the yard; but this can, perhaps, hardly be called life in the true sense, and we may hopethereis little or no conscious pain. The fowl should of course be first bandaged, tb prevent Struggling; and, indeed, this ought to be done in all cases where the knife is employed, afterward hanging up by the feet to bleed freely. When the head is cut off, the skin should afterward be drawn nearly over the stump and tied. ~ Poultry should be piucked or picked whilst still warm, when the feathers_will be removed with much less difficulty. Fowls are generally picked quite clean, but it looks better in the case’of young chickens to leave a few’ feathers about the t ail. They will eat best if nothing further is done to them; but it improves the appearance greatly for market to plunge the carcass, immediately after pludking, into a vessel of boiling w’ater for a few moments, which will “plump” it a great deal and makethcskin look bright and clean. After scalding, turkeys and fowls should be hung by the legs, and waterfowl by the neck. For sending to market wholesale, they should not be drawn, as they will keep much better without, and this is the proper business of the retailer; but in selling for consumption, the birds should be properly prepared for table. It may not be out of place to remark, that if after drawing, the cayity.l)e filled with charcoal broken in small pieces, the fowl may be kept sweet a considerable time.