Mower County transcript., 1892-08-10
~
POULTRY FOR HOME AND MARKET.
Fattening and Killing Fowls--scalded
Chickens-Dry Picking.

In my opinion, for home consumption
nothing can excel in the poultry line 4
chicken about 4 months old that has
always been fed in the yard, but never
fattened at all. IT a fowl Of the age I
mention has been properly fed from the
shell there will be plenty Of good, juicy,
sweet meat, with but little Of the fat,
which, SO far as my observation extends,
few if any really like. I never eat it,
and don't want it on my chickens, says
q correspondent of the New York World,
who adds:
When profit is the object in view,
however, and the birds are designed for
market, it is better to pen them up for a
fortnight and add to their weight by
feeding them in confinement on fatten-
ing rations. When it can be obtained
cheap enough to justify its use the best
food for fattening is buckwheat meal.
It is used by the French poulterers, and
I can say from experience that they are
justified in preferring it when the OBJ
ject is to lay on fat. A very good sub
stitute for buckwheat meal and ration
much oftener used is an even mixture
of cornmeal and barley meal.
While do not pen up chickens to
fatten them for my own consumption, l
always pen them for twelve hours pre-
vious to killing, to insure their fasting
that length of time. I kill my fowls by
thrusting the blade of a penknife
through the back. part of the roof of the
mouth up into the brain. This causes
instant death, and is less repulsive than
chopping off the head or wringing the
neck. Hang the bird up by the legs; be
sure the knife blade is sharp and point
ed and the operation of killing is an
easy one.
Having had q limited experience with
geese, can't write much on the branch
of poultry they represent. I have no.
ticed, however, that geese will bear sud-
den fattening less we'll than will chick
ems. My best results were attained by
confining the birds gradually and at last
entirely in q partially darkened place
and feeding the same food as is usually
given to chickens. Each producer who
grows poultry for city markets ought to
inform himself of the demands of that
special interest and dress his poultry in
accordance with these demands. Here
are some words of advice sent out to
patrons by Chicago commission firm,
which contain some practical points of
general interest:
Keep the fowls without food for
twenty-four hours previous to killing.
Full crops injure the appearance and
are liable to sour, and when this does
occur correspondingly lower prices
must be accepted. Kill by bleeding in
the mouth or opening the veins of the
neck. Hang by the feet until properly
bled. Leave head and feet on and do
not remove intestines or crop. Scalded
chickens sell best to home trade and dry
picked best to shippers, so that either
manner of dressing will do if done
properly. For scalded chickens the wa
ter should be as near boiling point as
possible without boiling. Pick the legs
dry before scalding. Hold by the legs
and head and immerse and lift up and
down two or three times. If the head
is immersed it turns the color of the
comb and gives the eyes sunken ap-
pearance, which leads buyers to think
the fowl has been sick. The feathers
and pin feathers should then be removed
Immediately, very cleanly, and without
breaking the skin; then plump" by
dipping ten seconds in water nearly or
quite boiling and then Immediately into
cold water. Hang in cool place until
the animal heat is entirely out. To dry
pick chickens properly the work should
be done while the chickens are bleeding.
Do not wait and let the bodies get cold.
Dry picking is much more easily done
while the bodies are warm. Be careful
and do not break or tear the skin.