Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-11-07
Poultry For The
Holiday Market


prepared, make good roasters; taken
from the general yard. they are
tough and fit only for soup. Cock
erels ten or twelve weeks old will by
special fattening and inactivity. be-
come plump very quickly.
Morning, noon and night feed
mash, it is more easily assimilated
than whole corn. For the first ten
DAYS of the fattening period the
ground feed, one third of tea
spoonful of salt, one pint of boiled
and mashed carrots. beets or pota-
toes. For the last ten days use one
quart of corn-meal, one dessert
spoonful of powdered charcoal one
pound of potatoes and two large
onions, boiled and mashed. Mix
these together and make very soft
with skim milk in which beef suet
has been boiled. One-half pound of
suet,. chopped fine, is enough for two
quarts of milk. Let simmer for about
Is minutes.
Feed as much mash as the birds
will eat in Is minutes. 1t should not
be allowed to stand before them con-
tinually. Suet in the feed. it has
long been known to make the flesh
more tender and juicy, and makes an
excellent addition to the mash when
fattening for market.
Food has an important effect on
flavor of poultry meat. After the
fattening has been successfully &C
complished, correct killing and dress
ing must follow to insure excellence.
At least "a hours before killing, re-
move the birds to individual coops,
about one ard one-half feet square,
with wire-netting sides. floor of
Stats one-half inch apart and legs
and elevated position allow the drop
pings to fall through and out of the
birds reach. For about twelve hours
they should have milk before them
all the time, but no feed at all. and
the last twelve hours they should
have nothing but water: this in
ures the crop being empty.
The most humane and best way OF
slaughtering the birds is to have a
string with a moose at one end sus-
pended from beam in some out
house. Slip the binds feet through
the moose. Stand with your back
to the bird, take the body breast
uppermost under the left arm, the
head in your left hand: open the
beak by pressing at sides between
thumb and finger, and with French
killing knife stab up into the eX-
treme back Of the roof of the mouth
Give quick turn to the left and
withdraw the knife. Leave the bird
suspended for a few minutes before
taking the feet from the moose.
Plucking should be done at once.
It is best to commence with the long
wing and tail-feathers. then from the
shanks, down the inside of the thigh
and over the breast to the neck.
Take only few feathers at time;
grasp as closely to the skin as pos
sible. and pull quickly toward the
head. At first it may be difficult to
remove the feathers without tearing
the skin. but little assurance and
some practise will render 1t quite
easy. After all feathers. pin-feathers
and quilts have been extracted, hang
the bird up to become quite cold
before drawing; but do not delay
more than two hours.
Next. cut off the head with a sharp
knife, leaving about three inches of
the neck. slit the skin at the back
lengthwise, push back. and cut out
the neck-bone close TO the body.
With the point of the knife sever the
membrane which holds the windpipe
close to the breast. cut off the
shanks, make a straight cut from the
end of the breast-bone to the vent,
being careful to sever the skinny
flesh only. Cut in a circle round the
vent, and the bird can be drawn
easily. Place a peeled onion or piece
of charcoal in the body, and hang it
up in a cold room or cellar for "a
hours,
The foregoing method of drawing
leaves the bird unmarried; and the
neck skin folded under the neck after
the stuffing has been put in, holds it
firmly in place for roasting and cary
ing. The few stitches necessary from
the breast-bone down do not show
where the bird is drawn.
The cut is necessary to avoid
breaking the gall bag. which is II
small sac lying between the two
parts of the liver. To clean the giz-
zard, hold it firmly with the narrow.
smooth line that runs on one side
uppermost.. Lay the, edge of the
knife on the line and make a small,
shallow cut. which will reveal
gray -colored bag. This must be. re-
moved intact.
1t has not yet become the general
market custom to ship drawn birds.
but many private customers will
quickly appreciate the Improvement
in flavor. When birds are going to
customers. instead of being sent in
a sprawling condition. they are
trussed as for roasting, leaving
piece Of charcoal inside TO insure
perfect sweetness.