The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-11-06
CUSTOM DRESSING
OF BIRDS POPULAR
With n. D. farmer
Half Of Turkeys Being Prepared
According to Plan of Lo-
cal Creamery

A system of preparing turkeys TO-,
market which was developed and
sponsored by Armour Creameries of
Bismarck a year ago is being used by
Approximately half of North Dakota's
producers this year. according to Carl
Nelson, manager Of the local cream
cry and produce establishment.
The system is called custom dress
ing"
Custom dressing of turkeys is de-
scribed by Nelson as follows:
Producers select their birds using
the following scale Of weights to as
sure No. l quality when dressed:
young tom turkeys from II pounds
and up, young hen turkeys from 10
pounds and up. Old hens and old
toms. of course. are full grown.
After selecting your birds for Gus
tom dressing. they should be kept off
feed fer from IL to 16 hours. Place
them in confinement where they can.
not pick up anything such as sticks.
pieces of metal, sand. gravel. straw,
grain or litter of any description
Give the turkeys all the fresh water
they can drink.
Handle With Care
when you are ready to haul the
turkeys to the market for custom
dressing, be very careful so that the
turkeys will not get bruised about the
body and wings in loading. Be care
full SO you do not briuse them when
YOU put them in the coops particular
ly. If you load your turkeys in an
ordinary wagon box, that is a grain
box. or in q specially constructed lar
ger box o. truck. it is we'll to get
some old b cards or woven fence wire;
anything that makes a good partition.
Divide. the wagon box into several
compartments thus doing away with
the danger of the turkeys climbing on
top Of each other and smothering OF
bruising some Of the birds as is al
ways the case when they pile up.
AFTER arriving at the produce
house with your turkeys. they will be
unlcaded and tagged SO as to identify
each producers birds. They are then
graded in your presence after being
dressed In your presence. You are be-
ing charged ten cents per bird IN most
cases therc may be ON concerns
higher but not many for this service.
Advantages Are Many
Here arc some Of the advantages
that you have in having your birds
custom dressed. You are saving a
loss In misbled birds. saving a loss OF
full crops that discolor. saving a loss
through off-cordition OH account OF
improper cooling. saving a loss OF poor
picking. saving a loss of birds baino
bruised through picking and rough
handling while being picked. saving
a loss Of birds being bruised in haul
ing them to market. saving q loss OF
general appearance Of birds that or
dinari)y would grade No. | but
though inconsistent handling have
to be graded lower. All these say
ings arc being passed on to you
through custom dressing Of your tur-
keys. This in many Instances amounts
to from three to cigtht cents a pound
more than the producer would other
wise have received.
ct is we'll to also observe that the
present value OF turkeys hardly per-
mits the high cost Of shipping the
turkeys to market by express. 1t is
therefore money in the producer
pocket to arrange his marketing Of
turkeys in such way that they car be
moved by freight. The latest date
for freight shipment for Thanksgiving
from this territory will be November
14th.
mo one can foretell what the mar
ket is going to be. If weather condi-
tons continue warm, it is very. very
risky business for anyone not thor
oughly experienced to handle tur-
keys"