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Show DRESSING OF POULTRY The successful poultry man must do more than raise good birds for the market, according to Professor Byron Alder, poultry husbandman at the Utah Agricultural College. He must know in addition, how to market his product. The following instructions by Professor Alder, should prove of great pratical value to the poultry raiser: Profits in poultry raising depend in a large part on the marketing of the products. The producer should study the market demand and produce pro-duce that which brings the best returns. re-turns. The retail business or marketing market-ing directly to the consumer offers the best opportunities. The parcel post shipment of eggs and dressed fowls makes it possible for the producer to deal directly with the consumer, although al-though they may be some distance apart. The appearance and condition of the product is the first consideration considera-tion of the consumer. The best always al-ways 6ells first and there is little competition with a product of first quality. Begin marketing the young cockerels as soon as they are large enough to be in demand. The methods of killing, dressing and packing, should be carefully considered con-sidered in order to arrange the product pro-duct in the best possible manner. Feed should be kept from the fowls for at least 24 hours before they are killed, and water for at least 12 hours. Unless otherwise demanded the fowls should be marketed undrawn with head and legs left on, but washed clean. cle-an. If a bird were diseased in any way it would likely show on the head or on some of the internal organs. This gives the consumer the best possible chance to determine the condition of the bird at the time it was killed, and the carcass will keep better than if drawn and more or less dismembered. dismem-bered. Some markets demand dry picked birds. The feathers should be pulled immediately after killing, while the bird is bleedng before the muscles set or harden, or it will be difficult to dry nick. "The bird should then be hung in a cool place and not packed until all the animal heat has left the body. Dry picked birds keep better than those scalded. If the birds are to be eaten within two or three days after killing, or if they are to be packed in ice, they may be scalded and some time saved in picking. The water should be nearly to the boiling point and the fowls held by the legs, after they have stopped stop-ped bleeding and immersed three or four times. If they are over scalded the outer surface of the skin rubs off giving a bad appearance, if under-scalded, under-scalded, the feathers are hard to pull and there .is danger of tearing the skin. The carcass should be hung in a cool place until all animal heat is gone, then packed and sent to market. |