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Show ou HOW POULTRY IS 10 BE HANDLED Washington, Nov. 25. Poultry packers pack-ers are urged by tho specialists of tho department to give unusual attention atten-tion to preparing and packing their birds -for shipment, particularly if the mild weather, which has been widely prevalent this autumn, continues. The poultry specialists say that the weather weath-er conditions In many sections have been very similar to those which prevailed pre-vailed In the autumn of 1913, and which, as poultry shippers will remember, remem-ber, proved disastrous to all packers who did not dress, chill, and pack properly. The specialists therefore recommend recom-mend the particular observance of the following methods of handling dressed poultry, which aro essential to a perfect product at any time and are of vital Importance whenever weather conditions are unfavorable Keep the hoWlng batteries for your Incoming stock clean, well aired and free from vermin, and see that the chickens have plenty of fresh water and plenty to eat Don't kill a chicken when the crop Is full of feed. Givo "the chicken only water for 24 hours before it Is killed. Food in tho crop or in the intestines of a dressed chicken causes j loss of flavor and hastens decay, which more than offsets any gain from extra weight. Good bleeding Is absolutely essential essen-tial to a good appearance on the market mar-ket and retards decay. Circular 61. Bureau of Chemistry, United States department of agriculture, explains the best methods of bleeding and loosening tho feather muscles for dry picking. Hang tho chicken by both feet while picking. Hanging by ono leg spoils the shape of the bird. Picking Pick-ing on the lap gets tho skin dirty and hastens decay. Dry pick if possible. Scalding is particularly undesirablo "because it hastens decay. Chill every dressed bird until the body temperature is below 35 degrees V. Never pack or ship an imperfectly imperfect-ly chilled bird. Moro decay Is due to Imperfect chilling than to any other single factor in dressing. Do' I chill, If possible. ChickenB cooled in water lose flavor, decay sooner, will not cold store as satisfactorily aa dry chilled, and aro In every way more undesirablo on tho market. Refrigerator Re-frigerator cars will carry woll chilled goods in good condition, but they cannot can-not chill warm goods to a sufficiently low temperature Pack in boxes or small kegs when ever possible. A largo barrel makes an undesirablo package because where poultry is packed in large masses the weight of tho upper layers lay-ers crushes the birds at the bottom. Line all packages with parchment paper and cover the top of the poultry poul-try before the lid is put on. Wrap every head in suitable paper so that blood from one bird will not mar tho appearance of another. Uso only good refrigerator cars and see that they aro in good order. Ice and salt the car 24 hours before loading. load-ing. The car, at tho end of tho 2 J hours, should show a temperature be low 40 degrees F at a point 4 feet above the floor and between the doors. General Suggestions. Never handle chickens roughly either ei-ther before or after killing. ' Rough handling causes bruises, broken bones, scarred skins and soft places in tho flesh. Undue haste on the part of " ' - "a EH the killers and pickers results in low- H crcd keeping quality and poor appear- IH anco of the product IH Pleco work which leads to quantity g rather than quality makes for lower LEeI prices on tho market. Those who IH pay by tho piece should remember EeI that they sell by tho quality of the t'Esl piece. JH These directions will apply with lH equal forco to turkeys intended for jH tho holiday market. iiEsI |