PREPARING POULTRY FOR MARKET.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 206, 4 September 1873, Page 2

PREPARING POULTRY FOR MARKET.

If we the jUigliest prtcer for»our poultry, we mutt fatta/it-f ell, make the afcim white and the fleth plump, And tlMin dtestjit and pack it in a proper manner. It neTer* 'para to'ieM iiysrjpr, harf-.la£tea«4 eHickem, turkey*, due**, or ge*», td-;iilarK^t ; ami it ,u fcbrara best to carry th* largest fowls, aj they «©fl the readme' and bring the highest price. Tho cp^cni* look* qsp^ifiJHy'to the size of the turkey pr.c'iiekeps. he ■Meet* for his dinner, and often chooses the short, yellow-le^ed fowl in jfrefefenoe to all other«. Th-ro are various raetno s, iaji a correspondent of the AV-i.tj Country Qe/UUmem, recommended for - fattening n nil'ry, and we are'all apt to imagine that our own way ia Mm bjst. Fowls can be fattened well in a fortnight, if 'they arc cooped up where they cannot obtain any gravel or lime, j and are fed on scalded corn-meal, given three times a day, while ears of corn are always at h^n I. For drink, skimmed milk is Terj desirable, and if warmed a little will be drank with eagerness. Pulverized charcoal, kept either in boxes or mixed with the food, will materially assist the fattening process In twelre or fourteen days you will find tho weight of your chicken*, turkeys, &c, decidedly increased ; but if not killed at that period, it it better to feed them with a little s'larp gravel or old mortar, or they will lose rather than gain flesh. The English method is to chut up each fowl by itself, spread the ground or box with gravelly sand, and bosidos the boiled pudding and whole corn feed ground beans and oats, made into a cake With milk, melted mutton or beef suet, and sweetened with molasses or brown sugar. Bake on flat tins, and when stale, crumble it into pieces, giving each bird about a gill three times a day. The practice of cramming fowls to fatten them is an abomination. I neyer could relish a turkey which had been seized by the legs and his throat stuffed with corn pudding, and it, would evidently relish its food much more if allowed to take it in a natural manner. The fattening coops, or houses, should be warm, yet well aired, and a slight litter of straw is desirable. The perches should be placed but a few feet from tho ground, in the darkest corner, and if made with poles placed slanting, one above the other, like a itairway, the hens can mount to them easily. When ready to kilt the poultry, do not feed them for one or two meals, s>as to leave tho crops empty, for if they are full, the fle3h about them will grow bluish, and make the fowl less attractive. Take a very sharp small-bladed knife, hang up the turkey or chicken by the legs to a rope filed for the purpose, and as it opens its mouth thrust in the knife and make a deep cut across the throat, holding the head until it stops struggling ; then leave it to bieed well, and kill another. Pick them while yet warm, and without scalding the feathers, for that injures the fresh appearance of the skin. Pull out the feathers as rapidly as possible, jet carefully, so as not to tear the skin, taking only a few in your hand at once. The largest feathers can be thrown into the refuse heap, but the 6mall ones should be slowly heated in a cool oven, and then used to stuff chair or holster cushions. On the turkeys leave the wing feathers untouched ; every housewife likes them for dustrrs. Chiokens, if extra large sized and finely dressed, can also hare the wings left on, but geese and ducks are entirely plucked. As soon as tho fowls are picked', cut off their heads, and drain the blood well from the bodies ; then, remove the entrails, leaving the nocks untouched. Some poultry raisers rub a little dry salt into the inside of the bodies ; cthera put a piece of charcoal into them j either way is good, and helps to keep the flesh sweet and untainted. In packing poultry, wait until the animal heat has ovaporated, but do not let them freeze at all ; yet they must be perfectly dry — no moisture about them or the packing, because if the poultry smells musty or becomes mouldy or sweated, its market price is much affected. • * pple or flour barrels, perfectly new, are the best to use, and the express charges will also be less than if a box is taken which holds the same quantity ; besides a now barrel is always saleable. Rye straw is freest from dust, and therefore best for packing ; put some in the bottom of the barrel, laying it on its side. Press the wings close to the body of the fowls and pack in circles round the barrel, alternating body and le^s ; put straw between each layer. "When nearly full lift up the barrel and shake down the contents. Pack as tightly as possible tfnd as clean. It is a good plan to wrap brown paper around each fowl, and thus keep it from contact with either barrel or straw. Cleanliness is xery e9s?ntial if you desire to receive the highest market price for your poultry ; and the appearance of the fowls counts as much, if not more, than the quality, althoncn both aro desirable — Farmer.