The Barred Plymouth Rock is a type of bird that is especially good for market. The markets demand that poultry shall have yellow shanks and skin; the Barred Plymouth Rocks fill this requirement, besides having the ability to convert food over to chicken to a profit to the poultry feeder. It should be the aim of the poultryman and farmer to select out of his flock for breeding, only those birds that are of a good market shape and then have well shaped bird to head the flock. If this kind of breeding is followed much better poultry will be put on the market.

When poultry is shipped alive to the market it is often subjected to bad handling. Figure (2) shows a number of crates of birds. which have been shipped to the city market. These crates are allowed at times to stand in the hot sun for several hours, which results in a loss in weight and also in the death of some of the birds. This is one of the reasons why the returns for a coop of poultry aren't as much as they should be.

There are dealers in the various cities who buy poultry in large numbers and kill and dress them for the local trade. (Fig. 3) shows one of these killing places: Some of these are kept in a sanitary condition, while others are not: In fact, they are filthy. The water used in scalding the poultry is kept in a large vat at the side of the room; several hundred birds are sometimes scalded without changing the water; thus the water becomes very filthy. Men are employed in these places to kill and scald the birds. One of these men will scald and pick about 500 birds in a day. In scalding the birds much filthy water is absorbed by the skin. The skin of scalded birds is easily broken, which furnishes a means for bacteria to enter the carcass and causes it to decompose. After the birds are picked they are cooled either in ice or ice-water. When the birds are allowed to soak for a number of hours in water they absorb several per cent. of it. This practice hurts the keeping quality of poultry. Scalded poultry will not keep in good condition very long on the open market.

The methods practiced in the Central West are quite different from those in the East. As a rule the poultry is shipped to a feeding station. A feeding station is a place where the poultry is fed for a period of ten days or two weeks, so that they will be in first class condition when killed for the market. (Figure 4) shows the entrance to a building of this kind. The birds are weighed and placed in feeding batteries. When one of these batteries is filled it is taken into the room where the feeding is done. Wheels underneath the batteries aid in moving them. (Fig. 5) shows the arrangement of the feeding room. This room is over 300 feet long and has a capacity of 40,000 chickens at one time. The ventilation is carefully looked after. This building has means of ventilation on the sides and also at the roof. You will notice the batteries are made up of four tiers of coops. Galvanized iron pans are used between each tier to collect the droppings. These pans are cleaned out every day and the room is kept very sanitary. A wide aisle is in the center of the room and also between each stand of batteries. A stand of batteries is divided into small pens about two feet square and twenty inches high. In a space of this size, from four to six birds can be confined. The birds are fed from a trough which is hung on the front side of the battery.

The feeding stations are equipped in much the same manner; however, some are more advanced in methods and equipment than others.