(2) Weight. Weight ranges are stated for each class of chicken in the
specification.
(3) Sex. Sex is determined in live birds by the size, shape, and
development of the head, comb, wattles, feathering, and spur. In a dressed bird, the
male carcass is larger and more angular than that of the female; the depth from keel to
back is greater, and the bones are longer. The back is flat and box-shaped in the male,
rounded in the female. The skin of the male is coarse, especially in older birds, with
large feather follicles; the female has a smooth skin.
b. Requirements for Troop Consumption. Class often denotes the method of
preparing chicken to eat based on the age and size of the bird and the tenderness of
the meat. For troop consumption, the Armed Forces procure only Grade A broiler-
fryers, roasters, and stewing chickens. (These are Classes 1, 2, and 5.)
Section II. CONDITION AND QUALITY
2-10. CONDITION OF POULTRY
a. Condition Related to Quality Grading. The discussion on condition in this
subcourse will be in relation to the quality grading of poultry and not to destination
inspections for condition. For more information on condition inspection at destination,
refer to Subcourse MD0712, Poultry I.
b. Questionable Conditions. Condition refers to evidence of disease or other
factors which may render the birds unfit for use as human food. In general, the
following features are indications of questionable conditions:
(1) Skin and flesh darker than normal.
(2) The shanks pinched or shrunken.
(3) A doughy consistency to the skin and flesh.
c. Unwholesome Product. Birds showing evidence of any disease or other
condition which may render them unwholesome or unfit for use as human food will not
be graded.
d. Salvaging Rejected Product. The fact that a bird has some condition that
causes it to be classified as a reject does not necessarily mean that it must be
destroyed. Parts or all of the bird might be found, upon evisceration and inspection, to
be suitable for human food.
MD0728
2-7