I Caponized! ***Graphic Pics*** Not For Faint of Heart.

I'm by no means a vet, but i do think that they don't have as much nerves in certain areas as most mammals. I have seen some brutal wounds on my chickens that would kill my dogs or cats, but they don't bleed like them either. so, that could be it too. Shock is usually a loss of blood from my understanding. Just my ideas.

yoyobantam said:

Hi, so I have a question that no one, not even a vet, has been able to answer for me. How is it that the chicken doesn't die from shock/pain? Do they have less nerve endings to process pain than mammals?

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I don't have scientific evidence, but animals (including humans) are a lot tougher than you're giving them credit for. it's really a small incision. you don't die when you get a cut of an inch or so, or even a big gash of 6 inches.

Mammals have been castrated without anesthesia for hundreds of years. Many are given an antibiotic shot now as prophylaxis, but that wasn't always the case. We castrate our weaner pigs right at the pen and turn them back in. Yep, I'm amazed they don't get infections but not a single one ever has. They don't die. Horses and calves are castrated and turned back into the herd and they do fine. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt them, I believe it does. But, not to the level of dying.

Hey, if I can live through a medical professional using a drill (yep, an actual electric drill) to drill through my hip bone and suck out some bone marrow, a bird can live through a small incision like this.

Do they crow ?

Thank you for the information. I tried 2 weeks ago on a rooster we were eating anyway, after he was dispatched. I was way too low on the rib cage and gave up. Went back to reading and watching everything I could find online. I tried on a live 6 week cockerel this morning, but lost my nerve and stopped. My source, the NASCO book said cut between the 2nd&3rd ribs and I made about a half inch incision and could not get the rib spreader in and open. Looking back I think the incision was too small. I tried gingerly to enlarge it, but there seemed to be bony resistance at both the top and bottom of my incision. At that point I stopped and the cockerel seems fine, eating and drinking well in a separate pen.

Do you have any tips about the landmarks for the incision between the ribs? Some sources say between the 1st and 2nd ribs. It did not seem nearly as easy as I thought. Also very grateful for the info on the eyelid retractor and home made straw loop. Had looked at rib retractors online but there was no way to know the proper size. Will probably wait again until my 3 cockerels start to crow and try post mortum on them the day they are processed. I will have my just ordered eyelid retractor and straw loop handy this time!

Again, would much appreciate any additional tips you might have

Thanks,

Nikki

I know this is an older post, but my experience was exactly as you described. I too bought the nasco kit and we had to modify the spreader, but still no luck.
Have you tried again or able to compare the nasco kit vs the eye speculums? If so what size did you try?

P.s. one of the problems we faced was being timid about the incision - my friend told me to practice on an orange as that's how she learned in school.