Caponizing

The younger birds have a very very high survival rate. Most people lose the first one or two they attempt, but once they figure it out very rarely loose any more. It gets complicated when you attempt the older more mature birds, they are hard to do. I would never suggest a novice attempt a mature (or nearly mature) bird. I would be equally cautious w/ a vet who doesn't have experience w/ birds attempting a nearly mature bird. It is a skill I think is invaluable in some circumstances, and an AWESOME way to have multiple roos for whatever reason you would like w/o having to worry about noise, hen wear, fighting or human aggression. (at least as long as you don't want their breeding ability). If the boy are done young you can choose if they are to be pets or dinner. If you wait until they are older and have an emotional attatchment there is greater risk.
 
I'm not sure how well this will show up but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway...

I posted on here a couple of years ago about when my dad and I used to caponize many chickens. I got some chickens again this spring and caponized an americauna and a buff orpington, both of which are doing well. It had been a long while but it came back pretty quickly.

It is of the utmost importance to take them off feed and water for at least 24 hours and preferably 36 hours prior to surgery. They'll be fine.

Attached is a scan of the instructions that came with a set of Beuoy tools that were made probably in the 1940s. In the second column it talks about taking them off feed and water. I hope it is readable. If anyone is interested, I can scan the rest of the pamphlet as well. It is very old.

 
Hmmm.. I've been thinking about caponizing my full grown Yokohama rooster, anyone have any tips?

My biggest tip would be not to, unless you are very skilled and / or don't mind losing him. Caponizing a grown (or mostly grown) roo, is exceedingly hard, both in technique and hard on the birds. I have seen it done successfully by one person on a couple of birds, but she is highly skilled, and she has even stopped caponizing older birds. I think she was most successful by doing each side a few weeks apart.
 
Oh yeah and also, if they can be spayed, does it stop egg laying?

Yes it is called poulardizing. At least one caponizer was trying to poulardize her meat hens, but I don't remember her outcome. Hens only have one ovary on the left side if I remember right, the process involves removing the ova duct, and yes when successful they can no longer lay.
 
I am sure it says in the book I ordered, but just asking experienced people too, at what age do you caponize them?
Thanks.

My experiences so far with RIR and BR cross chicks is 6 to 8 weeks. I found when trying to do them younger at 4 weeks there is not enough room in the rib cage to make a large enough incision to do the job or at least not with my skills my eyes and my hands. I have decided to do all of mine now at about the 6 or 7 enish they are adequately large to see what Im doing and not damage somthing I don't want to. Young enough to heal quickly and are still being kept segregated in a smallish pen with other youngsters fr a while so they don't have to have much pluck to get plenty of good starter feed water and rest. I tried to do my last batch at 4 weeks because at older they start to try to fly out of the playpen we use for a nursery. but we will just have to cover the pen. The ones I did at 6 weeks only ended up half capons because there was too much (normal) bleeding from the first removal to safely see what was going on in the small space and I refuse to cut them open a second time. They seem to be just as calm and docile as the first ones I did at an older age though and I have hope they will remain so and the meat will be good. Being careful and conservative and not afraid to call it off early even if not done has allowede all 6 of my boys to "make it" and they are such sweet birds now big difference in behavior even at the young age. night and day.
 

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