GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[dfr1973]

I had two full grown capons carried off by hawks.

Well, even the larger hawks here are smaller than the bald eagles ... we do sit out with them when we let them out, so that ought to discourage raiding. In a couple years - if things go as planned! - my capons should be a bit too big to carry off.

I am breeding for size and fleshiness, for the meat side of utility dual purpose Wyandottes.

I suppose the unanswered question is: what breed(s) and what size were those full grown capons?

 

[naillikwj82]

TBB- Certainly hawks kill many chicken, but are really only able to carry off very small chickens. They would tend to kill, and consume what they could on the spot. We have had Bald eagles kill full term chickens, and only after several have had a turn at eating of it, would one eventually carry the remains off in flight.
Deerfield- Please don't get your hopes up for an 20 pound capon. The increased weight gain will rarely exceed the weight of an intact sibling by more than 2 to 3%. Also keep in mind that the gain is in fat content, not muscle. Though in all respects a capon truly produces a much more superior meat than any other poultry!

Quite awhile back I stated that any boast of really great weight gains, capon vs intact sibling of same breed are just fish stories. Like a minnow becoming a whale. Those stories are really only believable from preschoolers that went fishing with Grandpa.
jeff

 

[dfr1973]

Please don't get your hopes up for an 20 pound capon.

To my understanding, that is controlled by genetics. I am hoping to get 12 pound capons by my F3 generation though! Then I can work up to around 14 pound capons ... I am basically trying to breed feathered tanks.

It ought to keep me busy and out of (most) trouble for the next 5-10 years. Ah why not throw in an old art plate that is my goal?

 

[Maggiesdad]

LoL you just need some midget white turkeys!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

TBB- Certainly hawks kill many chicken, but are really only able to carry off very small chickens. They would tend to kill, and consume what they could on the spot. We have had Bald eagles kill full term chickens, and only after several have had a turn at eating of it, would one eventually carry the remains off in flight.
Deerfield- Please don't get your hopes up for an 20 pound capon. The increased weight gain will rarely exceed the weight of an intact sibling by more than 2 to 3%. Also keep in mind that the gain is in fat content, not muscle. Though in all respects a capon truly produces a much more superior meat than any other poultry!

Quite awhile back I stated that any boast of really great weight gains, capon vs intact sibling of same breed are just fish stories. Like a minnow becoming a whale. Those stories are really only believable from preschoolers that went fishing with Grandpa.
jeff

Not to worry, I'm not expecting any 20 lb. birds. I would be over the moon with a 12 lb bird. No matter what I get, it will be interesting to see how it turns out, even if it's 9 lbs. I will certainly have more information than I had before the whole endeavor started and that's good enough for me. I'm no preschooler, I just turned 57 so I am very familiar with fish stories.

But I am still young enough at heart to be able to get really excited about what I'm doing.

Maggiesdad, Funny you should mention Midget White turkeys... I just purchased 5 poults last weekend! They are the cutest little things and make the most darling sounds.

 

[hellbender]

To my understanding, that is controlled by genetics. I am hoping to get 12 pound capons by my F3 generation though! Then I can work up to around 14 pound capons ... I am basically trying to breed feathered tanks.

It ought to keep me busy and out of (most) trouble for the next 5-10 years. Ah why not throw in an old art plate that is my goal?

Yep...If you caponize a bird that could mature around 10 to 11 pounds, (Chantecler), you could get a 13 or 14 pounder but the process of caponizing is to increase the quality of the meat to a far greater extent than quantity.

 

[rvroman]

Ok, so I have been following this thread for a bit and I still don't know what a slip is. I haven't ever raised meat birds, but am really hoping to in the not too distant future. I saw roos are cheaper than st run and pullets, is this because the meat tends to be tougher. I may need to learn to caponize just so I can keep a few of my favorite chicks I hatched this go round. Granted I wouldn't do it myself yet, but I would love to learn.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Ok, so I have been following this thread for a bit and I still don't know what a slip is. I haven't ever raised meat birds, but am really hoping to in the not too distant future. I saw roos are cheaper than st run and pullets, is this because the meat tends to be tougher. I may need to learn to caponize just so I can keep a few of my favorite chicks I hatched this go round. Granted I wouldn't do it myself yet, but I would love to learn.

A slip is when part of the testicle is left inside the bird for whatever reason. If the teste broke when trying to extract it and a partial piece of it is left behind in the bird, it is a slip because even with a small part intact, the cockerel will still have all the crowing, mating behaviors, etc., and the meat quality will be effected. A slipped testicle that is still attached to the bird can regenerate. Caponizing creates a "marbled" meat similar to making bulls into steers. A slip is not a capon and will have the tougher meat of a rooster.

Roos, correct name is Cock for mature birds and Cockerel for immature Cocks. The cockerels are cheaper because most people in town cannot have roosters/cocks because of the crowing. Also most people just want eggs and don't intend to raise their own meat so a pullet is more valuable due to supply and demand. If a person intends to raise chickens for meat, they typically use a Cornish X. I don't for various philosophical reasons. I've raised a small group of them and it was very distressing for the kids and I. Straight run just means a mix of cockerels and pullets. The possibility of having pullets in the mix brings the price up a bit. Sorry if I've included info you already knew.

I truly only am interested in caponizing because I have so many kids to feed and a capon is much easier to integrate into the yard with my other birds, especially in the quantities I need. I don't need batches of 50 cockerels practice mating on my 10 hens and fighting with my main rooster. As it is we have 2 full size upright freezers and a small chest freezer that are kept full year round. I don't want to have to produce, process and freeze the 2 - 300 birds it would take for a year's supply, all in the spring and summer. With capons they can stay within my paddock system, living a great life on grass until I am ready to process in groups of 50, which is easily accomplished in one long morning or afternoon for us. As you know, we processed 43 birds yesterday for a total of 5 hours, including set up, processing, clean up and setting in the fridge to rest. Up to now, I just haven't been able to manage the large numbers I need. With capons, I can hatch and raise in smaller groups, year-round and provide all the chicken we eat. That's my end goal.

Once I am no longer feeding so many people, I would probably just grow them out to 12 weeks and slow cook or pressure cook them. I don't know really, we may be addicted to capons at that point.

Caponizing is a very intense procedure and I think you have to be very strongly motivated to do it.

 

[dfr1973]

LoL you just need some midget white turkeys!

The only problem with that is that they'd be turkeys. I much prefer chicken - also don't crash out for a nap after a big chicken dinner like I do after turkey.

 

[collie1470]

Deerfield Acres,

You've explained exactly the reasons I am stark determined to learn to do this. I'm pretty sure I'm driving my fiance crazy, because I get so excited everytime I learn something new about it haha.