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

[rivers2011]

Great job! THanks for sharing!

 

[Ariel301]

Very nice.

I'd love to do this, but I think I'd want someone to walk me through a few of them in person first. I doubt there's anyone local who does it, but I should check around.

 

[dbcooper02]

I see the OP hasn't posted anything since 4/21 so I thought I'd post a pix of some of mine to keep Urbanfarmerkc happy.
These are much older than they need to be, but you must realize that they will not grow out nearly as fast as a CX.
What I have done this season is to buy a batch of 200 cockerels fron Dunlap hatchery in Idaho. Including shipping they arrive at your local PO for 44 1/2 cents a piece. I figure the up front cost of them compared to CX leaves enough $ to buy the feed for the additional grow out time.
db

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Quote:
Wow,

those are some fine looking young capons. How old are they here? Do they eat as much as the CX do?

Thanks for coming to my aide. I really am interested. I have a project I'm working on that involves two different breeds and we are forced to hatch a lot of chickens. The mixes of the two breeds grow fast enough to turn into broilers easily enough. The roosters of the other two do NOT! So, I'm very interested in capons. Do they really taste better than the CX and are they tougher?

Inquiring minds and all.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[dbcooper02]

These boys weren't all that young at this point, probably 9 months or so. I love the way they look and their laid-back attitude.
This time I'm going to keep some back and experiment with having them brood chicks.
The birds free range here and they pick up grass and bugs etc to supplement the feed they get.
I don't push them to develop rapidly, I just let them set their own pace.
Two weeks before butchering they can be confined and fattened up to finish them.
Pretty darn tasty and tender.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
so you have 200 roosters you caponized???

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

So at 9 months old they are still tender even though you let them wonder around? If you were to guess, how much do you think you put into feed to get them to a size worth slaughtering?

I'll go ahead and let you know why I ask, I have restaurants that want some of my chickens and these restaurants prize capons. Also the killing of male chicks at hatcheries kinda get to me. This seems like a better plan!

Dave

 

[rivers2011]

Quote:
So did you find in your personal experience that the roosters are totally cool with each other? No fighting to worry about? I'm guessing that they still crowed? The sound of 200 cockerels learning to crow must be something...

Hopefully a thread this old can still be revived

 

[dbcooper02]

I don't really have an educated guess about the amount of feed they consume as I keep a large mixed flock of all sorts of birds that all free range together. I may have a better idea with the current batch as I plan to pen them separately.
I don't have 200 here. I split the shipment in half with some friends. Then due to a couple of power failures in the brooder house during the cold weather I probably only have 50 or 60 growing out now.
The boys do spar a bit, but nothing really serious. They do get along rather well, you can see them lounging on the deck, A few crow but most don't. With the 6 or 8 roosters here it wouldn't make much difference anyway.

 

[equinelyn]

Wait... was the bird neutered? I'm confused lol

We were thinking of neutering our cockerel but didn't know what age to do it. We don’t want fertilized eggs from our hens..