rooster's voicebox removal

[jheasley]

For over 10 years now I've heard of a procedure that’s being done on roosters to quiet rooster's, I actually think it's a surgical procedure done by a veterinarian that removes their voice box.

#1 does anyone have any knowledge of this and if so, what’s your personal?

#2 if someone has knowledge of this, do you know of any veterinarians in the Indiana that are performing this procedure?

 

[Judy]

This thread will interest you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/705084/decrowing-roosters

 

[Michael OShay]

This thread will interest you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/705084/decrowing-roosters

That's a very interesting article. It's the first I've seen on de-crowing roosters. Thanks for posting.

 

[jheasley]

thank you for the link, it was very interesting. $200 is way to expensive & unrealistic to pay for such a procedure. No wonder over 90% of poultry owners don't know anything about it, the word doesn't get around because common sense is people won't pay $200.

Some knowledgeable poultry owner need to learn how to do this procedure on their own with ether and post a video of it on YouTube.

 

[smithreeves2016]

For over 10 years now I've heard of a procedure that’s being done on roosters to quiet rooster's, I actually think it's a surgical procedure done by a veterinarian that removes their voice box.

#1 does anyone have any knowledge of this and if so, what’s your personal?

#2 if someone has knowledge of this, do you know of any veterinarians in the Indiana that are performing this procedure?

I would do it. I live in an urban area and roosters are in nuisance. I raised bantams and I need a rooster. If I could have someone remove his voice box I would be greatly appreciative.

 

[wordsretainpower]

I would do it. I live in an urban area and roosters are in nuisance. I raised bantams and I need a rooster. If I could have someone remove his voice box I would be greatly appreciative.

Same. I wouldn't mind paying 200 after all the other stupid shit I've put myself through these last two weeks trying to get him to quiet down

 

[eira_barbara]

Worth noting that this is more difficult than a similar surgery would be on a mammal because chickens, like all birds, don't actually have a larynx--what we normally mean by "voicebox." Instead, they have two syrinxes, one on each side of the bifurcation as the single larynx splits to reach each of the lungs. Instead of one pair of vocal folds to remove, you'd have two, and of course you'd also be trying not to damage the fragile air sacs as well as the much closer lungs while you're at it.

You can see some of the respiratory anatomy over here on this songbird diagram. (Incidentally, note that birds also don't have a diaphragm either--that's a mammal thing.)

As far as I can tell from a cursory search, rather than outright removing the synringes the usual "decrowing" surgery is to simply cut an incision into the syrinx so that air can't be forced to vibrate through the folds as effectively: instead, it hisses into the nearest (clavicular) air sac. Ideally. Assuming:

a) that the slit on either syrinx doesn't heal shut, either partially or fully
b) that you don't nick anything else important while you're in there
c) that the anesthesia doesn't just outright kill the bird--birds being generally more sensitive to general anesthesia and related complications

There's another thread here with a member who did this surgery on several roosters; results seem mixed.

 

[cubalaya]

So nice to have 12+ roosters crowing loud and proud every morning.