Anybody on here ever heard of Caponizing ?

[horsejody]

Years ago (now I am going to date myself) we learned in Agriculture class that you could caponize a bird chemically. You fed stuff to the bird, and it was chemically castrated. The stuff is now not sold. I guess it's illegal now to caponize this way. Personally, I wouldn't caponize. It would be too easy to mess up and cause suffering.

 

[gorgeousarmageddon]

So do capons still crow like roosters or do they totally act like female chickens? We can't keep roosters here so if they don't crow this could be a good way of dealing with accidental roosters

 

[JennsPeeps]

Maybe they are like castrati and only have high-pitched noises?

 

[Nikki28]

Doesn't that hurt the bird? It sounds like it would be painful.

 

[jvls1942]

I am considered old by BYC standards.. I have never done caponizing but I have hear of it and I do have an idea of how it is done.. I know of a farm family that did their own caponizing every year to a couple of hundred roosters.. It is not that difficult..
You just have to know where on the back to make 2 small cuts and take a tweezer and pull the testicles out and cut them off.. splash on the disinfectant and do the next one.. this family would lose probably 1 to 5 out of a hundred birds..

some hatcheries used to offer caponized chickens for a little extra $$$$

 

[Mrs MIA]

I saw some Capons at Safeway just the other day in our little town. In the freezer section next to the turkeys and ducks.

 

[Strumhead]

Quote:
They still circumcise....and that hurts like hell!! And it's main purpose is only to be fashionable!


Edited to remove flaming.

 

[redhen]

poor birds!...why make an animal suffer for no real reason!....sorry..i just think of this in 2 ways....#1: if you dont want a real rooster...just flippin get some hens.....#2: if you do this....take it to a vet and get it put under...so it dosent have to feel you ripping its testes out of its body....

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Quote:
Funny, I was gonna stay out of this one, until I read this last thread!

I have a great Vet, He is willing to see my chickens, and works on all kinds of birds and exotics. So when I didnt want to part with one of my young roos this fall, I talked to him about getting him neutered, or caponized. Well, long and the short is that he wouldnt do it, unless allowed to do it as a full surgical proceedure, running around 450.00 =/- per bird. Well, needless to say, we still have too many young roos!

I believe in the best medical care I can afford for all my critters, but I drew the line at that! Sheesh!

He told me how farmers do the caponizing, and that it is pretty tough on the birds, cause you are basically ripping out the testes. but it is and was done for centuries. I wont risk it with my birds tho.

Lots of good info in this thread, I was glad to learn more about the whole subject! I always thought a capon was a tiny little quail like bird.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Funny, I was gonna stay out of this one, until I read this last thread!

I have a great Vet, He is willing to see my chickens, and works on all kinds of birds and exotics. So when I didnt want to part with one of my young roos this fall, I talked to him about getting him neutered, or caponized. Well, long and the short is that he wouldnt do it, unless allowed to do it as a full surgical proceedure, running around 450.00 =/- per bird. Well, needless to say, we still have too many young roos!

I believe in the best medical care I can afford for all my critters, but I drew the line at that! Sheesh!

He told me how farmers do the caponizing, and that it is pretty tough on the birds, cause you are basically ripping out the testes. but it is and was done for centuries. I wont risk it with my birds tho.

Lots of good info in this thread, I was glad to learn more about the whole subject! I always thought a capon was a tiny little quail like bird.

LOL..ooh..i am sure it IS expensive to have a vet do it!...but...there IS a reason he would not do it with out putting the bird under..you see..he KNEW how bad and painful it is for them!....also...i do understand that it has been done for centuries..but..really..does that make it right??

....not to me it dosent..sorry...gotta draw the line somewhere...and for this i do..i think its very cruel and selfish also...UNLESS it is done by a vet with the proper care for their pain they will suffer....would we just rip out a kittens or puppys testes?...know what i mean?...its just cruel to me...but again, this is JUST my opinion..so...