BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[AnthNDacula]

The backstory: I've fallen in love with the idea of raising White Dorkings and marketing the males as capons. I'm in the R&D phase and am building infrastructure to house chicks coming in the spring. And it's been at least 25 years since I've eaten capon but remember it was amazing.

Last night I bought a Minowa Capon which is the only one you ever see at the grocery store and only at Christmas. It's in the freezer to cook after the holidays. My question is this, what does anyone know about Minowa's Capons? My worst fear is that it's nothing but a slightly older Cornish Cross and could be a pullet or an uncastrated cockerel. I've accepted that it was given antibiotics and can live with that for the sake of research. I can't find anything on the internet about them other that they are for sale. I wish I could find out the age, gender, breed, feeding strategy... basically anything anyone knows about this brand. Please pipe up with any thoughts, information, anecdotes, etc.

 

[hellbender]

The backstory: I've fallen in love with the idea of raising White Dorkings and marketing the males as capons. I'm in the R&D phase and am building infrastructure to house chicks coming in the spring. And it's been at least 25 years since I've eaten capon but remember it was amazing.

Last night I bought a Minowa Capon which is the only one you ever see at the grocery store and only at Christmas. It's in the freezer to cook after the holidays. My question is this, what does anyone know about Minowa's Capons? My worst fear is that it's nothing but a slightly older Cornish Cross and could be a pullet or an uncastrated cockerel. I've accepted that it was given antibiotics and can live with that for the sake of research. I can't find anything on the internet about them other that they are for sale. I wish I could find out the age, gender, breed, feeding strategy... basically anything anyone knows about this brand. Please pipe up with any thoughts, information, anecdotes, etc.

I've never heard of that brand but it seems they would almost have to be castrated to be legally called a 'capon' but in this day of marketing BS, who knows.

Do you mind if I ask what it cost?

 

[AnthNDacula]

Minowa has been around for years and years and are cheap considering what a capon should be. I cooked one of their birds about 25 years ago, and it was delicious. We paid about $20 for the one last night and I'm guessing it is between 7 and 8 pounds. A comparable capon bought on-line from Dartagnan (SP?) is about $80. But I know their products and their reputation. If it says capon... it's a capon. As I get further into this project I'll buy one of the expensive ones to try but for now I'm saving my pennies for building materials and breeding stock.

 

[dfr1973]

The backstory: I've fallen in love with the idea of raising White Dorkings and marketing the males as capons. I'm in the R&D phase and am building infrastructure to house chicks coming in the spring. And it's been at least 25 years since I've eaten capon but remember it was amazing.

Last night I bought a Minowa Capon which is the only one you ever see at the grocery store and only at Christmas. It's in the freezer to cook after the holidays. My question is this, what does anyone know about Minowa's Capons? My worst fear is that it's nothing but a slightly older Cornish Cross and could be a pullet or an uncastrated cockerel. I've accepted that it was given antibiotics and can live with that for the sake of research. I can't find anything on the internet about them other that they are for sale. I wish I could find out the age, gender, breed, feeding strategy... basically anything anyone knows about this brand. Please pipe up with any thoughts, information, anecdotes, etc.

I've never heard of that brand but it seems they would almost have to be castrated to be legally called a 'capon' but in this day of marketing BS, who knows.

Do you mind if I ask what it cost?

I am interested in the price as well - I have not seen a capon in a grocery since I was a kid. Same for goat, as I remember asking my mom what that was, and she told me. It's become rare to find lamb or duck ... a goose or gosling has to be hunted up in specialty stores.

ETA: You were answering while I was typing. Hmmm .... $20 for a 7-8 pound capon does seem too cheap.

 

[AnthNDacula]

Do you mind if I ask what it cost?

And by the way I'd like to thank your mama. She raised you right. So often people write carelessly worded phrases online that aren't intended to offend but certainly would offend if you said those same things in person. A simple phrase like "Do you mind" can go a long way. I've seen businesses fold and careers destroyed over hitting the send button before checking what is in the e-mail, how it's worded or who the e-mail is actually going to. As an example ... my doctor's practice has just been sold for a fraction of it's value because the owner carelessly hitting send. Manners count... maybe more online than in person.

 

[hellbender]

And by the way I'd like to thank your mama. She raised you right. So often people write carelessly worded phrases online that aren't intended to offend but certainly would offend if you said those same things in person. A simple phrase like "Do you mind" can go a long way. I've seen businesses fold and careers destroyed over hitting the send button before checking what is in the e-mail, how it's worded or who the e-mail is actually going to. As an example ... my doctor's practice has just been sold for a fraction of it's value because the owner carelessly hitting send. Manners count... maybe more online than in person.

Thank you. I've always thought my mom did a good job raising me but let me hasten to say you have guessed my gender erroneously.

We have been caponizing/poulardizing chickens for decades and can not imagine a profit could be made at such a low price, no matter how they did it...unless they castrated the bird on the same day they slaughtered it.

OOOPS...I misread your post...I thought you were calling me ma'am.

RON

Check this out............http://www.schiltzfoods.com/Minowa_Capons_p/wac.htm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I didn't get weights yesterday, but I got them this morning. @gjensen I suspect you were correct and that a few of them were molting and I did not recognize it, given the feathers I discovered during the bedding refresh and turnover this past weekend. I'm keeping all the pullets for flock balance and may find that the little ones lay well (from what DesertChic mentioned in her NN flock) - as I am planning to do specific pairs (or trios) for breeding, I can be selective about parentage of anything I hatch out.

Bane has been renamed Snape (fits him better I think), and he continues to be impressive. Tank is now crowing in the mornings as well (no more kazoo as of today) - very distinctive, like the stereotypical "cock-a-doodle-do". I enjoyed recognizing their voices this morning.

Secondary priority will be preserving and concentrating NN phenotype, so that will go into the pairing choices, as I will be culling any fully feathered chicks at hatch. (Boy, that will be an entirely new difficult thing to learn to do. Scissors, I suppose.)


Some (small) dogs dug under my fence yesterday - I found one of them on TOP of the Speckled Sussex coop trying to find a way in. I chased them off, found the hole and blocked it with a big rock, and thanked my inherent paranoia for making all the coops and pens pretty predator proof. I'm going to try to buy some barbed wire today if I can get to Tractor Supply before they close for the holiday, and string it along the bottom so they can't squeeze under without getting hung up on it. (Don't want to run electrical wire, and I think I would need a permit for it at property perimeter anyway.)

- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

I didn't get weights yesterday, but I got them this morning. @gjensen I suspect you were correct and that a few of them were molting and I did not recognize it, given the feathers I discovered during the bedding refresh and turnover this past weekend. I'm keeping all the pullets for flock balance and may find that the little ones lay well (from what DesertChic mentioned in her NN flock) - as I am planning to do specific pairs (or trios) for breeding, I can be selective about parentage of anything I hatch out.

Bane has been renamed Snape (fits him better I think), and he continues to be impressive. Tank is now crowing in the mornings as well (no more kazoo as of today) - very distinctive, like the stereotypical "cock-a-doodle-do". I enjoyed recognizing their voices this morning.

Secondary priority will be preserving and concentrating NN phenotype, so that will go into the pairing choices, as I will be culling any fully feathered chicks at hatch. (Boy, that will be an entirely new difficult thing to learn to do. Scissors, I suppose.)


Some (small) dogs dug under my fence yesterday - I found one of them on TOP of the Speckled Sussex coop trying to find a way in. I chased them off, found the hole and blocked it with a big rock, and thanked my inherent paranoia for making all the coops and pens pretty predator proof. I'm going to try to buy some barbed wire today if I can get to Tractor Supply before they close for the holiday, and string it along the bottom so they can't squeeze under without getting hung up on it. (Don't want to run electrical wire, and I think I would need a permit for it at property perimeter anyway.)

- Ant Farm

II strongly recommend one strand of electric tape (the small round type instead of barbed wire. It will prevent almost all digging varmints (there's plenty of 'em) and unless your neighbors are right on top of you, it can't even be seen. It's usually black and white twined material that has no ominous appearance unless someone really knows what to look for.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

II strongly recommend one strand of electric tape (the small round type instead of barbed wire. It will prevent almost all digging varmints (there's plenty of 'em) and unless your neighbors are right on top of you, it can't even be seen. It's usually black and white twined material that has no ominous appearance unless someone really knows what to look for.

I'll look into it...

- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

I'll look into it...

- Ant Farm

http://www.kencove.com/fence/Twine+(Electric)_detail_R23.php