Breeding Raising and Processing Capons

[BCMaraniac]

That is great that you will go to the workshop!!

I personally haven't done more than about two, however I will be getting some more practice soon with the procedure. Any "fowl-ups" (caponizing accidents) will go in the soup pot. (yes, people will happily eat little-chicken stew here).

My friend's capons were big, nice chickens with long, very pretty tail feathers. They were very unaggressive. They don't defend themselves and other flock members like a rooster would.

Unfortunately, a neighbor's dog got a couple of the capons. These were adults that were just about ready for the dinner table, so the loss was pretty noticeable.

I am now in a location where the people really like eating free-range chicken (and eggs). However, roaming dogs are a problem, too.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I recommend that anyone willing to take the time and effort to learn the procedure should also consider that the birds will need a little more than the usual predator protection after they are caponized. I would say that capons should pretty much be in a run unless the entire farm is well-fenced against roaming dogs and raccoons.

I hate to see losses like this thread's original poster's loss of over 60 birds, all to two d*** dogs. That's quite a loss of investment in time, effort, and money to raise the birds, feed them, and then do the procedure - and then get nothing out of it because of the dog attack.

I agree that it' great that Linda go to the workshop I believe it will serve her well.

You are correct about the capons. They are quite docile, and may even get bullied by the hens. I love how they look with the long plumage. I have some white hatchery capons as well as some black marans crosses that have gorgeous plumage, high gloss feathers, etc. I keep mine housed with pullets and have a Pyr and Australian Shepherd that look after them. Thankfully no other dogs come onto our property.

 

[LindaB220]

I agree that it' great that Linda go to the workshop I believe it will serve her well.

You are correct about the capons. They are quite docile, and may even get bullied by the hens. I love how they look with the long plumage. I have some white hatchery capons as well as some black marans crosses that have gorgeous plumage, high gloss feathers, etc. I keep mine housed with pullets and have a Pyr and Australian Shepherd that look after them. Thankfully no other dogs come onto our property.

Yeah, I'll have to pen all mine. Pitt bull down the road get out a lot.

 

[pennymcdermott]

I see it's been a while since there has been activity on this thread but I'm going to give it a shot...We are thinking of raising capons on our little growing farm. I've just started doing research on the topic and could use as much information as I can get.

 

[Howard E]

I glanced through the thread and if this info was in there, I missed it.

The deal with capons is they are nothing more than castrated roosters, no different than steers, barrows or wethers.

In days of old, they were an important part of the poultry operation, or at least they were on some farms....this was about 100 years ago in an era that predates the modern rendition of the Cornish Cross and similar meat birds. Capons were fed as fattened livestock to be sold into meat markets. Just as with dairy calves, half the flock of birds that hatch are males and there are no use for them around the farm, so either they were destroyed, fed as roosters, or better yet, converted to capons. A capon is a big bird that lacks the male traits of a rooster, so they are more docile to raise, the meat is more tender and juicy and they fatten better.

The concept of caponizing a bird mostly went out the window with the rise of meat birds like the Cornish Cross. They grow faster and have a much higher feed conversion factor, so are more economical to raise vs. raising a male bird from laying hen stock. The comparison is not unlike the difference between a beef breed like an Angus and a dairy breed like a Holstein. If you want a thick, juicy well marbled piece of steak, it is not going to come from a Holstein.

What is less certain in my mind is a comparison of the two birds.......a Cx and a capon, side by side. My wife's grandfather was pretty famous chef in Chicago about 40 years ago and for special occasions that involved putting a chicken on the table, it was always a capon. You can still find them in some stores. Might be interesting to try one side by side with a typical broiler to see what the difference is and if the perceived benefits would be worth it to pursue.

 

[Maeschak]

In a way, this post answers its own question.

The first and most important thing that capons need is excellent fencing and good housing. Since you´re good with the surgery, you should probably keep trying the project, but may have to look for some lumber and fencing. Sometimes your can find pallets for free, although it´s a pain in the neck to get all the nails out of them.

I actually have only a little experience with them, and am not yet confident with the surgery, but a friend raised some capons. They are really docile chickens that are, well, sort of "too nice." They are susceptible to attacks from marauding dogs and even roosters in the flock. In our experience, they were a little more susceptible to attacks than the hens and a lot more susceptible to attacks than roosters.

Some farms that have a lot of capons (anything more than just a few) recommend raising them in their own separate little yard. They would probably do OK with broilers or just hens.

Please share your experience with them in tractors. They should be better foragers than Cornish X..

Since you had a dog attack on the farm, it´s obvious that there was a weak point in your fencing or housing wherever the dog got in. In the South, basically chickens need hardware cloth for protection against dogs and raccoons - chicken wire does not keep predators out! Also be sure to have on hand a trap or two to deal with raccoon problems.

All too many dogs attack chickens, and dogs are very prevalent in rural areas. Chicken housing needs to be secure against dogs.

By the way, if you have some slips, I´ve read that it´s recommended to sell or process the slips as soon as they become apparent, so the slips don´t start fights, trying to breed with hens etc.

As far as feeding, I would go with whatever regime you are using for your other meat birds. The French and Spanish often give them some milk during their last week or two.

As far as breed selection, the tastiest capon we ever raised was a mutt RIR-barred rock mix. He had lots of yellow fat around his gizzard when we processed him. This fat was absolutely spectacular for things like frying potatoes. My guess is that the best "breed" to select is whatever heavy breed or mix cockerels are cheap (or free) at the moment.

Capons are undergoing somewhat of a revival in Spain and probably in France, especially as a Christmas dinner. They are not cheap in those countries.

Sorry to butt in, but you mentioned something that I have been wondering about but not been able to find an answer to... perhaps you can clue me in.

I had some DP roos I kept in a pen for the last few weeks of their life and found that they had a large amount of fat around their gizzards (but not much elsewhere) after butchering. What does this fat around the gizzard mean? Is it a good thing or bad thing (besides providing great chicken fat!).

Thanks so much - and thanks for the caponizing info. I have been thinking about trying this one day as well.

 

[Ruthster55]

Fat around the gizzard is common. Sounds like you are feeding your birds well!!