Capon gasping and seizuring

[Mimi13]

All my birds free range as well. One thing about backyard cockerels v Cornish X is the backyard birds produce more dark meat because their legs and thighs are double the size of a Cornish that’s known for the huge breast.

RIR’s aren’t the biggest bird, but definitely not the smallest either. The extra cockerels I’ve processed were Naked Neck, Welsummer, and then the rest have been mixed breeds of Barred Rocks, Cochins, and Black Copper Marans mixed with Welsummer. Their breasts look skimpy compared to a Cornish, but they do have a lot of meat still.

As far as fattening them up, the fat adds flavor, but not more meat, per se. All mine have had huge legs and thighs, which I prefer, and a nice breast too.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Yep i am hoping the fat adds the flavor too. My roos were so stringy and not alot of flavor. I put them in the pressure cooker and everything.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Did you let them rest for a few days after processing? I only ate my extra roosters once and didn't let them rest, the meat was tough. After reading about processing and allowing rigor mortis to pass, I'm convinced this was the reason why my cockerel's weren't very good.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Yeah. 4 days in the fridge and then once rigor passed i wrapped em and threw in the freezer.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

I am hoping the caponozong makes them edible. Otherwise the dogs are gonna feast

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Interesting! Hopefully it works out for you. Let us know if their are any more losses and definitely wanna hear how the meat turns out.

Again sorry for your losses. How many times have you done this surgery?

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Ive done 11 and had no issues. Two slips, but mostly because i didnt want to kill the chick digging around. The slips and capons have recovered fine. Just these two guys... I dont know what happened

 

[De Bauer]

While the skin incision may have looked fine and infection free there could have easily been one internally at the vascular and tissue attachment points to the testies.. It could have caused the bird to go septic.. The symptoms you describe sound like from a systemic infection with high fever.
This lead to shock, seizure, and death.

Even botulism has been known to enter thru the incision and kill birds days / wk later. Ideally antibiotics a few days prior and 4-5 days post op is a good idea.

Fact is people have been doing this for more than a thousand yrs and there are always losses even if small. Its actually becoming more not less popular in the last 10yrs.

Of equal skilled caponizers? my guess it comes down to sterility and use of antibiotics.

Birds more than any other animal try to hide/mask illness.. By the time we see obvious outward signs in behavior they are usually very ill to the point they no longer can mask it and many times its too late for s recovery.

Using alcohol you want to wipe in one direction and even allow the alcohol to flow as it takes away any bacteria.. Back and forth motions just smear any bacteria or debris around.

My advice would be to sterilize all instruments and area along with hands and wear gloves.. Per human surgical standards. Thoroughly clean sterilize the skin around where the incision will be made.

Pay attention to your hands and what they touch.. Rub your eye nose mouth. Touch a bottle handle etc anything not sterilized and you are contaminated.

Cattle or any animal with them on the outside are so much easier LOL Then again the times I have taken a serious hit to the family jewels having them on the inside would have sure been welcomed at that moment.

 

[Poco Pollo]

Hi Guys,

I just did a batch of capons on Saturday (3 days ago). I have them recovering in a tractor with attached enclosed coop. They were all doing great this morning - eating, drinking, and chirping away. I check on them this evening before locking up my other chickens for the night and notice one feathers puffed up and gasping. I grabbed him up and noticed no rattling. He is only slightly puffy around his surgery wound, but its only air under the skin. The scab looks great, no signs of infection.

So i brought him inside and put him in a dog crate under a towel. I massaged his crop, it feels soft and squishy but sorta like a slightly inflated balloon. I tried to give him water and he wanted no part of it. I gave him some VetRX on his chest incase its respiratory.

I left him alone for maybe 10 minutes and came back to find him having what I think is a seizure. He was flopping like crazy, i thought for sure he was dead and it was his body convulsions. But lo and behold he was still alive. He had another about 5 mins later and is still alive. He is just sitting there (on his feet) gasping.

What is happening with this poor guy?? Is there anything i can do for him??

Chickens have a respiratory system dependent on multiple air sacks. Their lungs are fixed (do not expand or contract). If you break through into the forward air sack, you compromise the chicken’s ability to inhale and exhale: this leads to gasping and ultimately, expiring. Chickens have nine ballon like air sacks. The cervical air sack is a single sack - not paired, but the rest of the air sacks are paired. When you caponize, you only want to break into the abdominal air sacks, which are on either side of the bird. Below is a diagram showing the nine air sacks. (Each has a pair except the cervical air sack). Cutting too far forward puts you in the thoracic air sack. This is no bueno for your chicken. To get air to the fixed lungs, a chicken must inhale twice. It’s like a bellows, sort of. The air comes into an air sack. Another breath moves the air to the next air sack, and so on. A chicken is okay with a breach in both abdominal air sacks, but beyond that, he is not going to be able to catch his breath.
.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

Thanks for the info! I didnt think i went too far forward. Just strait in and out. But ill be aware of that next time! I really appreicate all the info/sugguestions everyone has! I am new to this and any tips are greatly appreciated!!