Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

CX stands for Cornish Rock Cross and the standard WR hen or rooster won't have quite as much meat on them as a CX but their genetics have contributed to this particular meat bird, so they definitely pack on more pounds of actual meat than most other breeds of DP birds. If I were growing DP birds instead of CX and I wanted some with fat and mild flavor, as well as no crowing, I'd just use the WR hens and use them as they were intended..as a dual purpose breed. Meat and eggs.

My WR hen was only half a pound under weight than the largest rooster I butchered and she had longer breast filets, though not as big thighs or legs. Here's a pic of half of her lying next to a whole rooster and you can see the color of her meat is even different...more fat in the breast meat, healthy looking compared to this scrub, mixed breed rooster.

 

[Beekissed]

OK can someone explain this term because I am lost. Even googled it. But am still lost.

This is where they cut into the back of a young rooster and remove his testes so that he puts on fat like a hen and doesn't develop male characteristics as much, though I have heard that some still do crow at times after the process.

 

[Kassaundra]

Do you mean caponizing the roosters that are born in a hatch? No more than a person would get, is it worth digging around in their backs to yield a perceived flavor difference? I for one cannot really distinguish between the taste of a hen and a rooster..they both pretty much taste like chicken.

All chicken tastes like chicken of course, however a 6 month - 1 year old capon is fatter, more tender, and bigger then its non caponized counterpart.

And you have fixated on the taste and skipped all the behavioral benefits of caponizing.

Caponizing a young roo-let is an easy skill to learn and once learned very safe and effective. It is practiced all over the world and has been for thousands of years, as is sterilizing other male farm animals. And as big a benefit it is to the supper plate it is an even bigger benefit to the suburbanite who just loves his or her little prized hen that has suddenly started crowing, and whose children are so attatched they can't imagine their back yard w/o the little guy. I know that is an affront to your sensibilities that chickens are for food and not for suburbanites, however they pay their chicken feed bills not me and if they want a pet roo, it is an option for them.

 

[Kassaundra]

OK can someone explain this term because I am lost. Even googled it. But am still lost.

Caponizing is what it is called when you neuter a male chicken.

 

[BCMaraniac]

Just curious.... with the great meat bird crosses out there Is there a difference between a Capon and non Caponed with regard to flavor?

deb

Honestly, I can't tell you. What I can tell you is that compared to a rooster of the same age, the capon should have meat that is more tender.

I raised CX and Red Rangers earlier in the year for this summer/fall because I just began caponizing this year, so I haven't grown any out yet. My first capons will be processed late this fall, probably early December, when they are about 7 months old. They are hatchery DP cockerels that I bought from McMurray.....white Giants, Orpingtons, and Rocks.....along with extra roos from a batch of straight run American Bresse I bought. My younger capons are from my layer flock, which is assorted DP breeds, and my Lavender Orpington rooster, so they are a mixed breed lot.

The reason I decided to caponize is that I didn't want to have to buy chicks to raise for meat, but wanted to hatch them myself and raise them.....self-sufficiency, if you will. Spring hatches with free range growout during the summer, and finishing out during the fall. Some breeds of dual purpose capons can reach 8-10 pounds. I have read about Jersey Giants that have ended up upward of 20 pounds, though I can't even imagine. I think there is one major capon producer in the US, because they are very popular at the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays.

With the world in the state it is in, I wanted to be able, if I ever had to, to have chickens throughout the winter that I can butcher as I want to. A century ago, the primary fresh protein source in rural America throughout the winter was wild game and chicken.....unless you lived in cattle country. So some families raised capons. In addition to other cash crops, some farmers would raise capons if they had a place to market, because they brought twice the price per pound than regular chicken

I just butchered some 21 week old slips, and they are resting in the fridge as I type. If you aren't familiar with the term, a slip is a rooster that was caponized but in whom a both testicles did not get completely removed. The residual part of the testicle begins to regenerate, and the capon will start developing characteristics of a rooster such as enlarging red combs, plumage, crowing, and aggression. As soon as they are identified, they are typically butchered. A skilled caponizer will have less than 10 percent slips. if memory serves me correctly. My percentage is higher, especially in these first ones that I did, because of my skills. I have younger ones that appear to have fewer slips. The slips that I processed this weekend weighed between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 pounds dressed. I don't know how they taste yet, but I will in a few days.

With another 2-3 months to continue to grow and get fat.....like an old neutered cat..... I would imagine they will add a pretty decent amount of weight on top of what the slips weighed.

Sorry for rambling on.......

 

[RoseMarie1]

Yeah it just crossed my mind. I have a feeling they would gang up on the older roo too. About the only way they could hurt anybody would be by biting but they sure have the bluff on everybody. The older roo (Australorp) is a little over 7 months old and the youngsters are 17 weeks. I think he could handle them well right now. Yeah the Buckeyes are laid back. I hope the pullets lay fairly well because I do like the breed. This dang Leghorn roo has been challenging the other birds for several weeks. Usually the only one that would stand up to him was the Ancona. Now they are buddies which is bad news. I'm probably going to have to take them out for a little while and "reset" the pecking order. Hopefully they will forget their beef with the Delaware roo. I believe I saw him standing up to the Leghorn roo the other day. I guess that didn't go so well, poor boy. lol

Yeah I actually saw #1 roo mating one of the girls yesterday and the other one was a ways off so he got away with it. BUT I have noticed he goes after him when he see him doing it. I'm thinking though when #1 gets a little more mature, he is going to take over and BE #1. lol He seems a little more aggressive than he was and he isn't "AS" rough on the hens as the other one either. He seems to be more stable with it than #13 is. I guess cuz #13 is larger. ??? But I'm thinking 1 is going to be in charge before it's all over.

Bee #13 actually dove up on my arm yesterday evening after the bucket of food. TOTALLY took me by surprise and he could have gotten me good in the face but he didn't. But he did get his toe nail into my thin skinned arm. ughhhh He was behind me and usually stays back because I always have my stick and that's the FIRST time for anything like that. He was just trying to get at the food but it took me by total surprise and I knocked him off my arm.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Caponizing is what it is called when you neuter a male chicken.

oh dear now I gotta ASK HOW does one go about doing that?

I am so ignorant when it comes to chickens although I AM learning!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

oh dear now I gotta ASK HOW does one go about doing that?

I am so ignorant when it comes to chickens although I AM learning!!!

Here is a link to one of the caponizing threads, be advised before clicking the pics are graphic.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/675898/graphic-pics-of-my-day-learning-to-caponize

 

[BCMaraniac]

oh dear now I gotta ASK HOW does one go about doing that?

I am so ignorant when it comes to chickens although I AM learning!!!

You make an incision between the last two ribs on each side toward their back(once you learn how, you can get both from one side), and enter the abdominal cavity, and remove the testicles, then close up the skin. It amazes me that as soon as you are done and put them in the "recovery pen" they almost immediately start eating and drinking. They seem to tolerate it and recuperate much more quickly than other neutered farm animals.

 

[Beekissed]

I have some hens that have been trying to push me at the feed bucket lately..that's a first but has been happening since I cut rations. The rooster never dares to get that close to me when I'm bent over and working and that is the desired result. I wouldn't take it lightly next time it happens with your roo and I'd do more than knock him off...I'd give him a lesson in the pecking order he'd not soon forget. It's never too soon to start teaching good manners and never too late, even for old boys like my Toby and my old fat girls. I teach them if they get close enough to get handled, by golly, they are getting handled. Manners! They are important.

As it is, I am now training these hens to refrain from jamming in to the feed bucket when I am dishing out feed...I just "peck" them in the side when they do it and they get the message pretty quick. I had trained these cheap meat birds in this extra pen by touching them with the scoop when they'd rush the feeder while I was still dishing out the food. I wouldn't let them approach the feeder until I was out of the pen and closing the gate. They learned pretty quickly.