GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[LindaB220]

The vet that is doing my roos went and learned the procedure from the vet in Oklahoma.

these aren't my "great" cemani, these are mike bean's non Smithsonian line, and I have 8 of them atm and have lots of others coming in the spring svart honas, smithies, 2-3 lines of ayam cemani, another line of white bresse.

Like I said, I'm ok with the risk, as I do have quite a few of these, as I want to breed, but not live with a constant crowing contest, as well as do capons for meat. The vet has been practicing on her ccl, and offered me a deal on the surgery as she's learning on the fm chickens, and like with caponizing, it's better to learn on not very expensive or special chickens than ones your really attached to. It's part of my learning process and curve. She is including the aftercare for $150. We discussed it at length, so as she refines and works on different breeds, so she's offered me 2 for 1 for decrowing. Great deal to me including pick up and drop off.

Great sounds like you got a deal. Good luck with it.

 

[Double Kindness]

I hope they do ok, and if they both make it, bonus for me, and I could probably find someone willing to buy a surgically quieted rooster ayam cemani right?

We are so relieved caponizing equipment is otw, my bf has been doing his own research. We're planning on starting with the loud slw and go from there. If they don't make it, we will learn how to process them. We're learning this stuff one way or another, as I feel these are valuable skills to have on hand for animal husbandry.

 

[-buddy-]

got my tools! thanks a bunch poco! a lot of effort on your part to be a help to others.

 

[Double Kindness]

Yay, it came in the mail today

and this morning my bf asked me which roo it was that rudely woke him up this morning

this however is his favorite roo, Brazen, who will be the last to become a capon. Or our attempt to do so.

Update- we're attempting tomorrow, the roos have been with held from food since 1 pm today, and no water since 630 pm, will it be ok at 930-10 am to start trying to caponize?

 

[Double Kindness]

Well so far we have attempted 3 production reds and 1 speckled sussex rooster, all are still alive with both testes. The 5th one is on the table now. We're having issues locating where to put the insicion on the between the 1st & 2nd rib, we're running into bone we can't slice through. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

update- the 5th one was a success, but it pooped all over the operating table and it looks like it has worms. Looks like I'm deworming everyone now which puts freezer camp one month out dang it. We may have nicked something, it has a pink zip tie on it's foot. I hope it lives. My bf is in the shop now, he HATES the thread used to twist the testes. We had to do a cut on each side, it took 20 minutes. We're trying to improvise something that might work better for twisting the testes out.

 

[Duckmang]

DK and I attempted 7 birds today. Only one had both testes removed. A couple seemed like they were opened up to far forward and there was lung tissue in the way. We just pulled the retractor on those. One bled really bad from just the cut through the skin so we didnt proceed with him either. The first one actually opened up ok but after fiddling for way too long and not being able to free the teste I gave up. All of the unsuccessful attempts got a blue zip tie on the leg. I really did not like the tools for use with the string. Really, really, really didnt like them. Way too ****** fiddly, and virtually impossible to encircle the teste with the string much less use it to remove one. Spent more time fiddling with the tools and string outside the bird than even trying to use them inside the birds. Did I mention that I really didn't like the string tools. On the 7th bird I made a wire and straw tool that worked much better in my opinion. This bird had giant testes easily 4x larger than the successfully caponized one. My tool worked well to remove the first teste but he developed a significant bleed once it was out. We both expected him to expire on the spot but he pulled through. He got a pink and blue zip tie and tossed back in the pen. All in all the most difficult part was finding the right spot to make the incision. Trying to work on different breeds of different sizes and age certainly didn't help. A close 2nd in difficulty is actually getting the testes out. I suspect that it would be a lot easier on younger birds that haven't developed a lot of connective tissue around the testes. I also think a cauderizing tool would be infinity more effective than string or blade tools at freeing the testes

 

[Kassaundra]

Well so far we have attempted 3 production reds and 1 speckled sussex rooster, all are still alive with both testes. The 5th one is on the table now. We're having issues locating where to put the insicion on the between the 1st & 2nd rib, we're running into bone we can't slice through. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

update- the 5th one was a success, but it pooped all over the operating table and it looks like it has worms. Looks like I'm deworming everyone now which puts freezer camp one month out dang it. We may have nicked something, it has a pink zip tie on it's foot. I hope it lives. My bf is in the shop now, he HATES the thread used to twist the testes. We had to do a cut on each side, it took 20 minutes. We're trying to improvise something that might work better for twisting the testes out.

I also have major issues w/ the thread I use the grabby tweezer things that came w/ the tools.

 

[Mirandaisqueen]

I got my tools Coral! Thank you sooooo much!!

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I also have major issues w/ the thread I use the grabby tweezer things that came w/ the tools.

I liked that tool better for that too. I found I could grab it with those and once was able to get the tweezers and the string tool in one hand while I maneuvered the string underneath (dose that make sense

), the sawing motion was difficult, you need a second pair of hands to remove the tweezers.

 

[Poco Pollo]

There's a testicle sac surrounding each testicle. Use a tweezers tool (tweezers end of the scalpel tool in the Chinese tool set) to grasp a tiny portion of the sac to tear the sac. Once the testicle is exposed, one can use the tweezers to pull and twist (not my favorite method but sometimes necessary) the testicle free. The only thing holding the testicle will be the vas deferens. If you're using a straw tool, the same sac must be removed first. Using the straw tool is similar to grabbing and pulling. Be careful, though, as the straw may cut into the testicle when one pulls on the wire/line/thread. If the wire/line/thread is not at the base of the testicle, because the operator has the tool over the sac and the testicle, the sharp edge of the straw may cut into the testicle causing a slip.

With practice, the wire tool works better than the other tools because there is immediate feedback to the operator's fingers telling him/her where the wire is and when the resistance ends. The single strand has the best cutting ability (rather than a double wire, thick wire, or a plastic fishing line). Using the wire tool well requires practice. Watch youtube videos. Watch people use the tool. It's elegant because it's simple and it works. We are rarely experts the first time we learn a new skill. If one can't get the wire tool around the testicle, the sac surrounding the testicle is probably still intact. Tearing the sac at its anchor points, the ends closest to the artery, is riskier than tearing the sac near the center of the testicle.