GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Maggiesdad]

This is just what I've noted. Assorted breeds that would mature out from 7-10lb, caponized at1.5lb (6-8wks for my stock), Nobody gets "picked on", but the capons are definitely low in the order. This is free ranging and penned stock. Testes are rice sized at that age. No comb, no wattles, no crow, if it's not a slip.

 

[Kusanar]

Maggiesdad, for some reason my phone's not letting me hit the quote button.

Really? Huh. Everything I've read on it says that it won't stop crowing, but if you do it early enough, the capons are more likely to get "picked on" because they don't develop the aggression (without the testosterone to fuel it). Similar to castrating almost any other animal before the testosterone starts to really develop the male traits and behaviors. Maybe there's an age "sweet spot" for it. I mean, I expect dominance still, since that's a trait both hens and roosters can develop, so it's not sex related.

I imagine that a capon would be like a gelded horse, yes, i have a few geldings that fight some, but unless they are forced to be right in each others space or very stressed out, they would rather just eat and sleep than do anything else. Mares are hormonal and so they are more aggressive than geldings usually. Stallions arent nessasarally aggressive, but they are more alert and more active than geldings, less food motivated....

 

[collie1470]

That's what I would have figured too, since testosterone is what makes male animals generally more aggressive.

 

[Kassaundra]

Yes even the hens are more assertive then the non slipped capons.

 

[collie1470]

That's what I thought, since many articles on caponization seem to recommend seperating the capons so they don't get beat down too badly.

 

[dfr1973]

That's what I thought, since many articles on caponization seem to recommend seperating the capons so they don't get beat down too badly.

Both Puffy and Cappy were in with their age-peers for a short while .... very short while. Cappy went in with chicks after getting all kinds of hell from the pullets his age, not the cockerels. Puffy also needed to be separated from the other capons his age due to a bad case of windpuffing. That may be why those two have made the best chick-nannies.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Cappy and the young capons somehow got out of their tractor yesterday ... probably bounced against the door just right. Cappy had them under the nearest tree, pecking for bugs, and when I walked up he made a little warning noise for them to pay attention. Since the young capons are still a bit too small for me to be comfortable the hawks can't carry them off, I shooed them back into the tractor ... then let the other unnamed capons out to peck a bit.

I had two full grown capons carried off by hawks.

 

[collie1470]

Sheesh... that's no good.

 

[hellbender]

I had two full grown capons carried off by hawks.

Hawks used to be a problem around here but on the rare occasion one might be spotted these days, they are given to know they aren't welcome, frequently with a military-type send off.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

My one capon is out in the yard with his peer group of pullets and a half Buff/Speckled Sussex pullet, with a couple generations of Buffs. Those four hang together and the other birds don't trouble them unless they are trying to eat out of the same feed dish. I have several dishes so they just go to the next one. All of my Buffs are pretty laid back birds and the Alohas are too so I don't have any trouble at all with the capon being bullied. Thank goodness.

Today is my birthday, ya'll. Yeah I did just ya'll you! For my birthday, Poco Pollo is coming this Thursday to instruct me, by myself! Woot! Happy Birthday to me! My girlfriends get massages, facials (all boring to me) and crap for their birthdays -- I get lessons in caponizing.

I've gone to Plan B, which is to process the White Rocks and caponize the 5 week old cockerels in my brooder -- Sussex birds, much calmer. I don't have as many of them, like about 10 or so, but it will be plenty to start and there are more eggs in the incubators. I will be thrilled to rid myself of these wild and crazy Rocks. We processed 17 this morning in two hours and have 26 yet to go which we plan to finish tonight and in the morning. That's a total of 43. My original order contained 9 pullets and I killed 2 or 3 birds, can't remember now. At 10 weeks they are surprisingly filled out so I am actually getting some meat out of them instead of just using them for stock. Happy me. I just saved a lot on feed for the difference in grow out of uncaponized birds so I am going to remember this for future reference.

My Buff Sussex rooster is a 10 lb bird so it will be interesting to see how large one of these becomes as a capon.

I love that my capon can roam the yard with the other birds without creating the usual chaos of a cockerel his age. I also love that I won't have to store the entire winter's worth of birds in one of our many freezers.