GRAPHIC PICS of my day learning to caponize

[Deerfield Acres]

hellbender, Oh my gosh, you are so funny! My mom used to recite that little poem for me -- she only had 3 kids and thought that was a huge number! She bought me a little figurine of the old woman in the shoe. I'm a sly one, though, I know what to do... keep them busy in the morning and swim all afternoon. I love summer and I love having time with the kids passing on all the things my Mom tried to pass on to me. I wasn't a smart kid.. didn't learn while I had the chance. My kids are completely engaged and invested.

collie1470, my DH is not invested in the project, only to the extent that he knows it makes me happy and I feel like it is something of a connection to my Mom, who is no longer with us. He refuses to eat any meat we raise, preferring to buy and eat the store bought meat for himself. I respect his wishes and at this point, he has resigned himself to respecting mine and that's good enough for me. I do wish he could be a little more interested. He will occasionally ask what I am doing but I don't volunteer anymore because his eyes glaze over.

 

[collie1470]

My fiance isn't too interested in it either. I mean, he'ss 100% for it and looking forward to it being done.....but he's looking forward to me doing it. I think he just tolerates me jabbering haha. Oh well, both of us are big into home raised/grown food.

I guess I should just be happy he isn't against it because "it's mean".

 

[collie1470]

But he also grew up spending most of his time on a farm, so he knows what's up :/

 

[osbmail]

I would like to discuss wind puffs in more detail.How to remedy them?What the best way to avoid them?Out 10 I did I had 6 that have pretty constant puffs that I am watching and making a cut on them to get rid of air but seems to come back the next day.I read that you could put a piece of yarn in the cut but don't really want something I have to take out later or that get infected.All of the birds I did I cut of both sides which probably make more wind puffs.I hope to get better and only work on one side.Also I think that I need to misalign the skin cut and the rib cut by pulling the skin.

 

[dfr1973]

I would like to discuss wind puffs in more detail.How to remedy them?What the best way to avoid them?Out 10 I did I had 6 that have pretty constant puffs that I am watching and making a cut on them to get rid of air but seems to come back the next day.I read that you could put a piece of yarn in the cut but don't really want something I have to take out later or that get infected.All of the birds I did I cut of both sides which probably make more wind puffs.I hope to get better and only work on one side.Also I think that I need to misalign the skin cut and the rib cut by pulling the skin.

I had read about using regular cotton sewing thread, doubled so the air can get out between the threads, and at least in the old days that would have dissolved as the bird healed. I would use cotton hand-quilting thread ... if I could find the box with all my sewing thread in it. Puffy earned his name by being really windpuffed. The others barely puffed from that batch, but so far I've had at least one in each batch puff, just not to the extent Puffy did.

 

[hellbender]

I had read about using regular cotton sewing thread, doubled so the air can get out between the threads, and at least in the old days that would have dissolved as the bird healed. I would use cotton hand-quilting thread ... if I could find the box with all my sewing thread in it. Puffy earned his name by being really windpuffed. The others barely puffed from that batch, but so far I've had at least one in each batch puff, just not to the extent Puffy did.

In the past, I've used a piece of catgut that shortly dissolved but that was many years ago. Stretching the skin a bit askew from the rib has helped dramatically for us to help prevent the puffs.

 

[osbmail]

The last one I did I made sure to stretch to skin to make cuts misalign and it had no puffiness so far.So that is for the plan from here on out.Also a goal of getting both from one side will be tried on the next batch in about 3 weeks.

 

[osbmail]

So this air is coming from the inside of bird?Not from the cut is that right?I was thinking of sealing deflating cut with something but if the air coming from the inside of the that won't help.Sure this has been address but what happens if don't deflate them?Has anybody had one die from wind puff?

 

[dfr1973]

So this air is coming from the inside of bird?Not from the cut is that right?I was thinking of sealing deflating cut with something but if the air coming from the inside of the that won't help.Sure this has been address but what happens if don't deflate them?Has anybody had one die from wind puff?

The air comes from the lung tissue. If the capon gets too puffed, it looks funny and any other bird in with it will pick at it. He'll also be uncomfortable, I imagine.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Well, even the larger hawks here are smaller than the bald eagles ... we do sit out with them when we let them out, so that ought to discourage raiding. In a couple years - if things go as planned! - my capons should be a bit too big to carry off.

I am breeding for size and fleshiness, for the meat side of utility dual purpose Wyandottes.

I suppose the unanswered question is: what breed(s) and what size were those full grown capons?

Both were sired by a Buff Brahma, one hen was WR the other was PR. They were big boys, our hawks around here are huge though.